Planning 2014’s Taxes with Your 2013 Tax Return

Taxes are one of your largest retirement expenses. Your 2013 federal income tax form is a guide to reducing those taxes in 2014. Before filing away the return for last year's taxes, take a few minutes to study it. A careful review of the return can point the way to opportunities for decreasing your taxes and increasing after-tax wealth.

Most of the opportunities for those in or near retirement to reduce income taxes are on the front page of the Form 1040. On the back page there are itemized deductions (mortgage interest, charitable contributions, medical expenses, and a few others) plus tax credits. These offer limited planning opportunities for most people. Also, the stealth taxes that increase the burden of many of those in or close to retirement are imposed on adjusted gross income (AGI) or modified adjusted gross income. AGI is the last line of the front page of Form 1040. Examples of stealth taxes based on AGI are the surtax on Medicare premiums, the new net investment income tax under Obamacare, taxes on Social Security benefits, the phaseout of personal exemptions, and the reduction in itemized expenses.

The best opportunities for reducing the special retiree taxes are to reduce gross income and thereby adjusted gross income. Consider these strategies.

Reduce investment income. Does your taxable investment income exceed spending needs? If so, seek ways to shelter the excess. Consider moving money from conservative income investments into deferred fixed annuities. You'll earn a similar yield, and the income will compound tax-deferred. Or you could contribute some of the money to a Roth IRA. You won't receive current tax benefits, but the income will compound tax-free and also be tax-free when you withdraw it, reducing your taxes now and in the future.

Stocks paying qualified dividends also are worth considering. These are more volatile than conservative income investments, but the ! dividends are subject only to a maximum 20% rate, plus most companies that pay dividends increase the dividends each year. This has been a popular sector of the stock markets, so you might want to defer this strategy until valuations are more attractive or carefully choose the stocks.

Consider tax-exempt bonds. Most states and localities are in decent financial shape and aren't likely to default on their bonds. But tax-exempt bonds declined sharply in 2013 because of rising interest rates and an overreaction to the bankruptcy filing of Detroit. In most tax brackets, you earn a higher after-tax return from highly-rated tax-exempts than from treasuries or even investment-grade corporate bonds. You can buy individual bonds, mutual funds, or closed-end funds to capture the opportunity.

Manage your taxable investments. Reviewing your portfolio a few times a year and making some simple transactions can reduce your tax bill. Most investors don't do this and leave dollars on the table.

Harvesting investment losses means selling investments that have paper losses to lock in the losses. Deduct these against capital gains (including mutual fund distributions). If your losses exceed capital gains for the year, up to $3,000 of additional losses can be deducted against other income. Any leftover losses after that are carried forward to future years.

Harvesting losses doesn't mean keeping the investment out of your portfolio forever. If you still like the investment, you can buy it back. With stocks, mutual funds, and some other securities you have to wait more than 30 days to repurchase if you want to deduct the loss in the year of the sale. Or you can buy right away investments that aren't substantially identical. For example, sell one mutual fund and buy another at a different mutual fund family that has the same strategy.

Consider taxes before selling investments with gains. You save significant tax dollars by holding the investment for more than one year so the gain qual! ifies as ! long-term with a maximum tax rate of 20%. Sell a day early and it will be a short-term gain taxed at your ordinary income tax rate.

Even when a gain will be long-term, consider the full picture before selling. A long-term capital gain increases your adjusted gross income. It might be enough to trigger higher taxes on Social Security benefits, higher Medicare premiums, reduction of itemized deductions, and other tax penalties. That's why I say to consider the full picture before deciding to take a capital gain. Understand the full tax cost.

In other words, don't trade your investments too much. This is one area in which good tax strategies and investment strategies complement each other. One of the most frequent investment mistakes is trading too much, through either impatience or trying to time the market. A common tax mistake also is to trade too much, racking up taxable gains and missing the advantage of long-term gains.

Look for tax-advantaged investments. We already discussed tax-exempt bonds. You also should consider master limited partnerships. These pay high distributions. In the first 10 or so years you own them, about 85% of the distributions are tax-free. But the tax-free distributions reduce your tax basis, increasing taxes in the future. MLPs also make your tax returns more complicated, and some people avoid them for that reason. But they're worth considering.

Rental or investment real estate also is worth a look. This is more of a business than investment, because work is involved, and some of it is at inconvenient times. But it has tax advantages that make the efforts worthwhile for some people. You have to meet various requirements, such as being actively involved in management of the real estate, to reap all the benefits. Be sure you know the rules.

Manage retirement plan distributions. Distributions from IRAs and 401(k)s are taxed as ordinary income. Limit withdrawals from retirement plans and annuities to only the amounts needed for spending and! required! by law or contract. 

Take business loss deductions. Losses from businesses also reduce AGI. Losses can come from a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or subchapter S corporation. You might be able to turn a hobby into a business. You have to run the activity like a real business, not a hobby, to meet the IRS’s rules for deducting losses.

Deductions for AGI. There are some deductions you can take on the front page of the 1040 that reduce AGI. They aren't practical for many people age 55 and over, especially those already retired. The deductions include health savings account contributions, moving expenses, the deductible part of self-employment taxes, self-employed health insurance premiums, and some self-employed retirement plan contributions. There are a few others that don't involve much planning, such as alimony payments.

By all means, maximize these deductions to the extent you can. But they don't offer significant planning opportunities for most of those who are in or near retirement.

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Top Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015

Recreational vehicle maker Winnebago Industries (WGO), which makes, you know, Winnebagos, is trucking today after reporting strong revenue and increased demand in its fourth quarter.

AP

For the period ended Aug. 31, Winnebago reported profit of $10.6 million, or 38 cents a share, down from $40.9 million, or $1.41 a share, a year earlier, while sales rose to $214.2 million in the quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters recently predicted earnings of 28 cents a share and sales of $206 million.

Looking at the solid quarter and optimistic forecasts, Citigroup analyst Gregory Badishkanian raised estimates after noting several positive factors at the company including the current backlogs, which more than doubled, and dealer inventories, which were up 38%. He writes:

The company highlighted two issues that appear to be diminishing: 1) towables division was dilutive for the year, but headed in the right direction with a breakeven quarter 2) shortage in Class A Gas chassis, though the issue should be resolved by mid-winter…

Top Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015: Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (SWHC)

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Smith & Wesson), incorporated on June 17, 1991, is a manufacturer of firearms. The Company manufactures a range of handguns, modern sporting rifles, hunting rifles, black powder firearms, handcuffs, and firearm-related products and accessories for sale to a range of customers, including gun enthusiasts, collectors, hunters, sportsmen, competitive shooters, individuals desiring home and personal protection, law enforcement and security agencies and officers, and military agencies in the United States and globally. It sell its products under the Smith & Wesson brand, the M&P brand, the Thompson/Center brand, and the Walther brand. The Company manufactures its firearm products at its facilities in Springfield, Massachusetts and Houlton, Maine. On July 26, 2012, it sold all of the assets of Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, Inc.

Firearms

During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company introduced multiple new handgun and modern sporting rifle models, and one new bolt action rifle platform. The Company's rifle introductions included the addition of the M&P15 300 Whisper to the Company's line of modern sporting rifles. As of April 30, 2012, the Company participated in three categories of the long-gun market and both core categories of the handgun market.

Handguns

The Company manufactures an variety of handgun models that include revolvers and pistols. A revolver is a handgun with a cylinder that holds the ammunition in a series of rotating chambers that are successively aligned with the barrel of the firearm during each firing cycle. There are two general types of revolvers: single-action and double-action. The Company's small-frame revolvers have been carried by law enforcement personnel and personal defense-minded citizens. The Company's revolvers are available in a variety of models and calibers, with applications in virtually all professional and personal markets.

The Company�� M! &P15 Series of modern sporting rifles are designed to satisfy the functionality and reliability needs of global military, law enforcement, and security personnel. These rifles are also popular as sporting target rifles and are sold to consumers through the Company's sporting good distributors, retailers, and dealers. The Company has a range of product portfolio of modern sporting rifles, which includes a lower price-point, sport model, a .22 caliber model, and a fully automatic model designed for the exclusive use of military and law enforcement agencies throughout the world.

Hunting Firearms

The Company manufactures three lines of bolt-action rifles under its Thompson/Center brand consisting of several models in each line. The Company's hunting rifles are offered in 16 different calibers. Bolt-action rifles operate by the cycling of a bolt handle that allows for both the loading and unloading of rounds through a magazine fed system.

During fiscal 2012, the Company introduced the Dimension bolt action rifle platform. Under the Company's Thompson/Center brand, the Company also offers seven models of American-made single shot black powder, or muzzle loader, firearms. The Company offers eight models of interchangeable, single shot firearm systems that deliver numerous gun, barrel, caliber configurations, and finishes. These systems can be configured as a center-fire rifle, rim-fire rifle, shotgun, black powder firearm, or single-shot handgun for use across the entire range of big- and small-game hunting.

Handcuffs

The Company manufactures handcuffs and restraints in the United States. The Company fabricates these products from the carbon or stainless steel.

Smith & Wesson Academy

Through the Smith & Wesson Academy, the Company offers instruction designed to meet the training needs of law enforcement and security customers worldwide. Classes are conducted at the Company's facility in Springfield, Massachusetts or o! n locatio! n around the world.

Specialty Services

The Company's services include forging, heat treating, finishing, and plating. It provides services to third-party customers.

The Company competes with Ruger,Taurus, Beretta, Glock, Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, Bushmaster, Rock River, Stag Arms, DPMS, Browning, Marlin, Remington, Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, CVA, Traditions, and Winchester.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Smith & Wesson Holding (SWHC) shares fell by 58 cents, or more than 5% to $10.90 after hours, erasing the day’s 3.5% gain. It reported earnings of 40 cents per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2014, which ended July 30, compared to 36 cents expected by analysts; and revenue came in better than expected at $171 million.�According to its�prepared release, Smith & Wesson expects�net sales for the second fiscal quarter to be between $135.0 million and $140.0 million and GAAP earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of between 20 cents and 22 cents.�The company also�increased its revenue guidance for the full fiscal year, and sees net sales of between $610.0 million and $620.0 million, with earnings of between $1.30 and $1.35 for fiscal 2014.�The Street is looking for earnings of $1.30 per share, or $1.36 fully reported, for fiscal 2014.

• [By Steve Symington]

  And Sturm, Ruger certainly isn't alone trying to manage this enviable problem; last month, fellow firearms manufacturer�Smith & Wesson (NASDAQ: SWHC  ) sealed a record year with its solid fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report. In fact, Smith & Wesson's own 38% quarterly sales growth stood nearly identical to Sturm, Ruger's most recent revenue increase, while Smith & Wesson's net income rose an even more impressive 63%.

