The CPI was unchanged in December 2013, the most recent date available, and it rose just 1.5% in 2013. But so far this year, inflation-sensitive funds have soared:
��Gold-mining stock funds, up 25.6%
��Precious metals funds, up 9%
��Real estate funds, up 7.1%
��Commodities funds, up 4.1%
At the same time, funds that track the Standard and Poor's 500-stock index have fallen 0.4%, according to Lipper, which tracks the funds. The average stock fund has gained 0.4%.
INVESTING: International funds sail past U.S. stock funds
People tend to buy physical investments, such as gold, commodities and real estate, when they worry about the value of paper money. Gold has been used as currency for thousands of years, and in China and India, gold is not just an investment, it's a part of culture. Gold is a traditional Indian gift for marriages, for instance.
Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2015: MicroFinancial Incorporated(MFI)
Microfinancial Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialized commercial finance company that provides microticket equipment leasing and rental, and other financing services in the United States. The company provides financing alternatives, and leases and rents commercial equipment to start-up and established businesses for use in their daily operations. It leases water filtration systems, food service equipment, security equipment, point-of-sale cash registers, salon equipment, health care and fitness equipment, and automotive equipment. The company primarily sources its originations through a network of independent equipment vendors, sales organizations, and other dealer-based origination networks. Microfinancial Incorporated was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Lam]
Alacer Gold Corp. and Iamgold Corp. rallied at least 5.9 percent as the metal traded at its highest in 11 weeks. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (MFI) jumped 7.8 percent as it agreed to sell a unit for C$645 million ($614 million). Penn West Petroleum (PWT) Ltd. added 1.7 percent after cutting 25 percent of its workforce to reduce costs.
- [By Gerrit De Vynck]
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (MFI), the Canadian producer of foods from hamburgers to frozen pasta, has drawn bids for its bread unit from Grupo Bimbo SAB, Flowers Foods Inc. (FLO) and several private-equity firms, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
- [By Magic Diligence]
One stock that has been in the official Magic Formula (MFI) screen for the past month or so has piqued my interest: Kraft (KRFT).
The MFI screens, particularly the $50 million screen, are usually reserved for deep value stocks. Usually you find stocks in here suffering serious adverse business developments (LQDT, NSR, etc.), operate in out-of-favor industries (APOL, STRA, etc.), have volatile and difficult-to-predict future prospects (PDLI comes to mind), or are just simply cheap quantitatively (CSCO, COH, et.al.).
10 Best Forestry Stocks To Watch Right Now: Suntech Power Holdings Co. LTD.(STP)
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a solar energy company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products. The company also provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to building solar power systems for certain related party and third party customers. Its products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon PV cells; PV modules; and building-integrated photovoltaics products. In addition, the company provides PV system integration services, including designing, installing, and testing PV systems used in lighting for outdoor urban public facilities, as well as in farms, villages, and commercial buildings; and project development services. Its products are used to provide electric power for residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility applications. The company sells its products through value-added resellers, such as distributors and system integrators; and to end users, such as project develo pers primarily in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Greece, the United States, Canada, China, the Middle East, Australia, and Japan. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Wuxi, the People?s Republic of China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Lewis]
Formerly the biggest maker of solar panels in the world, with more than 10,000 employees, China-based Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP ) has witnessed a long fall from grace. The nail in the coffin came in March, when the company failed to pay a $513 million debt obligation. Shortly following its default, the company sailed into Chinese bankruptcy protection. Fast-forward to this week and the company is trading more than 30% higher on a largely speculative rumor that Warren Buffett is looking to buy it.
- [By Travis Hoium]
Is Suntech still alive?