• [By Ben Rooney]

  On the corporate front, there are few companies reporting quarterly results this week. The highlights are gun maker Smith & Wesson (SWHC), Costco (COST, Fortune 500), software company Adobe (ADBE) and yoga apparel retailer lululemon (LULU).

• [By Hibah Yousuf]

  What's moving: Smith & Wesson (SWHC) shares tumbled after the gun maker reported a disappointing outlook for the current quarter.

  Facebook (FB) shares rose 3%. The social network's stock hit a new 52-week high of $44.61 and is inching closer to its all-time high of $45. The rise made Facebook the most talked about stock among StockTwits traders. But investors were divided on whether Facebook's gains are warranted.

Top Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015: In Ovations Holdings Inc (INOH.PK)

In Ovations Holdings Inc, formerly Marine Exploration, Inc., incorporated on June 27, 1996, is engaged in marine treasure hunting expeditions. Its operations are limited to providing funding to, and making approved capital expenditures for its joint venture partner, Hispaniola Ventures, LLC (Hispaniola). Hispaniola is engaged in the actual search for, diving to, and recovery of, the cargo and artifacts. In May 2012, the Company acquired Atmospheric Water Solutions, Inc. (AWS). The acquisition includes water making technology, inventory, and a distribution center. In January 2014, the Company announced the incorporation of of its Energy Services Company (ESCO), Electro Verde, Inc.

The Company is focused on the recovery of two vessels, named as Operation Mystery Galleon and Operation Abrojos which includes, without limitation, an operation to the Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo Banks in the Caribbean Sea. It is undergoing preliminary operations off the coast of the Dominican Republic. On December 11, 2008, Marine Exploration Inc's 128 ft operations vessel, the M/V Hispaniola, was launched for its primary missions, Operation Mystery Galleon and Operation Abrojos.

The Company competes with Odyssey Marine Exploration, Subsea Resources Ltd., Sovereign Exploration Associates International Inc. and Admiralty Holding Company.

Top 5 Low Price Companies To Own In Right Now: Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (SWHC.O)

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Smith & Wesson), incorporated on June 17, 1991, is a manufacturer of firearms. The Company manufactures a range of handguns, modern sporting rifles, hunting rifles, black powder firearms, handcuffs, and firearm-related products and accessories for sale to a range of customers, including gun enthusiasts, collectors, hunters, sportsmen, competitive shooters, individuals desiring home and personal protection, law enforcement and security agencies and officers, and military agencies in the United States and globally. It sell its products under the Smith & Wesson brand, the M&P brand, the Thompson/Center brand, and the Walther brand. The Company manufactures its firearm products at its facilities in Springfield, Massachusetts and Houlton, Maine. On July 26, 2012, it sold all of the assets of Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, Inc.

Firearms

During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company intr oduced multiple new handgun and modern sporting rifle models, and one new bolt action rifle platform. The Company's rifle introductions included the addition of the M&P15 300 Whisper to the Company's line of modern sporting rifles. As of April 30, 2012, the Company participated in three categories of the long-gun market and both core categories of the handgun market.

Handguns

The Company manufactures an variety of handgun models that include revolvers and pistols. A revolver is a handgun with a cylinder that holds the ammunition in a series of rotating chambers that are successively aligned with the barrel of the firearm during each firing cycle. There are two general types of revolvers: single-action and double-action. The Company's small-frame revolvers have been carried by law enforcement personnel and personal defense-minded citizens. The Company's revolvers are available in a variety of models and calibers, with applications in virtually all pr ofessional and personal markets.

The Company� �! s M&P15 Series of modern sporting rifles are designed to satisfy the functionality and reliability needs of global military, law enforcement, and security personnel. These rifles are also popular as sporting target rifles and are sold to consumers through the Company's sporting good distributors, retailers, and dealers. The Company has a range of product portfolio of modern sporting rifles, which includes a lower price-point, sport model, a .22 caliber model, and a fully automatic model designed for the exclusive use of military and law enforcement agencies throughout the world.

Hunting Firearms

The Company manufactures three lines of bolt-action rifles under its Thompson/Center brand consisting of several models in each line. The Company's hunting rifles are offered in 16 different calibers. Bolt-action rifles operate by the cycling of a bolt handle that allows for both the loading and unloading of rounds through a magazine fed system.

< p>During fiscal 2012, the Company introduced the Dimension bolt action rifle platform. Under the Company's Thompson/Center brand, the Company also offers seven models of American-made single shot black powder, or muzzle loader, firearms. The Company offers eight models of interchangeable, single shot firearm systems that deliver numerous gun, barrel, caliber configurations, and finishes. These systems can be configured as a center-fire rifle, rim-fire rifle, shotgun, black powder firearm, or single-shot handgun for use across the entire range of big- and small-game hunting.

Handcuffs

The Company manufactures handcuffs and restraints in the United States. The Company fabricates these products from the carbon or stainless steel.

Smith & Wesson Academy

Through the Smith & Wesson Academy, the Company offers instruction designed to meet the training needs of law enforcement and security customers worldwide. Classes are conduct ed at the Company's facility in Springfield, Massachus! etts o! r! on loca! tion around the world.

Specialty Services

The Company's services include forging, heat treating, finishing, and plating. It provides services to third-party customers.

The Company competes with Ruger,Taurus, Beretta, Glock, Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, Bushmaster, Rock River, Stag Arms, DPMS, Browning, Marlin, Remington, Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, CVA, Traditions, and Winchester.

Top Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015: Accell Group NV (ACCEL)

Accell Group NV is a Netherlands-based holding company. The Company and its subsidiaries divides its business into two segments: Bicycle & Bicycle Parts, active in the design, development, production, marketing and sales of bicycles, bicycle parts and accessories; and Fitness, providing fitness equipment. It sells bicycles under the Batavus, Bremshey, Ghost, Haibike, Hercules, Koga, Lapierre, Loekie, Redline, Sparta, Staiger, Tunturi, Winora, XLC and Raleigh brands via specialist bicycle retailers as well as bicycle parts under the Juncker Bike Parts and Wiener Bike Parts brands and fitness equipment under the Bremshey Sport brand. The Company�� main markets are the Netherlands, Germany, France, and European countries. The Company has production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary and Belgium. As of December 31, 2011, it operated through 21 wholly owned subsidiaries. On May 22, 2012, the Company acquired Raleigh Cycle Limited.

Top Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015: In Ovations Holdings Inc (INOH)

In Ovations Holdings Inc, formerly Marine Exploration, Inc., incorporated on June 27, 1996, is engaged in marine treasure hunting expeditions. Its operations are limited to providing funding to, and making approved capital expenditures for its joint venture partner, Hispaniola Ventures, LLC (Hispaniola). Hispaniola is engaged in the actual search for, diving to, and recovery of, the cargo and artifacts. In May 2012, the Company acquired Atmospheric Water Solutions, Inc. (AWS). The acquisition includes water making technology, inventory, and a distribution center. In January 2014, the Company announced the incorporation of of its Energy Services Company (ESCO), Electro Verde, Inc.

The Company is focused on the recovery of two vessels, named as Operation Mystery Galleon and Operation Abrojos which includes, without limitation, an operation to the Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo Banks in the Caribbean Sea. It is undergoing preliminary operations off the coast of the Dominican Republic. On December 11, 2008, Marine Exploration Inc's 128 ft operations vessel, the M/V Hispaniola, was launched for its primary missions, Operation Mystery Galleon and Operation Abrojos.

The Company competes with Odyssey Marine Exploration, Subsea Resources Ltd., Sovereign Exploration Associates International Inc. and Admiralty Holding Company.

Top Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015: Accell Group NV (ACCG.AS)

Accell Group NV is a Netherlands-based holding company. The Company and its subsidiaries divides its business into two segments: Bicycle & Bicycle Parts, active in the design, development, production, marketing and sales of bicycles, bicycle parts and accessories; and Fitness, providing fitness equipment. It sells bicycles under the Batavus, Bremshey, Ghost, Haibike, Hercules, Koga, Lapierre, Loekie, Redline, Sparta, Staiger, Tunturi, Winora, XLC and Raleigh brands via specialist bicycle retailers as well as bicycle parts under the Juncker Bike Parts and Wiener Bike Parts brands and fitness equipment under the Bremshey Sport brand. The Company�� main markets are the Netherlands, Germany, France, and European countries. The Company has production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary and Belgium. As of December 31, 2011, it operated through 21 wholly owned subsidiaries. On May 22, 2012, the Company acquired Raleigh Cycle Limited.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015

FedEx said e-commerce is growing globally at three to four times the rate of traditional retail buying in brick and mortar stores.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) With stores offering big online sales discounts, FedEx expects this year's Cyber Monday to be the busiest day in its shipping history.

Each year, the big online shopping day hits the Monday after post-Thanksgiving holiday sales and many retailers offer special discounts on online purchases. This year, Cyber Monday falls on Dec. 2.

On that day, FedEx (FDX, Fortune 500) expects to ship more than 22 million shipments, its highest ever.

The global package shipping company said that e-commerce is growing globally at three to four times the rate of traditional retail buying in brick and mortar stores.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Avon Products Inc. (AVP)

Avon Products Inc. manufactures and markets beauty and related products worldwide. Its product categories include color cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, and personal care; fashion jewelry, watches, apparel, footwear, and accessories; and gift and decorative products, housewares, entertainment and leisure, and children?s and nutritional products. Avon Products Inc. markets its products through direct selling and independent representatives, as well as through distributorships. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Avon Products (NYSE: AVP  ) plans to lay off more than 400 full-time employees and exit Ireland�as part of its $400 million cost-cutting initiative, the company announced today.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Blackrock Strategic Bond Trust (BHD)

BlackRock Strategic Bond Trust is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. The fund is co managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund invests in securities of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in high yield bonds and investment grade corporate bonds with an average credit quality of Ba/BB or below by Moody's. BlackRock Strategic Bond Trust was formed on February 26, 2002 and is domiciled in the United States.

Top Low Price Stocks For 2015: Boise Inc (BZ)

Boise Inc., incorporated on February 1, 2007, is a manufacturer of packaging and paper products, including corrugated containers and sheets, containerboard, protective packaging products, imaging papers for the office and home, printing and converting papers, label and release papers, newsprint and market pulp. The Company operates in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Canada. The Company operates in three segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Company�� newsprint is sold primarily to newspaper publishers in the southern and southwestern the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 38% of the Company�� uncoated freesheet paper was sold to OfficeMax Incorporated, its customer.