Rumors swirled this week that Suntech Power (NYSE: STP ) would be acquired by Warren Buffett's subsidiary MidAmerican Energy. Suntech has defaulted on U.S. loans, and its Chinese operations are in insolvency, so it's unknown exactly what Buffett would be buying. Then there's the fact that Suntech doesn't meet any of Buffett's normal investing rules, so there are few industry observers who think an acquisition would go through. - [By Travis Hoium]
This is a big hit for the Chinese solar industry and some of the biggest players in solar. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Europe was poised to put a 48.6% tariff on Suntech Power's (NYSE: STP ) �panels, 55.9% on LDK Solar's (NYSE: LDK ) , and 51.5% on Trina Solar's. Companies who cooperated with the investigation on dumping would be slapped with a 47.6% tariff and those who didn't would be taxed at 67.9%. �
10 Best Forestry Stocks To Watch Right Now: Osiris Therapeutics Inc.(OSIR)
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., a stem cell company, focuses on the development and marketing of therapeutic products to treat various medical conditions in the inflammatory, autoimmune, orthopedic, and cardiovascular areas. It operates in two business segments, Therapeutics and Biosurgery. The Therapeutics segment focuses on developing biologic stem cell drug candidates from a readily available and non-controversial source, adult bone marrow. The Biosurgery segment works to harness the ability of cells and novel constructs to promote the body's natural healing. This segment focuses on developing biologic products for use in surgical procedures. The company?s lead biologic drug candidate is Prochymal, which is in phase 2 and 3 clinical trails for various indications, including acute graft versus host disease (GvHD), Crohn's disease, acute myocardial infarction, type 1 diabetes, pulmonary disease, and gastrointestinal injury resulting from radiation exposure. Its biologic drug candidates also include Chondrogen, a preparation of adult mesenchymal stem cells that is in phase 2 clinical trials for osteoarthritis and cartilage protection. The company has collaboration agreements with Genzyme Corporation for the development and commercialization of Prochymal and Chondrogen in various countries except in the United States and Canada. It also has a partnership with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for the development of Prochymal as a treatment for the preservation of insulin production in patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus. Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alexander Maxwell]
One of the companies attempting to develop a better treatment for chronic diabetic foot ulcers is Osiris Therapeutics� (NASDAQ: OSIR ) . Earlier this month, Osiris shares more than doubled as the company announced positive data for its CDFU drug Grafix. The study results were very impressive to say the least; the study was stopped early due to the overwhelming efficacy exhibited by the treatment. A main highlight is the fact that 62% of Grafix patients had their wound closed at 12 weeks, compared to only 21% of patients using conventional methods. Clearly, the efficacy in this endpoint was overwhelming. Grafix also achieved all of the secondary endpoints for the trial, and more importantly demonstrated a relatively benign safety record.�
10 Best Forestry Stocks To Watch Right Now: Analog Devices Inc (ADI)
Analog Devices, Inc. (Analog Devices), incorporated on January 18, 1965, is engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of a range of analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing integrated circuits (ICs). The Company produces a range of products, including data converters, amplifiers and linear products, radio frequency (RF) ICs, power management products, sensors based on micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and other sensors, and processing products, including DSP and other processors, which are designed to meet the needs of a base of customers. The Company's products are embedded inside many different types of electronic equipment, including industrial process control systems; instrumentation and measurement systems; wireless infrastructure equipment, and aerospace and defense electronics. The Company designs , manufactures and markets a range of ICs, which incorporate analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing technologies. The Company's product portfolio includes both general-purpose products used by a range of customers and applications, as well as application-specific products. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired Multigig, Inc.
Analog Products
The Company's product portfolio includes several thousand analog ICs. The Company's analog IC customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and customers who build electronic subsystems for integration into larger systems. The Company is a supplier of data converter products. Data converters translate real-world analog signals into digital data and also translate digital data into analog signals. The Company is also a supplier of amplifiers. Amplifiers are used to condition analog signals. The Company provides precision, instrumentation, intermediate frequency/radio frequency (RF), broadband, and other amplifiers. The Company also offers a range of precision voltage references, which are used in a range of applications. The Company's analog product line also includes a range port! folio of RF ICs covering the RF signal chain, from RF function blocks, such as phase locked loops, frequency synthesizers, mixers, modulators, demodulators, and power detectors, to broadband and short-range single chip transceiver solutions.
The Company's RF ICs support the requirements of cellular infrastructure and a range of applications in the Company's target markets. Also within the Company's analog technology portfolio are products, which are based on MEMS technology. This technology enables the Company to build small sensors, which incorporate an electromechanical structure and the supporting analog circuitry for conditioning signals obtained from the sensing element. The Company's MEMS product portfolio includes accelerometers used to sense acceleration, gyroscopes used to sense rotation, inertial measurement units used to sense multiple degrees of freedom combining multiple sensing types along multiple axis, and MEMS microphones used to sense audio. The Company's current revenue from MEMS products is derived from the automotive end market. In addition to the Company's MEMS products, its other analog product category includes isolators. The Company's isolators have been designed for applications, such as universal serial bus isolation in patient monitors, where it allows hospitals and physicians to adopt the advances in computer technology to supervise patient health and wirelessly transmit medical records. In smart metering applications, the Company's isolators provide electrostatic discharge performance. In satellites, where any malfunction can be catastrophic, the Company's isolators help protect the power system while enabling designers to achieve small form factors. Power management & reference products make up the balance of the Company's analog sales. Those products, which include functions such as power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing and energy management, are developed to complement analog signal chain components across core market segments from micro power, en! ergy-sens! itive battery applications to power systems in infrastructure and industrial applications.
Digital Signal Processing Products
Digital Signal Processing products (DSPs) complete the Company's product portfolio. DSPs are optimized for numeric calculations, which are essential for instantaneous, or real-time, processing of digital data generated, from analog to digital signal conversion. The Company's DSPs are designed to be fully programmable and to execute specialized software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data. Programmable DSPs are designed to provide the flexibility to modify the device's function using software. The Company's DSP IC customers write their own algorithms using software development tools provided by the Company and third-party suppliers. The Company's DSPs are designed in families of products, which share common architectures and therefore can execute the same software across a range of products. The Company's customers use the Company's products to solve a range of signal processing challenges across its core market and segment focus areas within the industrial, automotive, consumer and communications end markets. As an integrated part of the Company's customers' signal chain, there are other Analog Devices products connected to its processors, including converters, audio and video codecs and power management solutions.
The Company competes with Broadcom Corporation, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Cirrus Logic, Inc., Microchip Technology, Inc., Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Infineon Technologies, ST Microelectronics, Intersil Corporation, Silicon Laboratories, Inc., Knowles Electronics, Texas Instruments, Inc. and Linear Technology Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
Analog Devices Inc.'s(ADI) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 13% as stronger margins and asset-sale gains and other items offset the chip maker’s lower revenue.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
The market doesn’t necessarily want to go higher–it just can’t seem to help itself. Walt Disney (DIS), Analog Devices (ADI) and Idenix Pharmaceuticals (IDIX) gained.
10 Best Forestry Stocks To Watch Right Now: Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR)
Sealand Natural Resources Inc. (SLNR), incorporated on May 13, 2011, is a research and new product development company that manufactures, markets and sells new age functional beverages (SealandBirk), organic nutriceuticals, health supplements, medicinal raw materials and health food worldwide. SLNR specializes in research of natural new product development and mass market consumer product distribution. Its Products include Sealand BIRK, Sealand Living and Sealand research and development (R&D). Sealand Living Anew products offer supply of healing nutrients to athletic training.
Anew omega premium is a food supplement consists of shark cartilage powder, fish bone powder, and omega three polyunsaturated fatty acids. Anew omega premium is designed to reduce the decomposition, to stimulate resynthesis of the joint cartilage and to reduce pain. Omega Premium consists of shark cartilage powder, codfish backbone powder, and fish oil powder. Anew nutripeptin is a food supply. Sealand BIRK consists of five flavors original, elderflower, raspberry, blueberry, ginger and lime.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Today, The Company remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.35 with 125 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:01AM EDT July 22, 2013).
Sealand Natural Resources Inc. previously reported it has reached a distribution agreement with Nature’s Best.
Nature’s Best, in business since 1969, is the largest privately owned wholesaler-distributor of health and natural food products in the Natural Products Industry. Nature’s Best provides a full-line of Certified Organic, Natural and Specialty products to retail stores throughout the Central, Southern and Western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Asia. Nature’s Best specializes in Retail Marketing Support, Web Services, Business Analysis Tools and Sales/Category Management Consulting.
- [By CRWE]
Today, SLNR has shed (-0.14%) down -0.01 at $7.27 with 125 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:13AM EDT June 28, 2013), but don�� let this get you down.
Sealand Natural Resources Inc. previously reported recent company milestones as of May 31, 2013.
Lars Poulsen, Chief Executive Officer of Sealand Natural Resources Inc., commented, ��ealand BIRK beverage has made significant progress on a number of important fronts. Sealand BIRK is a ‘first mover,’ in the market place offering a unique organic harvested beverage, packed with micro nutrients, no added sugar, less than 60 calories with health hydration attributes for consumers. In the market today, only extremes are available for consumers, ranging from water to high sugar, high calorie, nutritionally-deficient beverages. We organically harvest and deliver Sealand BIRK beverages for consumers that encourage improved health, while being clear that our products have key differentiating factors that set us apart from the competition.
- [By CRWE]
Today, SLNR remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.23 with 100 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:29AM EDT June 24, 2013).