Packaging

In the Packaging segment, the Company manufactures and sells linerboard, containerboard, corrugated containers and sheets, protective packaging products, and newsprint. Linerboard is a paperboard, which when combined with corrugating medium is used in the manufacture of corrugated sheets and containers. Corrugated sheets are containerboard sheets that are sold primarily to converters that produce a variety of corrugated products. Corrugated containers are corrugated sheets that have been fed through converting machines to create containers, which are used in the packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables, processed food, beverages, and other industrial and consumer products. Stock boxes are corrugated containers manufactured to pre-set dimensions.

Protective packaging products include multi-material customized packaging solutions, which may utilize kraft paper-based honeycomb corrugated packaging, foamed plastics, and air pocket packing materials Newsprint is a paper commonly used for printing newspapers, other publications, and advertising material. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its Packaging segment produced approximately 613,000 short tons of linerboard, and its Paper segment produced approximately 135,000 short tons! of corrugating medium. It manufactures linerboard and newsprint on two machines at its mill in DeRidder, Louisiana. It also manufactures corrugated containers and sheets and protective packaging products at 26 plants located in North America and Europe.

Paper

In its Paper segment, the Company manufactures and sells three general categories of products: communication-based papers; packaging-based papers, and market pulp. Its communication-based papers include cut-size office papers, and printing and converting papers. Its Packaging-Demand-Driven Papers include Label and release papers, Flexible packaging papers, and Corrugating medium. Printing and converting papers are used by commercial printers or converters to manufacture envelopes, forms, and other commercial paper products.

Its packaging-based papers include label and release papers and corrugating medium. The Label and release papers include label facestocks, as well as release liners. The coated and uncoated papers sold to customers create packaging products for food and nonfood applications. Market pulp is sold to customers in the open market for use in the manufacture of paper products. The Company manufactures its Paper segment products at three mills, all located in the United States.

Corporate and Other

The Company�� Corporate and Other segment includes transportation assets, such as rail cars and trucks, which it uses to transport its products from its manufacturing sites. The Company provides transportation services not only to its own facilities but also, on a limited basis, to third parties. Rail cars and trucks are typically leased.

The Company competes with International Paper Company, Rock-Tenn Company, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Packaging Corporation of America, Longview Fibre Paper, Packaging, Inc, Green Bay Packaging Inc., KapStone Paper, TexCorr, L.P., Resolute Forest Product, SP Newsprint Co. and Domtar Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Sterman]

  That was precisely the rationale behind Packaging Corp. of America's (NYSE: PKG) just-announced $2 billion (in cash and assumed debt) acquisition of rival Boise (NYSE: BZ). The deal will create a $6 billion (in sales) behemoth in the cardboard box industry.

• [By Sue Chang]

  PCA, the Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) ,�is likely to post third-quarter earnings of 89 cents a share. The company said last month it would buy Boise Inc. (BZ) �for $12.55 a share, or about $1.28 billion in total. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Lake Forest, Ill.-based PCA makes a wide line of linerboard and corrugated paper packaging products at four mills and 71 plants, according to its website.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Packaging Corp. of America�(PKG) has jumped 6.3% to $57.99 after it said it would buy Boise (BZ) for $1.28 billion. Boise has gained 26% to $12.55.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ANAC)

Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel small-molecule therapeutics derived from its boron chemistry platform. The company�s lead product candidates include tavaborole, an antifungal product candidate that is in Phase III clinical development for the treatment of onychomycosis; and AN2728, an anti-inflammatory product candidate, which completed Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. It also develops AN5568, a Phase I human clinical trial product targeting human African trypanosomiasis; and other compounds to treat animal health indications. The company�s clinical pipeline also includes AN2718, a topical antifungal product candidate, which is in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of onychomycosis and fungal infections of the skin; AN2898, a topical anti-inflammatory product candidate that completed the Phase IIa clinical trials for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis; and AN3365, an antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. It has research, development, and collaboration agreements with GlaxoSmithKline LLC, Eli Lilly and Company, Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, and Medicines for Malaria Ventures. The company was formerly known as AnaMax, Inc. and changed its name to Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in October 2002. Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.(VRX.T) will pay $142.5 million to Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ANAC) to resolve all outstanding disputes between the two companies. The settlement resolves litigation over alleged breaches of contract involving Valeant units Dow Pharmaceuticals Sciences Inc. and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: ON Semiconductor Corporation(ONNN)

ON Semiconductor Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets semiconductor components for electronic systems and products worldwide. The company provides computing and consumer products, including analog IC solutions for power management in VCORE, DDR, and chipsets for audio, video, and graphics processing subsystems; and AC-DC conversion solutions for the power supplies in computing and consumer applications. It also offers automotive-grade low-dropout (LDO) voltage regulators, drivers, and ignition IGBTs; mixed-signal custom application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and automotive application specific standard products (ASSPs) for industrial, medical imaging, computing, and consumer applications; clock and timing management products for industrial, communications, and consumer applications; ASICs and ASSPs that are used in defibrillators, pacemakers, neurostimulators, hearing health applications, glucose meters and patient monit oring product; and standard-cell ASICs conversions for the military/aerospace, industrial, communications, computing, and consumer markets, as well as serial non-volatile memories (EEPROM) solutions for data parameter storage in a range of electronic products. In addition, the company provides standard products comprising diodes and transistors, configurable analog products, LED drivers, EEPROMs and power MOSFETs for consumer electronics, computing, wireless and wired communications, automotive electronics, industrial electronics, and medical markets. Further, it supplies analog and mixed signal integrated circuits, microcontrollers, DSPs, analog and digital tuners, intelligent power modules, memory, and discrete semiconductors for the consumer, industrial, and automotive markets. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and electronic manufacturing service providers. ON Semiconductor Corporation was founded in 1999 and is headquarter ed in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature a downgrades for both Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) and ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN  ) . But the news isn't all bad, so before we address those two, let's start on a bright note.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Cartier Resources Inc (ECR.V)

Cartier Resources Inc. engages in the acquisition and exploration of mining properties in Quebec, Canada. It primarily explores for gold, as well as for zinc, silver, and copper. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Val d'Or, Canada.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Horizon Technology Finance Corporation (HRZN)

Horizon Technology Finance Corporation, a specialty finance company, lends to and invests in development-stage companies in the United States. It provides secured loans to companies backed by established venture capital and private equity firms in the technology, life science, healthcare information and services, and cleantech industries. Horizon Technology Finance Corporation was founded in 2008 and is based in Farmington, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By BDC Buzz]

  I believe investors should look past the current low dividend yields and relatively higher multiples of NAV per share for BDCs such as FDUS, MAIN, and TCAP, but should consider the total return for these companies. The table below compares FDUS and MAIN to both ACAS which does not pay dividends and Horizon Technology Finance (HRZN) that pays a higher than average dividend but after taking into account dividend growth, special dividends, and NAV per share growth (using last twelve months actual for projection purposes) it is clear that the expected investor return is based on more than the current dividend yield.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Chesnara(CSN.L)

Chesnara plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in life assurance and pension businesses in the United Kingdom and Sweden. It underwrites various life risks, such as those associated with death, disability, and health, as well as provides a portfolio of investment contracts for the savings and retirement needs of customers through asset management in United Kingdom. The company also underwrites life, accident, and health risks, as well as provides a portfolio of investment contracts in Sweden. It markets its products primarily through independent financial advisers. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Preston, the United Kingdom.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Skilled Healthcare Group Inc.(SKH)

Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, hospices, home health providers, and a rehabilitation therapy business. Its skilled nursing facilities provide specialty care, such as chemotherapy, enteral/parenteral nutrition, tracheotomy care, and ventilator care, as well as offers various services, including room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, and related healthcare and other services. These skilled nursing facilities include Express Recovery, a unit that provides skilled nursing care and rehabilitation therapy for patients recovering from conditions, such as joint replacement surgery, and cardiac and respiratory ailments. The company?s assisted living facilities provide residential accommodations, activities, meals, security, housekeeping, and assistance in the activities of daily living to seniors who are independent or who require some support , but not the level of nursing care provided in a skilled nursing facility. Skilled Healthcare Group also offers ancillary services, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as rehabilitation therapy service to third-party skilled nursing operators. In addition, the company offers hospice services comprising palliative and clinical care, education, and counseling with a focus on the physical, spiritual, and psychosocial needs of terminally ill individuals and their families. As of December 31, 2010, it owned or leased 78 skilled nursing facilities and 22 assisted living facilities, together comprising 10,830 licensed beds in California, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, and New Mexico. The company has a joint venture with APS?Summit Care Pharmacy, LLC that operates a pharmacy in Austin, Texas. Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. is based in Foothill Ranch, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based Skilled Healthcare (NYSE: SKH  ) needs a new CEO.

  On Monday, the assisted living facilities operator announced that Chief Executive Officer Boyd Hendrickson plans to retire from the company at the end of this year. A search for a replacement is now under way.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Marenica Energy Ltd(MEY.AX)

Marenica Energy Limited engages in the exploration and development of uranium deposits in Namibia and Australia. The company also explores for lead, zinc, silver, gold, and copper. Its principal project includes the Marenica Uranium project that covers an area of 527 square kilometers located in the Damara Province, Namibia. The company was formerly known as West Australian Metals Ltd and changed its name to Marenica Energy Limited in November 2009. Marenica Energy Limited was incorporated in 1978 and is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Bona Film Group Limited(BONA)

Bona Film Group Limited distributes films in the People?s Republic of China. It distributes films to movie theaters, as well as to non-theatrical distribution channels, including DVD and Blu-ray and other home video products; Internet and digital distribution; in-flight entertainment; and cable, satellite, and broadcast televisions. The company also invests in the production of Chinese and Hong Kong films in order to obtain the distribution rights for movie theaters and non-theatrical channels. In addition, Bona Film Group operates six movie theaters in five cities of the People?s Republic of China; operates a talent agency business that represents artists; and involves in film advertising and television production businesses. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  With just a quick glance at the chart, Bona Film Group Ltd (NASDAQ:BONA) doesn't look like anything other than an erratic mess. When you take a step back and take a look at the longer-term chart of BONA, however, you can see the last several weeks have ushered in a major bullish change of direction for the stock... meaning now's a great time to start wading into a position.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Buy For 2015: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By DailyFinance Staff]

  Investors took a wait-and-see attitude Tuesday, but airline stocks lost altitude. The market is in a holding pattern until 2 p.m. Wednesday, when the Fed reveals details of this week's FOMC policy meetings, and whether it's ready to begin cutting back on its main economic stimulus program. If it does begin to taper, the next debate will begin immediately: Is that good or bad for investors? On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) edged down 9 points, the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) fell nearly 6, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) lost 5 points. The Dow's gainers were led by a pair of companies hiking their dividends. 3M (MMM), which makes everything from Post-It notes to medical equipment, rose 3 percent after increasing its payout by 35 percent. And Boeing (BA) rose 1 percent. It boosted the dividend by 50 percent and announced a big stock buyback. The other big blue chip winner was Visa (V), which gained another 2.5 percent. Its stock is now up 43 percent from a year ago. On the downside, Verizon (VZ), IBM (IBM), McDonald's (MCD) and Microsoft (MSFT) all lost about one percent. Microsoft says it will not name a new CEO until next year. And airline stocks were broadly lower. United (UAL) and Delta (DAL) both fell 3 percent. American Airlines (AAL), which completed its merger with U.S. Airways last week, fell 2 percent. And Southwest (V) also lost 2 percent. Brokerage recommendations gave a boost to several issues. Data storage companies Seagate (STX), up 3 percent, and Western Digital (WDC), up 2.5 percent, following JP Morgan upgrades. And iRobot (IRBT) surged 17 percent after Raymond James gave it a 'strong buy.' Shares of Facebook (FB) rose 2 percent, hitting an all-time high. The social media giant is rolling out new video ads this week. That's expected to boost revenue. The question is, will it alienate users? On the downside, Targacept (TRGT) lost more than a third of its value. A clinical trial of its schizophreni

• [By Charles Carlson]

  The only three Dow stocks that do not are actually, interestingly, two of the newest members, Goldman Sachs (GS) and Visa (V), and the third stock is UnitedHealth Group (UNH), which is also a fairly new member to the Dow.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Many critics of that settlement have said Amex’s existing surcharging rules would prevent them from surcharging Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) credit cards.

• [By Lennox Yieke]

  In light of this, payments bigwigs Visa (NYSE: V  ) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) have increased their presence in the continent. Not only have Visa and MasterCard increased issuance of plastic money, but they have also made bold mobile money initiatives. Could this spur the next round of prolonged growth for the two bigwigs?

MSRB Floats Muni Advisor Rule

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board released for comment Thursday its rule proposal, Rule G-42, on standards of conduct and duties of municipal advisors when engaging in municipal advisory activities other than the undertaking of solicitations.

The proposal states that “irrespective of any fiduciary duties, draft Rule G-42 subjects municipal advisors to a duty of care in the conduct of their municipal advisory activities. In addition, draft Rule G-42 requires municipal advisors to disclose conflicts of interest and certain other information to their clients and document their municipal advisory relationship.”

Lynette Kelly, MSRB’s executive director, said on a call with reporters that the rule proposal “focuses on the core standards of conduct” to which municipal advisors should adhere, including their fiduciary duties.

Kelly said that the proposed rule “strikes an appropriate balance and that the proposal is workable for municipal advisors of all sizes.”

Comments on the proposed rule will be taken until March 10.

MSRB says that it invites comments on, for instance, whether draft Rule G-42 “appropriately limits the application of the fiduciary duty to municipal advisors’ municipal entity clients, or should extend such fiduciary duty to all clients, including obligated persons, under the MSRB’s issuer protection mandates.”

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act charged the MSRB with developing standards of conduct and qualification for municipal advisors to help safeguard the interests of state and local governments that engage the services of municipal advisors.

In September, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued final rules on municipal advisors, including defining what municipal advisory activity requires registration with the SEC. The SEC also designated FINRA as the examination and enforcement authority for municipal advisors that are regulated by FINRA. The final rules become effective Jan. 13.

Accordingly, FINRA listed “municipal advisory activity” as one of its areas of focus in sales practice examinations in 2014.

A FINRA spokesperson told ThinkAdvisor Thursday that FINRA “will be reviewing for compliance with the SEC’s final rule on registration of municipal advisors and, to the extent MSRB rules regarding municipal advisors become effective this year, we will review for compliance with those as well.”

---

Check out SEC, FINRA Enforcement: Muni Firm Fined Over Sports Ticket Gifting on ThinkAdvisor.

Penn Virginia: 10% Today, 100% Tomorrow?

How do you make an oil production & exploration company pop? Propose it can double in the next year and highlight it as a possible takeover target to boot.

REUTERS

That’s what happened today to Penn Virginia (PVA), which has popped 9.7% to $10 after SunTrust Robinson Humphrey said it was a “top takeover target this year.” Oh, they also named it as a top pick, praised its “operational excellence,” and cited numerous catalysts.

Analyst Neal Dingmann and Ryan Oatman explain:

Penn Virginia is not only likely to see materially higher production growth from its six rigs drilling continuously improving wells, but the company should see over 25% cash flow growth from drilling production combined with drilling/completion efficiencies. The company should be able to fund the growth not only from cash flow but through asset sales such as the recently announced $100 million sale of its Eagle Ford gas gathering system. Channel checks not only signal continued improving well results, but also numerous drilling efficiencies that should considerably boost production and lower well costs / capital expenditures.

Now about that takeover potential. Dingmann and Oatman write:

Nearby acquisition highlights Penn Virginia's value. Devon Energy (DVN) recently agreed to acquired Eagle Ford Shale assets in DeWitt and Lavaca Counties from private GeoSouthern Energy for $6 billion. The assets consist of 53,000 boe/d and 82,000 net acres with over 1,200 drilling locations all in DeWitt and Lavaca Counties. We calculate the deal at $3.975B for the 53,000 boe/d of existing production assuming recent Eagle Ford deal rates of $75,000 per flowing Boe and $2.025B for acreage or ~$25,000/acre after netting out the production. We calculate that if all acreage was the same, Penn Virginia trades at roughly 25% of the value of the latest acquisition, and nearly as large a discount even after taking into account some acreage differences.

All in all, Dingmann and Oatman see Penn Virginia trading $18, nearly twice Friday’s close of $9.12.

4 Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher

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

>>5 Stocks Ready to Explode Higher

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

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

>>5 Oversold Stocks Ready to Rebound

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

Acura Pharmaceuticals

Acura Pharmaceuticals (ACUR), a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of product candidates intended to address medication abuse and misuse utilizing its proprietary Aversion and Impede technologies. This stock closed up 5.3% to $1.76 in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $1.67-$1.77

52-Week Range: $1.35-$3.78

Thursday's Volume: 399,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 215,069

From a technical perspective, ACUR spiked sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $1.68 with above-average volume. This move is starting to push shares of ACUR within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if ACUR manages to take out Thursday's high of $1.77 to its 200-day moving average of $1.82 and then once it clears some more resistance at $1.91 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ACUR as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $1.65 or at $1.59 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 215,069 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ACUR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.23 to $2.59.

Parkervision

Parkervision (PRKR) designs, develops, and markets proprietary radio frequency (RF) technologies and products for use in semiconductor circuits for wireless communication products in the U.S. This stock closed up 2.9% to $4.62 a share in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $4.47-$4.72

52-Week Range: $2.16-$7.78

Thursday's Volume: 419,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 884,027

From a technical perspective, PRKR spiked notably higher here right above some near-term support at $4.43 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months and change, with shares moving between $4 on the downside and $5.30 on the upside. Shares of PRKR are now starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PRKR manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.93 to $5.12 and then $5.30 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PRKR as long as it's trending its 200-day at $4.13 or above $4 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 884,027 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PRKR will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from last October that started near $7.50.

zipRealty

zipRealty (ZIPR) operates as an online technology-enabled real estate brokerage company in the U.S. This stock closed up 5.9% to $4.83 a share in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $4.50-$4.83

52-Week Range: $2.67-$7.07

Thursday's Volume: 31,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 62,218

From a technical perspective, ZIPR ripped sharply higher here right off its 200-day moving average of $4.55 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is starting to push shares of ZIPR within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if ZIPR manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $5.04 to its 50-day moving average of $5.30 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ZIPR as long as it's trending above some key near-term support at $4.44 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 62,218 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ZIPR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at $6.

Broadwind Energy

Broadwind Energy (BWEN) provides products and services to the energy, mining, and infrastructure sector customers, primarily in the U.S. This stock closed up 5.1% to $8.57 a share in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $8.07-$8.60

52-Week Range: $2.97-$11.94

Thursday's Volume: 76,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 244,632

From a technical perspective, BWEN jumped sharply higher here right off some near-term support at $8 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last month, with shares moving lower from its high of $11.94 to its recent low of $7.52. During that downtrend, shares of BWEN have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of BWEN now look ready to reverse that downtrend and possibly start a new uptrend.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BWEN as long as it's trending above support at $8 and then once it sustains a move or close its 50-day moving average of $8.73 with volume that hits near or above 244,632 shares. If we get that move soon, then BWEN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $9.50 to $10, or even $10.50.

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

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

>>5 Tech Stocks to Trade for Gains This Week

>>5 Dividend Stocks That Want to Give You a Raise in 2014

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.

North Dakota Tops Job Creation for Fifth Year: Gallup

Driven by a robust energy industry and a small population, North Dakota was ahead of all other states in terms of employee perceptions of job creation — for the fifth year in a row. Rhode Island was at the bottom of the list, according to Gallup. The list of states shows the sharp divide between those that have recovered completely from the Great Recession and those that may not recover for years.

The list of positive perceptions of job creation by state does not exactly match state unemployment levels, but the link between the two numbers is substantial.

North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the country — 2.6% in December. South Dakota, Delaware, Nebraska, Texas, Iowa, Hawaii and Minnesota were on the Gallup list of “Top States, Gallup Job Creation Index.” Each has an unemployment rate well below the national average — each with an unemployment rate of 6% or less, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for December.

At the other end of the spectrum, “Bottom States, Gallup Job Creation Index” includes Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut and New York. All of these have unemployment rates well above the national average.

However, the match between the Gallup numbers and BLS data is not perfect. New Hampshire has low unemployment but sits on the Gallup “Bottom States” list. Michigan has high unemployment but is on the “Top States” list. Perhaps it is the impression that jobs are being added in any give state more than what the current unemployment situation is that drives the Gallup list.

Probably the most important conclusion is this one:

The good news about the Gallup Job Creation Index nationally is that it has recovered from the net-negative reading Gallup recorded in 2009, and since then nearly all states have shown substantial improvement.

That indeed does go hand in hand with the overall national improvement in unemployment.

Mid-Day Market Update: U.S. Stocks Pare Early Gains; GM Shares Decline On Weak December Sales

Midway through trading Friday, the Dow traded up 0.03 percent to 16,446.14 while the NASDAQ declined 0.42 percent to 4,125.73. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.13 percent to 1,829.64.

Top Headline
Yesterday, FireEye (NASDAQ: FEYE) reported that it has acquired privately-held Mandiant for $1.05 billion in a cash and stock deal.

FireEye expected Q4 revenue of $55 million to $57 million, versus its earlier forecast of $52 million to $54 million.

Equities Trading UP
Shares of FireEye (NASDAQ: FEYE) got a boost, shooting up 31.61 percent to $54.13 after the company reported that it has acquired privately-held Mandiant for $1.05 billion in a cash and stock deal.

Resources Connection (NASDAQ: RECN) shot up 7.38 percent to $15.29 after the company reported upbeat FQ2 earnings.

Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) was also up, gaining 8.13 percent to $5.45 after the company reported a 2.9% gain in its December same-store sales.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of IPC The Hospitalist Company (NASDAQ: IPCM) were down 2.60 percent to $56.98 after Credit Suisse downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral.

Sprint (NYSE: S) tumbled 4.09 percent to $9.98 after analysts at Stifel Nicolaus downgraded the stock from Hold to Sell.

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) was down, falling 2.60 percent to $39.88 after the company reported a 6.3% drop in its U.S. auto sales in December.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 1.05 percent to $94.45, while gold traded up 0.82 percent to $1,235.20.

Silver traded up 0.11 percent Friday to $20.15, while copper fell 0.93 percent to $3.35.

Eurozone
European shares were higher today. The Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.29 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index surged 1.02 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX gained 0.43 percent and the French CAC 40 rose 0.61 percent while U.K. shares climbed 0.37 percent.

Economics
Supplies of natural gas dropped 97 billion cubic feet for the week ended December 27, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported.

Crude supplies fell by 7 million barrels for the week ended December 27, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. However, analysts were expecting a drop of 1.5 million barrels.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is set to speak at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Posted-In: Earnings News Guidance Eurozone Futures Forex Global Econ #s Economics Intraday Update Markets Movers Tech

(c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now

Markets slipped Thursday after unflattering manufacturing numbers shed doubts on the strength of the economic recovery. As companies seek to lower inventories, production in New York and Philadelphia slipped, and with sub-2% annual GDP growth projected in the second quarter, Wall Street didn't have much to applaud today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) lost 81 points, or about 0.6%, to close at 14,537.�

Leading the index today was Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ  ) , which added 2.8% to lead the Dow. The company owns 55% of Verizon Wireless, with the other 45% owned by telecom peer Vodafone. Verizon's first quarter results today, which saw revenue rise 6.8% to nearly $20 billion, gave investors hope that this financial stability will allow it to buy out Vodafone's stake and gain full ownership of Verizon Wireless.

Chip maker Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) ended as one of the Dow's brighter spots, as well. Taking a cue from rival Advanced Micro Devices, Intel tacked on 1.4% after AMD issued a sunny forecast that beat analyst projections. Hearing a positive outlook from an industry peer offered some validation of Intel's own optimistic expectations, which surprised the markets on Tuesday, sending shares 2.5% higher.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Mobile TeleSystems (MBT)

Mobile TeleSystems OJSC, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services primarily in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Belarus. The company provides a range of mobile and fixed line voice and data telecommunications services, including transmission, broadband, pay-TV, and various value-added services; and sells equipment and accessories. It also offers network access services, including mobile cellular voice and data communication services; automatic roaming services; GPRS and Internet access services; and 3G technology. In addition, the company�s services include the design, construction, and installation of local voice and data networks capable of interconnecting with fixed line operators; installation and maintenance of cellular payphones; lease of digital communication channels; and provision of access to open computer databases and data networks, including the Internet, as well as video conferencing, and fixed, local, and long-distance telecommunications services. Its value-added services comprise call divert/forwarding, caller ID and anti-caller ID display, conference calling, WiFi, GPRS, intelligent call assistant, APN remote access point, fixed mobile convergence, enhanced data rates for GSM Evolution, call barring, SMS, mobile office, voicemail, mobile banking, wireless application protocol, MTS-Connect, SIM-browser, point-to-point transfer, unstructured supplementary services data, downlink packet access, mobile TV, call waiting, MMS, ring tones, missed call alert, itemization of monthly bills, information and directory, international access, WEB and WAP portal, customer care system, ring back tone, collect call, and location-based services. As of December 31, 2011, the company had a mobile subscriber base of approximately 101.14 million. It has a strategic partnership with Vodafone. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Moscow, the Russian Federation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  VimpleCom, a joint venture of Norwegian telecom Telnor and the Russian Alfa Group, operates under the BeeLine brand in Russia. BeeLine has joined the two other ex-iPhone carrying Russian heavyweight mobile carriers, Megafon and Mobile TeleSystems (NYSE: MBT  ) , and not renewed its iPhone contract with Apple.

• [By Eric Lam]

  Manitoba Telecom (MBT) gained 5.7 percent to C$33.93 after selling its Allstream fiber network business to Accelero Capital Holdings for C$520 million. The company will use the cash to invest in new wireless spectrum and improve the speed of its existing networks, Manitoba Telecom said in a statement.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Oi SA (OIBR.N)

Oi S.A., formerly Brasil Telecom S.A., incorporated on November 27, 1963, is a telecommunication service provider in Region II in Brazil. The Company offers a range of integrated telecommunication services that includes fixed-line and mobile telecommunication services, data transmission services (including broadband access services), Internet service provider (ISP) services and other services, for residential customers, small, medium and large companies, and governmental agencies. The Company provides services, which include Fixed-Line Telecommunications Services and Data Transmission Services, Mobile Telecommunications Services and other services.

Local Fixed-Line Services

As of December 31, 2010, the Company had approximately 7.2 million local fixed-line customers in Region II. Local fixed-line services include installation, monthly subscription, metered services, collect calls and supplemental local services. Metered services include local c alls that originate and terminate within a single local area. ANATEL has divided Region II into 1,772 local areas. Local fixed-line services also include in-dialing services (direct transmission of external calls to extensions) for corporate clients. For corporate clients in need of lines, the Company offers digital trunk services, which optimize and increase the speed of the customer�� telephone system.

Long-Distance Services

The long distance services include fixed line-to-fixed line and mobile long distance services. It provides domestic long-distance services for calls originating from Region II through interconnection agreements, mainly with Telemar in Region I and Telecomunicavoes de Sao Paulo S.A. (Telesp), in Region III permit the Company to interconnect directly with their local fixed-line networks, and through its network facilities in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. It provides international long-distance services origina ting from Region II through agreements to interconnect its! n! etwork with those of the main telecommunication service providers worldwide. It provides mobile long-distance services originating from Region II through interconnection agreements, with Telemar in Region I, Telesp in Region III, and each of the principal mobile services providers operating in Brazil that permit it to interconnect directly with their local fixed-line and mobile networks. It provides international long-distance services originating or terminating on its customer�� mobile handsets through agreements to interconnect its network with those of the main telecommunication service providers worldwide.

Mobile Telecommunication Services

As of December 31, 2010, the Company had approximately 7.8 million subscribers located in 1,281 municipalities in Region II. As of December 31, 2010, 87.5% of the Company�� customers subscribed to pre-paid plans and 12.5% subscribed to post-paid plans. The Company markets Oi Ligador subscriptions to its pr e-paid customers, which allow these customers to receive bonus minutes with each purchase of additional credits. It charges a nominal subscription fee to enroll a customer in the Oi Ligador program and provide bonus minutes to these customers that may be used for local calls to its fixed-line or mobile subscribers, long-distance calls to its fixed-line subscribers, and sending Short Message Service (SMS, messages to mobile subscribers of any Brazilian mobile service provider.

The Company has roaming agreements with TNL PCS S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Telemar which provides mobile services and which it refers to as Oi, Companhia de Telecomunicacoes do Brasil Central (CTBC), and Sercomtel S.A. Telecomunicacoes (Sercomtel), providing its customers with automatic access to roaming services when traveling outside of Region II in areas of Brazil where mobile telecommunication services are available on the GSM standard. As of December 31, 2010, it had launched t hird generation (3G) services in a total of 84 municip! alitie! s! , includ! ing the nine state capitals in Region II and the Federal District. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 175,200 3G mobile broadband customers.

Data Transmission Services

The Company provides Internet access services using ADSL technology, which it refers as broadband services, to residential customers and businesses in the primary cities in Region II under the brand name Oi Velox. As of December 31, 2010, the Company offered broadband services in 1,810 municipalities in Region II and it had 1.9 million ADSL customers. Its network supports ADSL2+, VDSL2 and FTTx technologies. ADSL2+ is a data communications technology that allows data transmission at speeds of up to 24 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabits per second upstream. ADSL2+ permits offer a range of services than ADSL, including Internet protocol television (IPTV). As of December 31, 2010, approximately 50% of its fixed-line network had been updated to support ADSL2+. Very-h igh-bitrate digital subscriber line (VDSL2), is a DSL technology providing faster data transmission, up to 100 megabits per second upstream (downstream and upstream). Fiber to the x (FTTx), is a broadband network architecture that uses optical fiber to replace all or part of the usual metal local loop used for last mile telecommunications.

The Company provides a range of data transmission services through various technologies and means of access. Its commercial data transmission services include Industrial Exploitation of Dedicated Lines (Exploracao Industrial de Linha Dedicada (EILD)), under which it leases trunk lines to other telecommunication services providers, primarily mobile services providers, which use these trunk lines to link their radio base stations to their switching centers; Dedicated Line Services (Servicos de Linhas Dedicadas (SLD)), under which it leases dedicated lines to other telecommunication services providers, Internet service providers (ISPs) and corporate customers for use in private! networks! t! hat link ! different corporate Websites; Internet Protocol (IP) services, which consist of dedicated private lines and dial-up Internet access, which it provides to the ISPs in Brazil, as well as Virtual Private Network (VPN), services that enable its customers to operate private Intranet and extranet networks, and frame relay services, which the Company provides to its corporate customers to allow them to transmit data using protocols based on direct use of its transmission lines, enabling the creation of VPNs.

The Company provides these data transmission services using its service network platform in Region II and its nationwide fiber optic cable network and microwave links. In addition, it provides services at the six cyber data centers located in Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Fortaleza. It provides hosting, collocation and information technology (IT) outsourcing at these centers, permitting its customers to outsource their IT structures to it or to u se these centers to provide backup for their IT systems. It also owns and operates a submarine fiber optic network, which connects Brazil with the United States, Bermuda, Venezuela and Colombia. Through this network, it offers international data transportation services, primarily leased lines to other telecommunication services providers.

Network Usage Services (Interconnection Service)

The Company is authorized to charge for the use of its local fixed-line network on a per-minute basis for all calls terminated on its local fixed-line network in Region II that originate on the networks of other local fixed-line, mobile and long-distance service providers, and all long-distance calls originated on its local fixed-line network in Region II that are carried by other long-distance service providers. In addition, the Company charges network usage fees to long-distance service providers and operators of trunking services that connect switching stations to its local fixed-line networks.

Traffic ! Transpo! rtation S! ervices

The Company offers a long-distance usage service, called national transportation, under which it provides discounts to its long-distance network usage fees based on the volume of traffic and geographic distribution of calls generated by a long-distance or mobile services provider. The Company also offers international telecommunication service providers the option to terminate their Brazilian inbound traffic through its network, as an alternative to Embratel and Intelig Telecomunicacoes Ltda. (Intelig). The Company charges international telecommunication service providers a per-minute rate, based on whether a call terminates on a fixed-line or mobile telephone and the location of the local area in which the call terminates.

Public Telephone Services

The Company owns and operates public telephones throughout Region II. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had approximately 266,100 public telephones in service, which are operated by pre-paid cards.

Value-Added Services

Value-added services include voice, text and data applications, including voicemail, caller identification (ID), and other services, such as personalization (video downloads, games, ring tones and wallpaper), short message service (SMS)subscription services (horoscope, soccer teams and love match), chat, mobile television, location-based services and applications (mobile banking, mobile search, email and instant messaging). The Company also provides advanced voice services to its corporate customers, mainly 0800 (toll free) services, as well as voice portals where customers can participate in real-time chats and other interactive voice services. The Company also operates an Internet portal under the brand name iG.

The Company competes with Empresa Brasileira de Telecomunicacoes, GVT S.A., Vivo Participacoes S.A., Telecom Americas Group, TIM Participacoes S.A., Telesp and Intelig.

5 Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: DTE Energy Company(DTE)

DTE Energy Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in Michigan. It also involves in non-utility operations. The company?s Energy Utility segment engages in the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity in southeastern Michigan. It generates electricity from various fuels, including coal, as well as from nuclear and hydro facilitates. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned and operated approximately 674 distribution substations and approximately 412,100 line transformers; and supplied electricity to 2.1 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Michigan. The company?s Gas Utility segment engages in the purchase, storage, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas in Michigan. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s distribution system included approximately 19,000 miles of distribution mains, 1,036,000 service lines, and 1,319,000 active meters. It also o wned approximately 2,000 miles of transmission lines that deliver natural gas; and supplied natural gas to approximately 1.2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Michigan, as well as to approximately 17,000 customers in Adrian, Michigan. The company?s non-utility operations include natural gas pipelines and storage; unconventional gas exploration, development, and production; power and industrial projects, and coal transportation and marketing; and energy marketing and trading operations. Its customers include electric utilities, merchant power producers, integrated steel mills, and industrial companies. DTE Energy Company was founded in 1995 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marie Mawad]

  European telecommunications companies are disposing of peripheral assets as they increase investments in high-speed mobile networks in their largest markets and cut debt. Last week, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) agreed to sell a 70 percent stake in its Scout24 Holding digital-classifieds business.

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) lost 0.6 percent as a gauge of banks posted the largest drop of the 19 industry groups in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) advanced 2.2 percent as a gauge of telecom companies rose the most on the Stoxx 600.

• [By Amy Thomson]

  AT&T has examined takeover candidates including Vodafone�� assets, U.K. mobile carrier EE -- a venture of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) and Orange SA (ORA) -- and parts of Spain�� Telefonica SA (TEF), people familiar with the company�� plans said in June. AT&T is attracted to Europe because of its relatively recent introduction of faster, fourth-generation networks, which have been available for years in the U.S.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Intelsat SA (I)

Intelsat S.A., incorporated on July 18, 2011, is a satellite services business, providing a layer in the global communications infrastructure. The Company operates satellite capacity, holds orbital location rights, contract backlog, serve commercial customers and deliver services. It provides diversified communications services to the world�� media companies, fixed and wireless telecommunications operators, data networking service providers for enterprise and mobile applications, multinational corporations and Internet service providers (ISPs). It is also the provider of commercial satellite capacity to the United States government and other select military organizations and their contractors.

The Company has a satellite fleet comprised of more than 50 satellites, covering 99% of the Earth�� populated regions. Its fleet, combined with the IntelsatOne terrestrial fiber network and a collection of teleports, form a singular unmatched global infrastructure to meet any communications requirement. As the provider of satellite services, the Company provides mission critical communication services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Sullivan]

  HHC has increased all our ownership percentage through the repurchasing of outstanding warrants.

  From the 13D/A
  On December 31, 2013, certain of the Reporting Persons entered into swaps for the benefit of certain Pershing Square Funds. Under the terms of the swaps, (i) the relevant Pershing Square Funds will be obligated to pay to the bank counterparty any negative price performance of the 5,399,839 notional number of Common Shares subject to the swaps as of the expiration date of such swaps, plus interest rates set forth in the applicable contracts, and (ii) the bank counterparty will be obligated to pay the relevant Pershing Square Funds any positive price performance of the 5,399,839 notional number Common Shares subject to the swaps as of the expiration date of the swaps. During the term of the swaps, cash will be paid by the bank counterparty to the relevant Pershing Square Fund in an amount equal to the amount of notional distributions or dividends paid by the Issuer in respect of such notional number of Common Shares. All balances will be settled in cash. The Pershing Square Funds��counterparties for the swaps include entities related to Citibank, Nomura, Soci茅t茅 G茅n茅rale and UBS. The swaps do not give the Reporting Persons direct or indirect voting, investment or dispositive control over any securities of the Issuer and do not require the counterparty thereto to acquire, hold, vote or dispose of any securities of the Issuer. Accordingly, the Reporting Persons disclaim any beneficial ownership of any Common Shares that may be referenced in the swap contracts or Common Shares or other securities or financial instruments that may be held from time to time by any counterparty to the contracts.

• [By The Specialist]

  Subject to ongoing evaluation and analysis, the Reporting Person may consider certain plans or proposals to increase shareholders' value that may relate to or may result in (I) a change in the present board of directors or management of the Issuer, including any plans or proposals to change the number or term of directors or to fill any existing vacancies on the board; and/or (ii) a material change in the present dividend policy of the Issuer

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Satellite services provider Intelsat (NYSE: I  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.71875 per share on its 5.75% Series A mandatory convertible junior non-voting preferred stock, which trades on the NYSE under the symbol I.PRA.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Satellite services provider�Intelsat (NYSE: I  ) announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.799 per share on its 5.75% Series A mandatory convertible junior non-voting preferred stock, which trades on the NYSE under the symbol I.PRA.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vodafone Group PLC (VOD)

Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone), incorporated in 1984, is a mobile communications company operating across the globe providing a range of communications services. The Company offers a range of products and services, including voice, messaging, data and fixed-line solutions and devices to assist customers in meeting their total communications needs. Vodafone has a global presence, with equity interests in over 30 countries and over 40 partner markets worldwide. It operates in three geographic regions: Europe, Africa and Central Europe; Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and has an investment in Verizon Wireless in the United States. In October 2010, Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone, announced the acquisition of two telecom expense management (TEM) companies, Quickcomm and TnT Expense Management. In November 2011, the Company sold 24.4% interest in Polkomtel in Poland. In March 2012, Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone, purchased the operating assets of Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania from the Company. In April 2012, its Netherlands-based division, Vodafone Libertel BV, acquired Telespectrum-DJ. On October 31, 2012, the Company acquired TelstraClear Limited. In May 2013, Vodafone Group Plc announced launch of its carrier services business unit.

In Europe, the Company�� mobile subsidiaries and joint venture operate under the brand name Vodafone. Its associate in France operates as SFR and Neuf Cegetel, and its fixed-line communication businesses operate as Vodafone, Arcor, Tele2 and TeleTu. Vodafone�� subsidiaries in Africa and Central Europe operate under the Vodafone brand, or in the case of Vodacom and its mobile subsidiaries, the Vodacom and Gateway brands. Its joint venture in Poland operates as Polkomtel and its associate in Kenya operates as Safaricom. The Company�� subsidiaries and joint venture in Fiji operate under the Vodafone brand, and its joint venture in Australia operates under the brands V! odafone and 3. The Company�� associate in the United States operates under the brand Verizon Wireless.

Vodafone has an international customer base with 370 million mobile customers across the world as of March 31, 2011. Vodafone also caters to all business segments ranging from small-office-home-office (SoHo) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to corporates and multinational corporations. Through its subsidiaries, Vodafone directly owns and manages approximately 2,200 stores around the world. The Company also has around 10,300 Vodafone-branded stores run through franchise and exclusive dealer arrangements.

The Company�� range of handsets covers all its customer segments and price points, and is available in a variety of designs. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), 14 new handsets were released under its own brand and it shipped 5.8 million. In addition to handsets, it supplies a range of connected smart devices. It supplies the iPhone in 19 markets. During fiscal 2011, the Company launched its USB stick based on 4G/LTE technology in Germany and Verizon Wireless launched in the United States.; Vodafone WebBox; a smartphone roaming data plan that allows the European customers to use their home data plan abroad for only 2 a day to access the Internet, emails and applications; the Android-powered Vodafone 845 and 945 devices; Vodafone TV services; Vodafone 252, which comes pre-loaded with Vodafone M-Pesa for mobile payment services and a prepaid balance indicator that helps customers to keep track of their phone credit to avoid overspending; Vodafone M-Pesa in South Africa, Qatar and Fiji; 3G services in India, and LTE services by acquiring LTE spectrum in Germany.

The Company is a carrier of mobile voice traffic in the world providing domestic, international and roaming voice services to more than 370 million customers. Its networks sent and received over 292 billion text, picture, music and video messages during fiscal 2011. The Company ! serves mo! re than 75 million customers with data services, which allow access to the Internet, email and applications on their phones, tablets, laptops and netbooks. The Company provides a range of data products, including Machine-to-machine (��2M�� connections, which allow devices to communicate with one another via built-in mobile SIM cards; Third party billing; Financial services; Near field communication (��FC��, and Mobile advertising. The Company, as of March 31, 2011, served 5.3 million M2M connections around the world. NFC allows communication between devices when they are touched together or brought within a few centimetres of each other. The Company has mobile advertising business in 18 countries with a range of capabilities. Over six million customers use its fixed broadband services in 13 markets to meet their total communications needs. In addition, through Gateway, it provides wholesale carrier services to more than 40 African countries. Other service revenue includes business managed services, such as secure remote network access, and revenue from mobile virtual network operators generated from selling access to its network at the wholesale level. The Company�� enterprise customers range from small-office-home-office (��oHo�� businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (��MEs��, through to domestic and multinational companies. The Company has 34 million enterprise customers accounting for around 9% of all customers and around 23% of service revenue. The Company focuses on SoHos and SMEs to provide customers with integrated fixed and mobile communications solutions. Vodafone Global Enterprise manages the communication needs of over 560 of the multinational corporate customers. It provides a range of managed services, such as Central Ordering, Device Manager, Spend Manager Solutions, Invoice Manager, Vodafone Neverfail and Telecoms management. The Company offers a range of total communications applications, as well as services for enterprise and consumer customers. Vodafone Alw! ays Best ! Connected software enables customers to stay connected to the Internet on the available connection wherever they are by automatically managing the switching between connection types including mobile broadband, Wi-Fi and LAN. Vodafone PC Backup is an online back-up and restores service that enables users to remotely store data securely and automatically via their Internet connection.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) caught everyone off guard when it announced that Verizon Wireless, the venture it shares with U.K.-based telecom Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD  ) , would be paying out $7 billion to its two partners.

• [By Sam Robson]

  LONDON: Shares in�Vodafone (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) �slipped over 1% this morning, to 190.88 pence, as the telecoms Goliath announced that it is withdrawing from the process to award two telecommunications licences in Myanmar.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vodafone Group PLC (VOD.O)

Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone), incorporated in 1984, is a mobile communications company operating across the globe providing a range of communications services. The Company offers a range of products and services, including voice, messaging, data and fixed-line solutions and devices to assist customers in meeting their total communications needs. Vodafone has a global presence, with equity interests in over 30 countries and over 40 partner markets worldwide. It operates in three geographic regions: Europe, Africa and Central Europe; Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and has an investment in Verizon Wireless in the United States. In October 2010, Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone, announced the acquisition of two telecom expense management (TEM) companies, Quickcomm and TnT Expense Management. In November 2011, the Company sold 24.4% interest in Polkomtel in Poland. In March 2012, Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture of Verizon Communication s Inc. and Vodafone, purchased the operating assets of Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania from the Company. In April 2012, its Netherlands-based division, Vodafone Libertel BV, acquired Telespectrum-DJ. On October 31, 2012, the Company acquired TelstraClear Limited. In May 2013, Vodafone Group Plc announced launch of its carrier services business unit.

In Europe, the Company�� mobile subsidiaries and joint venture operate under the brand name Vodafone. Its associate in France operates as SFR and Neuf Cegetel, and its fixed-line communication businesses operate as Vodafone, Arcor, Tele2 and TeleTu. Vodafone�� subsidiaries in Africa and Central Europe operate under the Vodafone brand, or in the case of Vodacom and its mobile subsidiaries, the Vodacom and Gateway brands. Its joint venture in Poland operates as Polkomtel and its associate in Kenya operates as Safaricom. The Company�� subsidiaries and joint venture in Fiji operate under the Vodafone brand, and its joint venture in Australia operates under the bran! d! s Vodafone and 3. The Company�� associate in the United States operates under the brand Verizon Wireless.

Vodafone has an international customer base with 370 million mobile customers across the world as of March 31, 2011. Vodafone also caters to all business segments ranging from small-office-home-office (SoHo) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to corporates and multinational corporations. Through its subsidiaries, Vodafone directly owns and manages approximately 2,200 stores around the world. The Company also has around 10,300 Vodafone-branded stores run through franchise and exclusive dealer arrangements.

The Company�� range of handsets covers all its customer segments and price points, and is available in a variety of designs. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), 14 new handsets were released under its own brand and it shipped 5.8 million. In addition to handsets, it supplies a range of connected smart devices. It su pplies the iPhone in 19 markets. During fiscal 2011, the Company launched its USB stick based on 4G/LTE technology in Germany and Verizon Wireless launched in the United States.; Vodafone WebBox; a smartphone roaming data plan that allows the European customers to use their home data plan abroad for only 2 a day to access the Internet, emails and applications; the Android-powered Vodafone 845 and 945 devices; Vodafone TV services; Vodafone 252, which comes pre-loaded with Vodafone M-Pesa for mobile payment services and a prepaid balance indicator that helps customers to keep track of their phone credit to avoid overspending; Vodafone M-Pesa in South Africa, Qatar and Fiji; 3G services in India, and LTE services by acquiring LTE spectrum in Germany.

The Company is a carrier of mobile voice traffic in the world providing domestic, international and roaming voice services to more than 370 million customers. Its networks sent and received over 292 billion text, pic ture, music and video messages during fiscal 2011. The ! Compa! ny! serves! more than 75 million customers with data services, which allow access to the Internet, email and applications on their phones, tablets, laptops and netbooks. The Company provides a range of data products, including Machine-to-machine (��2M�� connections, which allow devices to communicate with one another via built-in mobile SIM cards; Third party billing; Financial services; Near field communication (��FC��, and Mobile advertising. The Company, as of March 31, 2011, served 5.3 million M2M connections around the world. NFC allows communication between devices when they are touched together or brought within a few centimetres of each other. The Company has mobile advertising business in 18 countries with a range of capabilities. Over six million customers use its fixed broadband services in 13 markets to meet their total communications needs. In addition, through Gateway, it provides wholesale carrier services to more than 40 African countries. Other service revenue includes business managed services, such as secure remote network access, and revenue from mobile virtual network operators generated from selling access to its network at the wholesale level. The Company�� enterprise customers range from small-office-home-office (��oHo�� businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (��MEs��, through to domestic and multinational companies. The Company has 34 million enterprise customers accounting for around 9% of all customers and around 23% of service revenue. The Company focuses on SoHos and SMEs to provide customers with integrated fixed and mobile communications solutions. Vodafone Global Enterprise manages the communication needs of over 560 of the multinational corporate customers. It provides a range of managed services, such as Central Ordering, Device Manager, Spend Manager Solutions, Invoice Manager, Vodafone Neverfail and Telecoms management. The Company offers a range of total communications applications, as well as services for enterprise and consumer customers. V! odafone !! Always Be! st Connected software enables customers to stay connected to the Internet on the available connection wherever they are by automatically managing the switching between connection types including mobile broadband, Wi-Fi and LAN. Vodafone PC Backup is an online back-up and restores service that enables users to remotely store data securely and automatically via their Internet connection.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: NII Holdings Inc.(NIHD)

NII Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides wireless communication services under the Nextel brand name to businesses and individuals in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Its services include mobile telephone service; Nextel Direct Connect service, which allows subscribers to talk to each other on a push-to-talk basis for private one-to-one calls or on group calls. The company also provides value-added services, including text messaging services; mobile Internet services; e-mail services; location-based services, such as the use of global positioning system technologies; digital media services; and a set of applications available via its content management system and the Android open application market. In addition, it offers business solutions, such as security, work force management, logistics support, and other applications to improve productivity; and international roaming services. NII Holdings, Inc. sells its products and services through direct sales representatives, indirect sales agents, retail stores, kiosks, and Website. The company was formerly known as Nextel International, Inc. and changed its name to NII Holdings, Inc. in December 2001. NII Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is based in Reston, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  This acquisition of GTP will add another 5,400 or so domestic towers and 800 domestic property interests under third-party communications sites. GTP also has management rights to more than 9,000 domestic sites. On top of the $3.3 billion purchase price will be another $1.5 billion in debt. Keep in mind that American Tower agreed to an $800 million deal over the summer with NII Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) to purchase somewhere around 4,500 sites in Brazil and Mexico.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Following a 25% jump on Wednesday, shares of NII Holdings (NASDAQ: NIHD  ) are soaring again today after the rumored sale has been made official.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Shares of NII Holdings (NASDAQ: NIHD) was up as well, gaining 11.48 percent to $3.35 after its advanced push to talk app was launched for the iPhone.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: CalAmp Corp (CAMP)

CalAmp Corp. (CalAmp) develops and markets wireless technology solutions that deliver data, voice and video for critical networked communications and other applications. The Company has two business segments: Wireless DataCom, which serves commercial, industrial and government customers, and Satellite, which focuses on the North American Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) market. In May 2012, CalAmp Corp announced that it has entered into a five-year supply agreement to provide fleet tracking products to Navman Wireless. As part of the transaction, CalAmp has acquired certain products and technologies from Navman Wireless and established a research and development center in Auckland, New Zealand. The assets acquired by CalAmp include technology for Mobile Display Terminals (MDT) and an MDT product line marketed to telematics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) globally. In March 2013, it completed the acquisition of the operations of Wireless Matrix Corporation.

Wireless DataCom

The Wireless DataCom segment provides wireless technology, products and services for industrial Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Mobile Resource Management (MRM) market segments for a range of applications, including optimizing and automating electricity distribution and ancillary utility functions; facilitating communication and coordination among emergency first-responders; increasing productivity and optimizing activities of mobile workforces; improving management control over valuable remote and mobile assets, and enabling emerging applications in a wirelessly connected world.

The Company's Wireless DataCom segment is comprised of a Wireless Networks business and an MRM business. CalAmp's Wireless Networks business provides products, systems and services to industrial, utility, energy and transportation enterprises and state and local governmental entities for deployment where the ability to communicate with mobile personnel or to command and control remote assets is crucial. Utilities! , oil and gas, mining, railroad and security companies rely on CalAmp products for wireless data communications to and from outlying locations, permitting real-time monitoring, activation and control of remote equipment. Applications include remotely measuring freshwater and wastewater flows, pipeline flow monitoring for oil and gas transport, automated utility meter reading, remote Internet access and perimeter monitoring. CalAmp is among the leaders in the application of wireless communications technology to Smart Grid power distribution automation for electric utilities.

MRM wireless solutions include global positioning system (GPS) location, cellular data modems and programmable events-based notification firmware as key components, allowing customers to know where and how their assets are performing, no matter where those mobile assets are located. Commercial organizations, vehicle finance providers, city and county governments, and a range of other enterprises rely on CalAmp products and systems to optimize delivery of services and protect valuable assets. Applications include fleet management, asset tracking, student and school bus tracking and route optimization, stolen vehicle recovery, remote asset security, remote vehicle start, and machine-to-machine communications. In addition to functioning as an OEM supplier of location and communications hardware for MRM applications, CalAmp is a total solutions provider of turn-key systems incorporating location and communications hardware, cellular airtime and Web-based remote asset management tools and interfaces.

The Company competes with Motorola Solutions, GE-MDS, Freewave, Sierra Wireless, GenX, Spireon, Novatel Wireless-Enfora and Xirgo.

Satellite

The Satellite segment develops, manufactures and sells DBS outdoor customer premise equipment and whole home video networking devices for digital and high definition satellite television (TV) reception. CalAmp's satellite products are sold primarily to ! EchoStar,! an affiliate of Dish Network.

The Company's DBS reception products are installed at subscriber premises to receive television programming signals transmitted from orbiting satellites. These DBS reception products consist principally of outdoor electronics that receive, process, amplify and switch satellite television signals for distribution over coaxial cable to multiple set-top boxes inside the home that can acquire, recognize and process the signal to create a picture.

The Company competes with Sharp, Wistron NeWeb Corporation, Microelectronics Technology, Pro Brand and Global Invacom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $54.82 million.

  Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $233.63 million.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) reported upbeat fiscal second-quarter results. CalAmp shares jumped 9.90% to $20.54 in the after-hours trading session.

  Analysts expect Xyratex (NASDAQ: XRTX) to post its Q3 earnings at $0.05 per share on revenue of $209.31 million. Xyratex shares gained 0.18% to close at $11.16 yesterday.

• [By Jason Shubnell]

  Yesterday, CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) issued a downbeat outlook for the fourth quarter.

  CalAmp expected adjusted earnings of $0.19 to $0.23 per share on revenue of $60 million to $63 million. However, analysts were estimating earnings of $0.24 per share on revenue $63.2 million.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) shot up 14.13 percent to $21.33 after the company reported upbeat fiscal second-quarter results.

  Shares of HomeAway (NASDAQ: AWAY) was up as well, gaining 8.69 percent to $29.88 on speculation of takeover talks with Priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN).

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: j2 Global Inc (JCOM)

j2 Global, Inc., incorporated on December 14, 1995, is a provider of services delivered through the Internet. The Company provides cloud services to businesses of all sizes, from individuals to enterprises. The Company operates in two segments: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media. The Company's Digital Media business segment consists of the Web properties and business operations of Ziff Davis, Inc. (Ziff Davis). The Company�� cloud services and solutions include fax, voice and unified communications, email and customer relationship management, online backup, global network and operations, and customer support services. In February 2013, it acquired IGN Entertainment, Inc. On November 9, 2012, the Company acquired Ziff Davis. Effective March 18, 2013, it acquired MetroFax Inc. In April 2013, the Company acquired Backup Connect BV.

Business Cloud Services

The Company's eFax and MyFax online fax services enable users to receive faxes into their email inboxes and to send faxes via the Internet. eVoice and Onebox provides the Company's customers a virtual phone system with various available enhancements. The Company's FuseMail service provides the Company's customers email, archival and perimeter protection solutions, while Campaigner provides its customers email marketing solutions. KeepItSafe enables the Company's customers to securely backup their data and dispose of tape or other physical systems. The Company's CampaignerCRM business provides customer relationship management solutions designed to increase the Company's customers' sales and increase efficiency. The Company also generates Business Cloud Services revenues from patent licensing and sales and advertising. The Company�� Business Cloud Services and solutions are of two types: direct inward-dial number (DID) -based, which are services provided in whole or in part through a telephone number and non-DID-based, which are its other cloud services for business. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had DIDs issued! to approximately 2.1 million paying subscribers.

The Company's services allow individuals to receive and send faxes as email attachments. In addition to eFax , the Company offers online fax services under a variety of alternative brands, including MyFax , eFax Plus , eFax Pro, eFax Corporate and eFax Developer . eVoice is a virtual phone system that provides small and medium-sized businesses on-demand voice communications services, featuring a toll-free or local company DID, auto-attendant and menu tree. With these services, a subscriber can assign departmental and individual extensions that can connect to multiple United States or Canadian DIDs, including land-line and mobile phones and Internet protocol (IP) networks. These services also include advanced integrated voicemail for each extension, unifying mobile, office and other separate voicemail services and improving efficiency by delivering voicemails in both native audio format and as transcribed text. Onebox is a unified communications suite. It combines the features of many of the Company's other branded services, plus added functionality, to provide a virtual office. Onebox includes a virtual phone system, hosted email, online fax, audio conferencing and Web conferencing.

FuseMail offers hosted email, email encryption and email archival services to businesses. These solutions are hosted offsite and seamlessly integrated into a customer's existing email system. The services include hosted email, VirusSMART virus scanning, CypherSMART encryption services, SpamSMART SPAM filtering and VaultSMART / PolicySMART archiving, which delivers a secure, scalable email archiving and customizable compliance tool to correspond with a company's retention policy. Campaigner is an email marketing service that enables businesses to easily create and send personalized one-to-one email communications to subscribers and customers to build better relationships. Campaigner also helps businesses increase the size of their mailing lists, compl! y with em! ail regulations like CAN-SPAM and get more emails to more inboxes. CampaignerCRM is a cloud-based CRM solution specifically designed to help small/medium-sized businesses close more deals, reduce the sales cycle and sell larger deals. CampaignerCRM has a sales checklist capability that gives sales representatives a step-by-step plan to closing a deal. With CampaignerCRM's Social CRM capabilities, companies can seamlessly integrate a customer's latest information from Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook directly into their Contact profile. KeepItSafe provides managed and monitored online backup solutions for businesses, using its ISO-certified platform.

The Company's Business Cloud Services business operates multiple physical Points of Presence (POPs) worldwide, a central data center in Los Angeles and several remote disaster recovery facilities. The Company connects its POPs to its central data centers through redundant, and often times diverse, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) using the Internet. The Company's network is designed to deliver value-added user applications, customer support and billing services for the Company's customers anywhere in the world and a local presence for its DID-based service customers from thousands of cities in 49 countries on six continents. The Company offers DIDs covering all major metropolitan areas in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, and such other major cities as Berlin, Hong Kong, Madrid, Manila, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and Zurich. The Company has customers located throughout the world.

The Company's Business Cloud Services customer service organization supports the Company's cloud services customers through a combination of online self-help, email communications, interactive chat sessions and telephone calls. The Company's Internet-based online self-help tools enable customers to resolve simple issues on their own, eliminating the need to speak or write to the Company's customer service re! presentat! ives. The Company's Business Cloud Services segment customer service organization provides email support seven days per week, 24 hours per day to all subscribers. Paying subscribers have access to live-operator telephone support seven days per week, 24 hours per day. Dedicated telephone support is provided for corporate customers 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Live sales and customer support services are available in nine languages, including English, Spanish, Dutch, German, French and Cantonese.

Digital Media

The Ziff Davis portfolio of Web properties, including PCMag.com, ExtremeTech.com, Geek.com, ComputerShopper.com, LogicBuy.com and Toolbox.com features reviews of technology products, technology-oriented news and commentary, professional networking tools for IT professionals and online deals and discounts for consumers. The Company generates Digital Media revenues from the sale of display advertising targeted to in-market technology buyers and from the sale of customer leads to online merchants and business-to-business leads to IT vendors. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Digital Media Web properties attracted 345 million visits and 1.1 billion page views.

PCMag is a trusted online resource for laboratory-based product reviews, technology news and buying guides. Toolbox.com is a network of online communities that allows experienced technology professionals to share collective knowledge and collaborate to resolve problems more efficiently. Toolbox.com includes professional networking tools, blogs, collaboration tools and reference guides. Geek.com is an online technology resource and community for technology enthusiasts and professionals. Its gaming site includes IGN.com and men's lifestyle site includes AskMen.com.

The Company competes with Google AdSense, DoubleClick Ad Exchange, AOL's Ad.com and Microsoft Media Network.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  j2 Global (NASDAQ: JCOM  ) just keeps on growing -- by acquisition.

  In its third corporate purchase in the past three months, j2 announced this morning that it has acquired Netherlands-based Backup Connect BV, a provider of online data backup services.

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  j2 Global Inc. (JCOM)

  One company that many readers may not be familiar with is j2 Global Inc. My purpose in featuring this aggressive candidate was to offer an example of a historically pure growth technology company that appears to be morphing into a dividend growth stock. But before I show that, I offer the following slide that provides an overview of j2 Global�� business.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on j2 Global (Nasdaq: JCOM  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Finally, we have j2 Global (NASDAQ: JCOM  ) keeping a welcome streak alive. The provider of Internet services declared a quarterly distribution of $0.24 a share. This may be a mere 3% uptick, but j2 has come through with rate hikes in each of the past seven quarters. The total increase over the course of that run is a solid 20% advance.

10 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: QUALCOMM Incorporated(QCOM)

QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development, design, manufacture, and marketing of digital wireless telecommunications products and services. The company operates in four segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT), Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL), Qualcomm Wireless and Internet (QWI), and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI). The QCT segment develops and supplies code division multiple access (CDMA)-based integrated circuits and system software for wireless voice and data communications, multimedia functions and global positioning system products. The QTL segment grants licenses to use portions of its intellectual property portfolio comprising patent rights useful in the manufacture and sale of wireless products, such as products implementing cdmaOne, CDMA2000, WCDMA, CDMA TDD, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and/or OFDMA standards and their derivatives The QWI segment consists of Qualcomm Internet Services that provides content enablement services for the wireless industry and pu sh-to-talk and other products and services for wireless network operators; Qualcomm Government Technologies, which offers development, hardware, and analytical services to the United States government agencies involving wireless communications technologies; Qualcomm Enterprise Services that provides satellite and terrestrial-based two-way data messaging, position reporting, wireless application services, and managed data services to transportation and logistics companies and other enterprise companies; and Firethorn, which builds and manages software applications that enable mobile commerce services. The QSI segment makes strategic investments to support the worldwide adoption of CDMA- and OFDMA-based technologies and services. QUALCOMM Incorporated primarily operates in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Leadership:�Ballmer’s tenure at MSFT has been a mixed bag. While he pulled off successful deals like Skype and built the Xbox franchise, he still failed to capitalize on mobile.�Instead, the spoils went to companies like�Apple�(AAPL), Google,�Qualcomm�(QCOM) and�Samsung�(SSNLF). And when he�announced his retirement, MSFT stock shot up 7%.�This is why the choice for the next CEO of MSFT will be critical. The successor needs to understand how to manage a complex organization, and how to aggressively fight for market share in the mobile space. If Wall Street thinks the candidate doesn’t fit the bill, MSFT stock is likely to come under lots of pressure.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But another part of the equation could have come from Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM  ) , which announced an RF-module for LTE mobile devices that includes an integrated power amplifier. That poses a big threat to competitors Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ: SWKS  ) and RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD  ) as well as Avago, because if Qualcomm is able to integrate components that Skyworks, RF, and Avago currently sell separately, then it could lead to a huge loss in revenue for all three component-makers.

• [By Tim Brugger]

  When do record revenues, beating analyst earnings estimates, and generating a 35% jump in operating income result in a 5% drop in share price? The mobile industry's chipmaking and licensing leader Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM  ) can tell you firsthand: Follow up positive financials with a distressing outlook for the established mobile-device market. Not good news for Qualcomm, but its high-end manufacturers, such as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) with its new Z10 and Q10 offerings, could really feel the pain.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  NVIDIA's high-performance graphics solutions tend to crush competing designs from Qualcomm� (NASDAQ: QCOM  ) and PowerVR, but only in terms of raw performance. The picture is far murkier when you include factors like battery life and pricing. NVIDIA probably doesn't stand much of a chance at breaking into Qualcomm's products, given that the big Q likes to design its own graphics systems. But maybe Samsung or Apple would consider replacing their creaky PowerVR licenses with NVIDIA ones?