Sealand Natural Resources Inc. previously reported recent company milestones as of May 31, 2013.
Lars Poulsen, Chief Executive Officer of Sealand Natural Resources Inc., commented, ��ealand BIRK beverage has made significant progress on a number of important fronts. Sealand BIRK is a ‘first mover,’ in the market place offering a unique organic harvested beverage, packed with micro nutrients, no added sugar, less than 60 calories with health hydration attributes for consumers. In the market today, only extremes are available for consumers, ranging from water to high sugar, high calorie, nutritionally-deficient beverages. We organically harvest and deliver Sealand BIRK beverages for consumers that encourage improved health, while being clear that our products have key differentiating factors that set us apart from the competition.
- [By CRWE]
Last Friday, SLNR previously surged (+0.27%) up +0.02 at $7.43 with 425 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 26, 2013 ��Close).
Sealand Natural Resources Inc. previously reported it has reached a distribution agreement with Nature’s Best.
Nature’s Best, in business since 1969, is the largest privately owned wholesaler-distributor of health and natural food products in the Natural Products Industry. Nature’s Best provides a full-line of Certified Organic, Natural and Specialty products to retail stores throughout the Central, Southern and Western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Asia. Nature’s Best specializes in Retail Marketing Support, Web Services, Business Analysis Tools and Sales/Category Management Consulting.
10 Best Forestry Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ship Finance International Limited(SFL)
Ship Finance International Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of vessels and offshore related assets in Bermuda, Cyprus, Malta, Liberia, Norway, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the Marshall Islands. The company also involves in the charter, purchase, and sale of assets. As of March 22, 2011, it owned 29 oil tankers, 8 oil/bulk/ore carriers, 3 dry bulk carriers, 9 container vessels, 2 jack-up drilling rigs, 3 ultra-deepwater drilling units, 6 offshore supply vessels, and 2 chemical tankers. The company offers its services to various sectors of shipping and offshore industry, including oil transportation, drybulk shipments, chemical transportation, container transportation, drilling rigs, and offshore supply vessels. Ship Finance International Limited was founded in 2003 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
While�[Seadrill] will continue to lean on [Seadrill Partners (SDLP)] and potentially [Ship Finance International (SFL)] to meet its funding requirements, a lot has to break right for�[Seadrill] to meet these funding requirements.
- [By John Buckingham, Chief Investment Officer, Al Frank Asset Management, Inc. (AFAM)]
Ship Finance International (SFL) primarily engages in the transportation of crude oil and oil products, dry bulk, and containerized cargos, and in offshore drilling and related activities.
- [By James Brumley]
But they’re also potent. Not only do they contain the possibility for significant capital appreciation, but they also offer plenty as far as dividends are concerned. In fact, of the following four small caps, the weakest dividend yield is still a very healthy 8%.
Ship Finance International Limited (SFL)SFL Dividend Yield: 9.1%
10 Best Forestry Stocks To Watch Right Now: FreightCar America Inc (RAIL)
FreightCar America, Inc. (America) is engaged in manufacturing of aluminum-bodied railcars in North America. America is also a manufacturer of coal cars. During the year ended December 31, 2011(2011), the Company was specialized in the production of coal cars, which represented 93% of its deliveries of railcars. The Company also refurbishes and rebuilds railcars and sells forged, cast and fabricated parts for all of the railcars it produces, as well as those manufactured by others. During 2011, its primary customers were railroads, shippers and financial institutions, which represented 83%, 2% and 1%, respectively, of its total sales attributable to each type of customer. During 2011, it delivered 6,188 railcars, including 4,500 aluminum-bodied coal cars. It offers railcar leasing and refurbishment alternatives to its customers. Through its newly formed subsidiary FreightCar Rail Services, LLC (FCRS), it provides railcar repair and maintenance, inspections, and railcar fleet management services for all types of freight railcars. Its railcar manufacturing facilities are located in Danville, Illinois and Roanoke, Virginia.
The Company also leases freight cars through its JAIX Leasing Company subsidiary. In addition, the Company manufactures coal cars for export to Latin America and manufactures intermodal railcars for export to the Middle East. With operations in Colorado, Indiana and Nebraska, it services freight cars and unit coal trains utilizing rail corridors in the Midwest and Western regions of the United States. The Company designs and manufactures aluminum-bodied and steel-bodied railcars that transport a range of various products. It manufactures two primary types of coal cars, such as gondolas and open-top hoppers. The BethGon is the aluminum-bodied coal gondola railcar segment, which is used in North America. Its aluminum bodied open-top hopper railcar, the AutoFlood, is a five-pocket coal car equipped with a bottom discharge gate mechanism. AutoFlood II and AutoFlood III design! incorporates the automatic rapid discharge system, the MegaFlo door system and a mechanism that uses an over-center locking design, enabling the cargo door to close with tension rather than by compression.
The Company also manufactures a range of other types of aluminum and steel-bodied coal cars, including triple hopper, hybrid aluminum/stainless steel hoppers and gondolas and flat bottom gondola railcars. The Company�� portfolio of other railcar types include the AVC Aluminum Vehicle Carrier design, which is used to transport commercial and light vehicles (automobiles and trucks) from assembly plants and ports to rail distribution centers; the Articulated Bulk Container railcar designed to carry dense bulk products, such as waste products in 20 foot containers; Intermodal Double Stack railcars, including a stand-alone, 40 foot well car and the DynaStack articulated, 5-unit, 40 foot and 3-unit, 53 foot well cars for transportation of containers; a Small Cube Covered Hopper railcar, which is used to transport products, such as roofing granules, fly ash, sand and cement; a Mill Gondola Railcar, which is used to transport steel products and scrap; Slab and Coil steel railcars, which is designed for transportation of steel slabs and coil steel products, respectively; Flat Railcars, Bulkhead Flat Railcars and Centerbeam Flat Railcars, which is designed to transport a range of products, including machinery and equipment, steel and structural steel components (including pipe), forest products and other bulky industrial products; a Woodchip Gondola Railcar, which is designed to haul woodchips and municipal waste, and a range of non-coal carrying open top hopper railcars designed to carry aggregates, iron ore, taconite pellets, petroleum coke and other bulk commodities.
The Company has established a licensing arrangement with a railcar manufacturer in Brazil pursuant to which its technology is used to produce various types of railcars in Brazil. In addition, it manufacture coal car! s for exp! ort to Latin America and have manufactured intermodal railcars for export to the Middle East. Railroads outside of North America have a range of track gauges that are sized differently than in North America, which requires it, in some cases, to alter manufacturing specifications for foreign sales. The Company has added 10 new or redesigned products to its portfolio in the last five years, including the AVC, slab and coil steel railcar, triple hopper and hybrid aluminum/stainless steel railcars, ore cars, ballast cars and aggregate cars. The Company�� manufacturing process involves four basic steps: fabrication, assembly, finishing and inspection. In its fabrication processes, it employ standard metal working tools, many of which are computer controlled. Each assembly line typically involves 15 to 20 manufacturing positions, depending on the complexity of the particular railcar design. It uses mechanical fastening in the fitting and assembly of its aluminum-bodied railcar parts, while it uses welding for the assembly of its steel-bodied railcars.
The Company competes with Trinity Industries, Inc., National Steel Car Limited, The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. and American Railcar Industries, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
FreightCar America (NASDAQ: RAIL ) has found an executive to lead its finance team. The company announced that it appointed Charles Avery as its CFO, vice president of finance, and treasurer, replacing Joseph McNeely. Avery will take up his position on Aug. 1.
- [By Eric Volkman]
FreightCar America (NASDAQ: RAIL ) has found an internal candidate to be its new COO and president. The company named CFO Joseph McNeely to the position, effective immediately.
- [By SA Pro Top Ideas]
Stock Movers and Great Calls
On July 24, Mike Williams explained why FreightCar America's (RAIL) shares could double by 2015 as it returned to historic profitability. Shares are +16.3% to date after a strong earnings report this week. Read article » Vince Martin said on June 17 that Cray's (CRAY) sell-off after Q1 earnings was way overdone, offering investors a great deal. After a strong earnings report last week, shares now stand +45% from where they were before the article. Read article »
Alpha-Rich long and short ideas regularly move stocks and identify stocks that are about to move. Some notable recent calls subscribers had early access to:To Come Today
Don't forget to check your SA Pro dashboard later today for the latest Alpha-Rich ideas. Any thoughts to share on the latest Alpha-Rich ideas? Leave a comment here.
SA Pro Editors
…............
The SA Pro team is Eli Hoffmann (Editor in Chief), Rachael Granby (Editorial Product Manager), Daniel Shvartsman, Samir Patel, Michael McDonald, and Jeffrey Fischer (Senior Pro Editors). You can reach us at pro-editors@seekingalpha.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment