Top Stocks To Buy 2014: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Is Apple a Steal Before Its Biggest Quarter?

At the current price, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) represents a lot of value for longer-term shareholders. Apple has a great line of products for the busy holiday season, and the company's revenue guidance implies that it is expecting its biggest quarter in its operating history. Apple has managed to silence a lot of its skeptics of late, and there are four reasons why a long position in Apple is warranted before the end of the December quarter.

Innovation is very much alive
The biggest question mark surrounding Apple has been the innovation aspect of the company. However, the company's ability to innovate is still in place despite a lot of skeptics. The company's new line of iPhones has seen very strong reception from consumers across the globe.

In particular, the iPhone 5s has been a home-run, and is almost certain to sell tens of millions in units for the next few quarters. Also, the new generation iPad Air got very strong reviews, and the iPad Mini with the Retina display also comes at a very attractive price point of $299. As a result, the company's new line of innovative products will lead to very strong sales for the shopping season and beyond.

Handset market is now a duopoly
The market for handsets and mobile operating systems has become a two-horse race between Apple's iOS and Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android. In Q3 2013, Android's market share surged to an astounding 81% and the market share of iOS stood at 12.9%, according to IDC.

While the numbers might make Apple investors jittery, that should not be the case. Google has done a fantastic job of grabbing market share by allowing OEMs to use its OS for free. But these OEMs especially Samsung, LG, and Lenovo are selling huge quantities of phones at much lower ASPs relative to Apple.

And Apple is serving the higher-end market of the handset business and that is clearly reflected on its pricing strategy. Apple's ASP for the iPhone segment for the last quarter stood at $577, and the iPhone 5s is priced at $649. As a result, sequentially Apple's ASPs for the December quarter is very likely to increase due to a large quantity of 5s unit sales.

Apple seems to be very comfortable in its position serving the high-end and the mid-market of the smartphone business, and Android is largely serving the mid-market and the low-end in the handset business very nicely.

Can navigate in emerging markets
Apple managed to rope in the Japanese carrier, NTT DoCoMo in the last quarter And this deal with NTT DoCoMo will not only increase sales in Japan, but might possibly open the door for working with other carriers in Asia.

Speculations of Apple signing up China Mobile (NYSE: CHL ) have been on-going for a long time but nothing concrete seems to be in place. However, the China Mobile has a subscriber base of almost 760 million at the end of October. And China Mobile is adding subscribers at a rapid pace, and might be tempted to sign up with Apple to serve the different needs of its various consumer segments.

And a deal with China Mobile will be a big win for Apple's revenues and also Apple's shares. In addition to carriers, Apple is also opening a lot of retail stores outside the U.S. in 2014, and a number of those will be in emerging markets. Going forward, Apple should have a lot more revenues flowing in from emerging markets.

Buyback will move the needle
Apple bought shares worth $23 billion in 2013, and still $37 billion of its share repurchase program remains to be executed. And with a larger buyback in this fiscal year and next, Apple's share count will go down dramatically, boosting its EPS.

Based on Apple's stellar cash flow, the company's buyback program is almost guaranteed to increase after the end of the current plan of buying back $60 billion. And the presence of activist investors like Carl Icahn might lead to a larger buyback plan as well.

Carl Icahn told Reuters that, "Apple is not a bank and that a large buyback should be put into place, as well as taking advantage of other ways this cash can be made more productive." And the activist investor is having constructive discussions with CEO Tim Cook to enhance the value of the company. The buyback programs will likely push Apple's EPS to the mid-40s in fiscal 2014, which should lead to a reasonable increase in the company's share price.

The bottom line
Apple stock is still well below its all-time highs, and its share count is going down rapidly as well. The company's innovation engine is still humming, and the company can still have a sizable presence in emerging markets in spite of its relatively high ASPs. For buy and hold investors, Apple is a great investment right now because the company will have a great holiday quarter. The company's cash dividend and share repurchases will also aid in bolstering the total return from Apple shares.

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Second Wind for MeetMe Seals the Deal (LNKD, FB, MEET)

Last Friday when yours truly suggested MeetMe Inc. (NYSEMKT:MEET) shares were taking flight and were a "buy", I didn't aim to imply it was going to be the next Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) or LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE:LNKD). It was just a short-term idea assuming the near-term technical clues would get traction. Today's action from MEET seals that deal.

Just for anyone not familiar with the company, comparing LNKD or FB to MeetMe may be comparing, well, not apples to oranges, but red apples to green apples. MEET is a social networking side that groups potential and current friends according to their current geographical location rather than a circle of friends, family, or coworkers. It's specifically designed to facilitate meeting new friends for strictly-social purposes, as opposed to LinkedIn, which is aimed at professional introductions, and Facebook, which caters to connect users with people they already know.

The revenues model is similar to that of LinkedIn, and identical to that of Facebook - page views = revenue, and virtual money within the MeetMe world can be garnered by spending real money, allowing users to participate in that virtual world in a deeper way.

The concept is working relatively well too. Though still erratic, revenue is on the rise for MEET, and the loss is shrinking. Deloitte says it's the 32nd (out of 500) fastest-growing company in North America.

None of those details are important right now, however. What's most important right now is the same thing that was most important late last week - shares have crossed above the 200-day moving average line today, for the second time in four days. This second effort, however, clinches the technical bullish cue from Friday. Just as telling is the fact that today's bullish volume is also going to be strong; the masses are starting to pile in. Time to follow that lead, especially considering it's supported by tangible progress from the company itself.

If you'd like to get more trading ideas and insights like this one, sign up for the free SmallCap Network daily e-newsletter. It's full of stock picks, market calls, and more.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Preparing yourself mentally for retirement

When Nancy Schlossberg, a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Maryland, retired at 67, she thought it would be smooth sailing. It wasn't.

"It took me a while to figure out who I was. It was a difficult transition. At first, I literally couldn't say the words — 'I'm retired.' "

Over the next few years, she interviewed more than 150 retirees and conducted several focus groups with retirees, and she realized that many people had prepared a financial portfolio for retirement, but they hadn't taken stock of their psychological portfolios.

NEW: USA TODAY Retirement Section

Schlossberg, now 84 and living in Sarasota, Fla., found that some people spend years preparing themselves psychologically for this transition, but others don't think about it until they actually quit working. Based on her research, she wrote Revitalizing Retirement: Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships, and Purpose; and Retire Smart, Retire Happy.

Even contemplating leaving a job creates a lot of anxiety for some, she says. "They love their work, and they are busy. They have an established life, an established routine, established relationships at work and established assumptions about themselves and the world. When you leave all that to retire, you have to establish new routines, new relationships and a new way of seeing yourself and the world."

To prepare yourself mentally for retirement, Schlossberg recommends taking a hard look at three areas of your life:

• Your identity. It's who you are to yourself and the world. You can think of it as what you put on your business card or your tagline under your e-mail signature, she says. "When I was a professor at the University of Maryland, it was very easy to say that, and people got a picture of who I was. If you are a roofer, painter, artist, teacher — that's part of your identity. One man who retired as CEO of a Fortune 100 company had plenty of money for his golden years, but he said his retirement felt 'hollow' because h! e hadn't thought about his new identity."

CHANGES: Boomers reinvent themselves in retirement

Some people may be OK with saying "retiree," but others will be happier if they strive to define a post-retirement identity that will provide structure to their days and meaning to their lives.

• Your purpose/mission. This is related to your identity. It's what gets you going in the morning. It's your passion. It can take some time to sort out, and you may have several different missions or purposes during your golden years, Schlossberg says. You can ask yourself what you wish you had done in your life and turn that into a new focus. "One woman said to me, 'I help organizations develop mission statements, but I don't have a mission statement myself.' "

• Your relationships. When you leave your work life, you often lose touch with people who were once a part of your everyday life, so you need to develop new relationships, new communities. You might do that by engaging in volunteer activities, going to a health club or even hanging out at Starbucks, Schlossberg says.

This is the perfect time to spend more time with your children and grandchildren. "I love to play in the sand with my grandchildren."

Your relationship with your spouse or partner may change, because you'll probably be spending a lot more time together, Schlossberg says. Sometimes too much togetherness causes people to get on each others' nerves for minor things, so couples may need to negotiate some new ground rules, she says.

RETIREMENT LIFESTYLE: Don't let retirement stress marriage: Plan to be busy

Developmental psychologist Adam Davey, a professor of public health at Temple University's College of Health Professions and Social Work, agrees. "There's an old statement about couples and retirement: 'I married him for better or for worse but not for lunch.'

"Suddenly having a husband home and underfoot can be a source of irritation. Since men's friendships are very often concentrated around w! ork or ac! tivities, the transition to retirement can place unwanted expectations for wives."

Davey says one good strategy he heard from a retiring couple is they told friends and family that they were going to take the first three months of retirement just for themselves so they could fully "enjoy the honeymoon period of their retirement."

The important thing is to make sure you realize that you still count, Schlossberg says. "When you retire, you can feel marginalized. Some people feel they no longer matter, but feeling that you matter, that you are appreciated and depended upon is important to experiencing a happy retirement."

Based on interviews with more than 150 retirees, Schlossberg identified the following ways that people approach retirement:

• Continuers who keep using existing skills and interests. They still use skills, interests and activities but modify them to fit retirement. "I am a continuer. I don't teach or have a salary, but I still write and speak about things I've always been interested in."

• Adventurers who start entirely new endeavors. They see retirement as an opportunity to make daring changes in their lives. "I'm not talking about becoming mountain climbers, but these are people who start something new. For example, a bank teller might become a docent in a museum. An investigative reporter might become an artist. It is about adventures in new arenas."

HEALTHY RETIREMENT: Key to a healthy, happy retirement: Having fun

Often, people take some of the regrets they have about things they wish they'd done and turn them into a plan, she says.

• Searchers who explore new options through trial and error. This means you look into different activities. You talk to people in the fields you're interested in. You volunteer for different projects or programs, and if you don't like one, you try something else. This is much like what happens to many high school and college graduates who don't know exactly what they want to do when they graduate, ! so they s! earch and struggle to find their way, Schlossberg says.

• Easy gliders who enjoy unscheduled time letting each day unfold. "They let the day unfold. Maybe they'll babysit the grandkids one day. Maybe they'll go the movies. They may just hang out. They don't have an agenda, and they are comfortable not having one."

• Involved spectators who care deeply about the world, but engage in less-active ways. This may be an art director who is retired but still goes to art museums, or a politician who is still a news junkie, she says.

• Retreaters who take time out or disengage from life. There are two kinds of these folks: people who are couch potatoes and people who are taking time out to figure out what to do.

"Many combine paths, and over time, one's path might change," Schlossberg says. "The point of looking at paths is to realize the many options for everyone during retirement."

Follow Nanci Hellmich on Twitter @nancihellmich

Monday, January 27, 2014

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now

My wife told her life insurer she lost weight, and it slashed her rate by nearly $200 a year. Can I do the same if my health has improved, and does this work with other types of insurance? --J.K., Baltimore

SEE ALSO: 6 Healthy Habits That Will Save You Money

Life, disability and long-term-care com颅panies often reduce their rates if you become less risky to them -- but only if you ask and usually only if you show proof of a long-term change.

Your best bet is with term life insurance. Insurers will often reduce your rate if your health improves rather than risk losing you to another insurer. If you lose weight, stop smoking, or lower your cholesterol or blood pressure level, or if you��e been cancer-free for several years since buying the policy, ask for a reduction.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ecs Holdings Limited (E18.SI)

ECS Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the distribution of information and communications technology products and services. The company�s Enterprise Systems segment offers enterprise systems tools, including middleware, operating systems, Unix/NT servers, databases, storage, and security products for information technology (IT) infrastructure. Its IT Services segment is involved in the IT infrastructure design and implementation, training, maintenance, and support services. The company�s Distribution segment distributes IT products, such as desktop PCs, notebooks, handhelds, and printers for the commercial and consumer markets. It also engages in the retail of IT products and equipment, and accessories. ECS Holdings Limited distributes its products in Singapore, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Singapore. ECS Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of VST Holdings Limited.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Fidelity National Financial Inc. (FNF)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. provides title insurance, mortgage services, and diversified services in the United States. The company provides title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including collection and trust activities, trustee’s sales guarantees, recordings, and reconveyances, as well as home warranty insurance to various customers in the residential and commercial market sectors of the real estate industry. It is also involved in the design, manufacture, remanufacture, market, and distribution of aftermarket and original equipment electrical components for automobiles, light trucks, heavy-duty trucks, and other vehicles worldwide. In addition, the company owns and operates restaurants comprising the O'Charley's, Ninety Nine Restaurants, Max & Erma's, Village Inn, Bakers Square, and Stoney River Legendary Steaks concepts in the United States. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Duprey]
Title insurance company�Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.16 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past three quarters after raising the payout 14% from $0.14 per share.
[By Jon C. Ogg]
Fidelity National Financial Inc. (NYSE: FNF) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

Finish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Janney Capital Markets.

Top Warren Buffett Companies To Watch In Right Now: Intersil Corporation(ISIL)

Intersil Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for applications in the industrial, computing, consumer, and communications electronics markets. The company?s industrial products include operational amplifiers, bridge drivers, isolated and non-isolated power management products, switches and multiplexers, video decoders, and other standard analog and power management products used in medical imaging, energy management, automotive, military, instrumentation, security surveillance, and factory automation markets. Its computing products comprise desktop, server, notebook, and network attached storage power management products, including core power devices and other power management products for peripheral devices, as well as lithium ion battery chargers. The company?s consumer products consist of handheld, display, gaming, light sensor, and class-D audio amplifier products for use in smartphones, LCD televisions, tablet computers, electronic game systems, set top boxes, MP3 players, GPS systems, AV receivers, and home audio systems. Its communication products include line drivers, isolated and non-isolated power management, radiation-hardened products, digital power management products, broadband and hot plug power management products, and high-speed data converters for applications in DSL, home gateway, satellite, networking, cellular base station, and networking/switching equipment markets. The company markets its products through distributors and value added resellers to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, and contract manufacturers in China, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Singapore, and Mexico. Intersil Corporation was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Milpitas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL) tumbled 4.81 percent to $10.92 after Evercore Partners downgraded the stock from Equal-Weight to Underweight.
Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) was down, falling 4.36 percent to $65.78 after Longbow Research downgraded the stock from buy to neutral.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Galvanic Applied Sciences Inc (GAV.V)

Galvanic Applied Sciences Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, sale, and servicing of analytical measurement equipment to the gas processing industry and industrial process markets. It provides H2S analyzers, gas chromatographs, tail gas analyzers, acid gas analyzers, continuous emission monitoring systems, total sulfur analyzers, sulfur gas chromatographs, moisture analyzers, volume correctors, and pressure recorders for the gas measurement industry. The company also offers a range of on-line chemical analyzers, H2S in liquid sulfur analyzers, in-line viscometers, in-line optical and acoustic transmitters, and photometers for the liquids measurement business. It markets its products through a network of distributors and representatives in Canada, the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Honey Badger Exploration Inc (TUF.V)

Honey Badger Exploration Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of copper, gold, and base metal properties in Nevada, and British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Telkwa Gold Corp. and changed its name to Honey Badger Exploration Inc. in June 2008. Honey Badger Exploration Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: WTV Holdings Inc (TVTV)

WTV Holdings Inc., formerly WhereverTv Broadcasting Corp, designs, manufactures, develops and leases concrete steel and structural insulated panels (SIPs) modular structures through its wholly owned licensed subsidiaries, New Century Structures, Inc. (NCSI) and Sustainable Structures Leasing, LLC (SSL). NCSI provides architectural/engineering, design, manufacturing and construction services for modular facilities utilizing concrete, steel framed and SIPs for use in commercial, educational, municipalities and residential developments. Prior to the acquisition of SSL by the Company, SSL conducted limited operations.

On January 29, 2007, the Company signed a letter of intent with NCSI whereby NCSI would merge with K2 Acquisition, Inc. (Merger Sub). On August 10, 2007, ABCC acquired all of the outstanding common stock of NCSI. The merger with NCSI and Merger Sub were completed with NCSI being the surviving entity. The Company changed its name from K2 Digital, Inc. On October 11, 2007, ABCC acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of SSL for nominal consideration. Subsequently, the Company converted SSL into a C Corporation. The acquisition of SSL was made to accommodate

It offers leasing opportunities through its working relationships with various financing partners. It provides services in the form of architectural and engineering design, and/or review and project development, including financing options for qualified clients. These services are billed based upon projected labor hours required and vary according to project. Products of the Company include concrete modular facilities and components; steel framed modular facilities and components, and structural insulated steel panel modular facilities and components. Services include master planning and pre-design services; architectural design; engineering review and analysis; construction services; installation and shipping; project development, and acquisition options, such as leasing and lease-purchase to qualified clients.

It leases its four-acre manufacturing site in Orlando. In addition to the modular classrooms, NCSI has completed building awards from the National Aeronautical Space Administration contractors for the development of concrete facilities at The Kennedy Space Center. NCSI has completed commercial contracts with SeaWorld Adventure Parks of Orlando, and is completing the World Headquarters for the National Semi-Trailer Corporation in Orlando, Florida.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Uranium Equities Ltd(UEQ.AX)

Uranium Equities Limited engages in the exploration and development of uranium mining properties in Australia. The company owns 100% interest in Nabarlek uranium project consisting of approximately 50 square kilometers in the Alligator Rivers Uranium Field, Northern territory. It also engages in the development of uranium, as a by-product, from phosphates used in the production of phosphate based fertilizers in association with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technical Organisation. The company is headquartered in Adelaide, Australia.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Broadcom Corporation(BRCM)

Broadcom Corporation designs and develops semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. It provides a portfolio of system-on-a-chip (SoC) and software solutions for the manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices, which enable the delivery of voice, video, data, and multimedia content to the home, office, and mobile environment. Its broadband communications products include cable modem SoCs; femtocell SoCs; MPEG/AVC/VC-1 encoders and transcoders; xDSL, passive optical network, and cable modem customer premises equipment and central office solutions; powerline networking SoCs; digital cable, direct broadcast satellite, terrestrial, and Internet protocol (IP) set-top box integrated receiver demodulators; high definition television and standard definition TV SoCs; and Blu-ray disc SoCs. The company?s mobile and wireless products comprise Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SoCs, wireless connectivity com bo chips, global positioning system SoCs, multimedia processors, applications processors, power management units, VoIP SoCs, mobile TV SoCs, and near field communications tags. Its infrastructure and networking products include Ethernet copper transceivers, Ethernet controllers and switches, backplane and optical front-end physical layer devices, security processors and adapters, and broadband processors. The company markets and sells its products through direct sales force, distributors, and manufacturers? representatives in the United States, as well as through regional offices, and a network of independent distributors and representatives in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Paul Ausick]
Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) reported third quarter 2013 results after markets closed on Tuesday. For the quarter, the semiconductor maker posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.76 on revenues of $2.15 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.79 on revenues of $2.09 billion. Third-quarter results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.69 EPS and $2.13 billion in revenues.
[By Ashraf Eassa]
After the "scary" drop from $66 to $61.38 or so, the sentiment briefly turned negative on the name. When you run into these kinds of drops, just head on over to StockTwits, and you'll see the same "twits" parroted over and over again. In Qualcomm's case, they went something like:
<Technical Analysis Mumbo Jumbo> THIS SEES $53!Broadcom (BRCM) will eat Qualcomm's lunch, Qualcomm going below $60!They missed estimates! What a lousy company!
And it went on and on. Smart money, while perhaps slightly perturbed by the drop in QCT operating margins, recognized that the QTL profit stream was still great, and further recognized that the company had now raised full-year guidance twice... precisely due to QCT market share leadership. Just because Qualcomm missed the overly-optimistic analyst estimates doesn't mean that the shares deserved that kind of whack for more than a week or two.
[By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]
Broadcom provides wireless and wired semiconductor technologies to businesses and consumers worldwide. A recent earnings release has investors disappointed with the company. The stock has struggled in recent years and is currently trading near lows for the year. Over the last four quarters, earnings have decreased while revenues have increased, which has left investors to expect more from the company. Relative to its peers and sector, Broadcom has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Broadcom does this coming quarter.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Shanda Games Ltd (GAME.O)

Shanda Games Limited (Shanda Games), incorporated on June 12, 2008, is engaged in the development and operation of online games and related businesses in the People�� Republic of China. Some of its online games are also Web games, which the Company categorizes as either massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) or advanced casual games, rather than as a separate category of online games. As of February 29, 2012, Shanda Games operated 35 online games. Its game player base, which consisted of 20.4 million average monthly active users and 4.5 million average monthly paying users for the three-month period ended December 31, 2011. In April 2011, the Company acquired a 51.85% interest in a game operating company, which provides services in East Asia.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 149 software copyrights. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or licensed 53 trademarks. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or licensed 329 registered domain names, including its official Website and domain names registered in connection with each of the games the Company offers. As of December 31, 2011, it had 17 patent applications pending with the State Intellectual Property Office of China. The Company operates MMORPGs, advanced casual games and Web games in China. Its MMORPGs are action adventure-based and draw upon themes, such as martial arts adventure, fantasy, strategy and historical events. The Company develops and sources an array of game content through multiple channels, including in-house development, licensing, investment and acquisition, and joint operation. Through these channels, it has built a diversified game portfolio and a game pipeline.

The Company licenses games from international and domestic developers. As of February 29, 2012, 13 of its 35 online games were licensed from third-party developers, including Mir II. It invests in independent game development and operating studios identified by 18 Capital. The Company acquire intellectual property right! ! s to online games; equity rights in online game development and operating studios, or an option to acquire equity interests in online game development and operating studios in the future.

The Company operates its business in People's Republic of China, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, which consist of Shengqu Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Shengqu), Shengji Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Shengji), Lansha Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Lansha) and Kuyin Software (Shanghai) Co., Ltd (Kuyin); its variable interest entities and their subsidiaries (VIEs), which consist of Shanghai Hongli Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Hongli) and Shanghai Shulong Technology Development Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Shulong) and their wholly owned subsidiaries, Shanghai Shulong Computer Technology Co., Ltd. (Shulong Computer), Nanjing Shulong Computer Technology Co., Ltd. (Nanjing Shulong), Chengdu Youji Technology Co., Ltd. (Chengdu Youj i), Tianjin Youji Technology Co., Ltd. (Tianjin Youji), Chengdu Aurora Technology Development Co., Ltd. (Chengdu Aurora), and Chengdu Simo Technology Co., Ltd. (Chengdu Simo).

The Company competes with Tencent Holdings Limited, NetEase.com, Changyou.com Limited, Perfect World Co., Ltd., Giant Interactive, Kingsoft Corporation Limited, KongZhong Corporation, NetDragon Websoft Inc., Nineyou International Limited, The9 Limited, Activision Blizzard, Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Zynga Inc., NCSoft Corporation, and Nexon Corporation.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Life Healthcare Group (LTGHF.PK)

Life Healthcare Group Holdings Limited is an investment holding company. It is engaged in acute private hospital care. Its hospitals division consists of core acute care hospital business and services for acute physical rehabilitation, acute mental healthcare and renal dialysis in South Africa and Botswana. Its healthcare services division consists of acute and long-term hospitalization services to public sector patients, as well as contracted occupational healthcare to private and public employers. International division consists of its 26% interest in Max Healthcare Institute Limited (Max Healthcare), an acute care hospital business in India. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), it acquired a 26% interest in Max Healthcare and an additional 25% interest in Medical Imaging Botswana Proprietary Limited, and disposed of 50% interest in Occulli Trust and Bloemfontein Eye Clinic, and total interest in Birchmed Day Clinic Partnership and the related property.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Trunkbow International Holdings Ltd.(TBOW)

Trunkbow International Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a mobile application enabler, offering application platforms that provide mobile value added solutions, as well as mobile payment solutions in the People?s Republic of China. The company?s technology platforms enable the operators to offer mobile value added services to end-users. Its products include caller color ring back tone to allow callers to set their own personalized dialing tone when dialing out; number change notification solution to simplify the process of switching between carriers for the subscriber; and color numbering solution to subscribe to multiple numbers in different regions with one SIM card and one phone. The company offers mobile payment solutions in the form of providing system integration, sale of software, patent licensing, and maintenance services. Its mobile payment system solutions enable the end-user to consolidate various functions, such as credit/debit cards, pu blic transit cards, employee identification, facility entrance/exit, and membership cards into one device, as well as to perform various account maintenance functions comprising refilling of prepaid cards, user preferences, and archiving transaction records. The company also provides other technology solutions that enable value added functionalities on mobile devices. Its solutions include missed call reminder, news flash services, roaming greeting, spam intercept, and virtual PBX. The company sells its technology platform solutions through direct sales force; and through independent third-party resellers, including telecom operators and electronic payment processors. It has strategic partnership with China UnionPay to provide clearing house functions for mobile payment solutions. Trunkbow International Holdings Limited was founded in 2001 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Merck Ltd (MERCK)

Merck Limited is an India-based company engaged in pharmaceuticals and chemicals businesses. The Pharmaceuticals segment includes Merck Serono and Consumer Health Care. Merck Serono division aims to continue their penetration into the rural areas with the core legacy brands of Neurobion, Polybion and Evion.It focuses on areas, such as Cardio-Diabetic and Women�� Health. Consumer Health Care division aims to gain further growth by adding further line extensions on brand Nasivion and Seven Seas, and leveraging on the local and global R&D capabilities. The Chemical segment consists of two divisions: Pharm Chem Solutions and Performance Materials. The Pharm Chem Solutions division offers products and solutions for Pharma and BioPharma industry. Products mainly consists of Active Pharmaceutical ingredients, Excipients and Bio-pharmaceuticals. The Performance Materials Division consists of two segments, namely, Pigments and Cosmetic actives.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cameron International Corp (CAM)

Cameron International Corporation (Cameron), incorporated on November 10, 1994, provides flow equipment products, systems and services to worldwide oil, gas and process industries. Cameron operates in three business segments: Drilling and Production Systems (DPS), Valves & Measurement (V&M) and Process & Compression Systems (PCS). The DPS segment includes businesses, which provides systems and equipment used to control pressures and direct flows of oil and gas wells. The V&M segment includes businesses, which provides valves and measurement systems used to control, direct and measure the flow of oil and gas as they are moved from individual wellheads through flow lines, gathering lines and transmission systems to refineries, petrochemical plants and industrial centers for processing. The PCS segment includes businesses, which provides standard and custom-engineered process packages for separation and treatment of impurities within oil and gas and compression equipment and aftermarket parts and services to the oil, gas and process industries. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it acquired LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. (LeTourneau) from Joy Global Inc. During 2011, it acquired Vescon Equipamentos Industrias Ltda. During 2011, it acquired 51% interest in Newmans Valves. In September 2012, TTS Group ASA sold its drilling equipment business to the Company. Effective August 5, 2013, Cameron International Corp acquired a 75% interest in Douglas Chero SpA, from Consilium SGR SpA.

Drilling & Production Systems Segment

Cameron�� products are employed in a range of operating environments, including basic onshore fields, complex onshore and offshore environments, deepwater subsea applications and ultra-high temperature geothermal operations. The products within this segment include surface and subsea production systems, blowout preventers (BOPs), drilling and production control systems, block valves, gate valves, actuators, chokes, wellheads, manifolds, drilling risers, top drive! s, mud pumps, other rig products and aftermarket parts and services. In addition, the DPS segment designs and manufactures structural components for land and offshore drilling rigs. The segment�� businesses also manufacture elastomers, which are used in pressure and flow control equipment and other petroleum industry applications, as well as in the petroleum, petrochemical, rubber molding and plastics industries. The businesses within this segment market their products directly to end-users through a worldwide network of sales and marketing employees, supported by agents in some international locations. Customers include oil and gas majors, national oil companies, independent producers, engineering and construction companies, drilling contractors, rental companies and geothermal energy producers. The businesses included in this segment are Drilling Systems, Surface Systems, Subsea Systems and Flow Control.

Drilling Systems is a global supplier of integrated drilling systems for onshore and offshore applications. Drilling equipment designed and manufactured includes ram and annular BOPs, control systems, drilling risers, drilling valves, choke and kill manifolds, diverter systems, top drives, draw works, mud pumps, other rig products and aftermarket parts and services. The products are marketed under the Cameron, Guiberson, H&H CUSTOM, H&H, Melco, LeTourneau, Lewco, OEM and Townsend brand names. Surface Systems is a global market in supplying surface production equipment, from conventional to high-pressure, high temperature (HPHT) wellheads, production systems and controls, block valves, gate valves, mudline systems, dry completion systems and aftermarket parts and services. The products are marketed under the Cameron, Camrod, IC, McEvoy, Precision, SBS, Tundra, Willis and WKM brand names. Cameron, which has a global base of installed equipment and an aftermarket presence in hydrocarbon-producing region worldwide, is the provider of surface production equipment. Surface Systems added new s! ales and ! aftermarket facilities in the Marcellus, Eagle Ford and Haynesville shale regions.

Subsea Systems is a provider of subsea wellheads, production systems and controls, manifolds and aftermarket parts and services to customers worldwide, from basic subsea tree orders to integrated solutions, as well as installation and aftermarket support. These products are marketed under the Cameron, Mars, McEvoy and Willis brand names. Flow Control provides chokes, actuators, gears, valve accessories and automation solutions to other Cameron businesses, as well as to other industry manufacturers and directly to end users under such brand names as Cameron, Dynatorque, Ledeen, Maxtorque, Test and Willis. Flow Control has expanded its subsea chemical injection metering valve (CIMV) product line, introducing a high-flow CIMV.

Valves & Measurement Segment

Cameron�� products include gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, Orbit valves, double block & bleed valves, plug valves, globe valves, check valves, actuators, chokes and aftermarket parts and services, as well as measurement products such as totalizers, turbine meters, flow computers, chart recorders, ultrasonic flow meters and sampling systems. This equipment and the related services are marketed through a worldwide network of combined sales and marketing employees, as well as distributors and agents in selected international locations. Customers include oil and gas majors, independent producers, engineering and construction companies, pipeline operators, drilling contractors and major chemical, petrochemical and refining companies. The businesses included in this segment are Distributed Valves, Engineered Valves, Process Valves, Measurement Systems and Aftermarket Services.

Distributed Valves provides a range of valves used in the exploration, production and transportation of oil and gas, with products sold through a network of wholesalers and distributors, primarily in North America and to upstream markets in A! sia-Pacif! ic and the Middle East. These valves are marketed under the brand names Cooper, Demco, Navco, Newco, Nutron, OIC, Techno, Texstream, Thornhill Craver, Wheatley and WKM. Engineered Valves provides a range of customized ball, gate and check valves serving the oil and gas production, pipeline, subsea and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets. Products are marketed under the brand names Cameron, Entech, Grove, Ring-O, TK and Tom Wheatley.

Process Valves provides valves under the brand names of General Valve, Orbit, TBV and WKM for use in critical service applications that are often subject to extreme temperature conditions, particularly in refinery, power generation, including nuclear, chemical, petrochemical, gas processing and liquid storage terminal markets, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). Measurement Systems designs, manufactures and distributes measurement products, systems and solutions to the global oil and gas, process and power industries. The Company�� main product brand names include Barton, Caldon, Clif Mock, Jiskoot, Linco, Nuflo and PAAI. Aftermarket Services provides preventative maintenance, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) spare parts, repair, field service, asset management and remanufactured products for valves and actuators.

Process & Compression Systems Segment

Integrally geared centrifugal compressors are used by customers worldwide in a range of industries, including air separation, petrochemical, chemical and process gas. Products include oil and gas separation equipment, heaters, dehydration and desalting units, gas conditioning units, membrane separation systems, water processing systems, integral engine-compressors, separable reciprocating compressors, two and four-stroke cycle gas engines, turbochargers, integrally-geared centrifugal compressors, compressor systems and controls. Aftermarket services include spare parts, technical services, repairs, overhauls and upgrades. The businesses included in this segment are Process System! s, Recipr! ocating Compression and Centrifugal Compression.

The process systems businesses provide custom-engineered process packages to oil and gas majors, national oil companies, independent operators and engineering, procurement and construction companies worldwide for separation and treatment of oil, gas, water and solids. Products offered include separators, heaters, dehydration and desalting units, gas conditioning units, membrane separation systems, water processing systems and aftermarket parts and services. PCS markets its process systems products under the Cameron, Consept, Cynara, Hydromation, KCC, Metrol, Mozley, NATCO, Petreco, Porta-test, Unicel, Vortoil and Wemco brand names.

Reciprocating Compression equipment is used throughout the energy industry by gas transmission companies, compression leasing companies, oil and gas producers and independent power producers. Reciprocating Compression products and services are marketed under the Ajax, Cooper-Bessemer, CSI, Enterprise, Superior, Texcentric and TSI brand names. Ajax integral engine-compressors, which combine the engine and compressor on a single drive shaft, are used for gas re-injection and storage, as well as on smaller gathering and transmission lines. Superior-brand separable compressors are used for natural gas applications, including production, storage, withdrawal, processing and transmission, as well as petrochemical processing. These high-speed separable compressor units can be matched with either natural gas engine drivers or electric motors. Reciprocating Compression also provides global support for its products and maintains sales and service offices in key international locations. During 2011, approximately 60% of the Reciprocating Compression revenues were generated by sales of aftermarket parts and services in support of the Company�� worldwide installed base of compression equipment. Customers for Reciprocating Compression products include oil and gas majors, national oil companies, petrochemical and re! fining co! mpanies, midstream natural gas companies, independent power producers and compressed natural gas distribution companies.

Centrifugal Compression manufactures and supplies integrally geared centrifugal compressors and provides aftermarket services to customers worldwide. Centrifugal air compressors, used in manufacturing processes (plant air), are sold under the Turbo-Air. Engineered compressors are used in the process air and gas industries and are identified by the MSG. The process and plant air centrifugal compressors deliver oil-free compressed air and other gases to customers, thus preventing oil contamination of the finished products. Centrifugal Compression also provides installation and maintenance services, parts, repairs, overhauls and upgrades to its worldwide customers for plant air and process gas compressors. It also provides aftermarket service and repairs on all equipment it produces through a worldwide network of distributors, service centers and field service technicians utilizing an extensive inventory of parts marketed under the Joy brand name. Centrifugal Compression customers include oil and gas majors, national oil companies, air separation companies, independent power producers, petrochemical and refining companies, midstream natural gas companies and durable goods manufacturers.

The Company competes with Aker Solutions, Balon Corporation, Circor International, Inc., Dover Corporation, Dril-Quip, Inc., Emerson Process Management, FlowServ Corp., FMC Technologies, Inc., GE Oil & Gas Group, Stream-Flo Industries Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Inc., Zy-Tech Global Industries company, Flotek Industries, Inc., Pibiviese, Robbins & Myers Fluid Management Group, SPX Corporation�� Flow Technology Segment, Tyco International Ltd., Weatherford, Ltd., Ariel Corporation, Compressor Engineering Corporation, Demag, Dresser-Rand Company, FS-Elliott Company LLC, Endyn Energy Dynamics, Hoerbiger Group and IR Air Solutions.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By David Smith]
A Foolish takeaway
After 51 acquisitions in the past four years -- including its biggest, Robbins & Myers, which closed during the quarter -- National Oilwell Varco appears to be catching its breath. Beyond that, it's noteworthy that Cameron International (NYSE: CAM ) , a competitor of Varco in some areas (blowout preventers, for instance) also reported results last week that came in under expectations.
[By David Smith]
A promising partnership
Total outlays for subsea facilities were slightly more than $25 billion in 2011. That number is expected to rocket to about $130 billion by 2020. Among several companies that will benefit from this nearly five-fold growth are Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB ) and Cameron International (NYSE: CAM ) .
[By Dan Caplinger]
Another issue that Varco has to face is the specter of increasing competition. Cameron International (NYSE: CAM ) has arisen as a big player in the drilling and production systems space, with a particular emphasis on subsea applications like blowout preventers. With Cameron sporting a recent partnership with Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB ) , the combination will have both the expertise and the financial resources to challenge Varco in that niche. More broadly, up-and-coming Forum Energy (NYSE: FET ) has sought to emulate Varco's broad-based services menu, offering remotely operated vehicles for deepwater inspection and construction as well as pipe and cementing materials and a range of subsea systems and equipment. Forum has posted solid results in its brief history, taking steps to continue its fast growth trajectory.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: MakeMusic Inc.(MMUS)

MakeMusic, Inc. develops and markets music education technology solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned, and performed. It offers SmartMusic, an interactive music teaching and learning solution for band, orchestra, and vocal students to use at schools and homes; SmartMusic Gradebook, a Web-based grade book for teachers to post assignments to students, receive completed assignments from students, assess student achievement, and manage student records; and SmartMusic Inbox, a free application for Android and Apple platforms. The company also provides Finale family of music notation products for use with Macintosh and Windows PC operating systems that enable a musician to enter musical data into a computer using the computer keyboard, a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)-equipped electronic music keyboard, or other MIDI-equipped instruments, as well as to display the data on a computer screen as a musical score. Its SmartMusic software solutio ns serve public and private school music administrators, instrumental music educators, and their students primarily in the United States and Canada; and Finale family of notation products serve composers, arrangers, publishers, and music teachers worldwide. The company markets its SmartMusic software solutions directly through its Website, smartmusic.com; and Finale family of notation products through channel-specific distributors and retailers in musical instrument, educational, and consumer electronic channels, as well as directly through its Website. MakeMusic, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

A Romantic '70s Icon Exits the Solar System With a Song

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The most important news event this week actually occurred over a year ago. And it may well have been the most overlooked and misunderstood achievement since some mankind-looking creature first stumbled out of Africa.

No, it didn't happen on Wall Street. It didn't even happen on this planet.

Some months ago, a spaceship launched from Earth in 1977 and still transmitting data, carrying a message about its origins to any intelligent life that it may encounter, sent back proof that it had quietly passed out of the solar system.

This past week, scientists published that decoded data and the results seem conclusive. The spacecraft, Voyager 1, became the first manmade device to leave our solar system around Aug. 25, 2012. Source: NASA To put that journey in perspective, in 1977, one month before the launch of Voyager 1, Elvis Presley died. Jimmy Carter began his term as president in January of that year. John Travolta's disco sensation Saturday Night Fever was big box office, along with the first Star Wars movie and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The first of Apple's (AAPL) Apple II personal computers went on sale that year. The company's first Macintosh wouldn't come along for another seven years; the iPod didn't appear until 2001 -- Voyager was 24 years into its journey at that point, already well past the orbit of Pluto. During its mission, Voyager itself contributed to the culture, making history with its observations of the planets and their moons. In 1990, when it was only about 4 billion miles away, Voyager 1 turned around and took a series of photographs that form this now iconic composite portrait of our solar system. Source: NASA Astronomer Carl Sagan dubbed this image the "pale blue dot" and wrote the following equally famous description. Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there -- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. From Voyager 1's current position, now some 12 billion miles away -- the most distant manmade object -- it is safe to say Earth is no longer visible. Our sun looks pretty much like any other star in the sky. The Mission The spacecraft is one of a pair, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, intended to explore the planets in our solar system. Launched the same year, Voyager 2 has a different trajectory than Voyager 1, but it, too, is still functioning and headed outside the solar system. Voyager 1 was intended to study two planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Reprogramming from Earth repeatedly extended its original mission and its original life projection of five years. Voyager has been transmitting more or less every day for 36 years.

Its data functions get by on only 68 kilobytes of memory, state of the art in 1977. By comparison, the cheaper Apple iPhone comes with 16 gigabytes of memory (a gigabyte is 1 million kilobytes), roughly 240,000 times more powerful.

In 1977, when Voyager was launched, scientists didn't even know how big the solar system was. They suspected the border, the place where the solar magnetic field ends, to lie a few hundred million miles out. As the craft traveled, they reevaluated their theories and began to suspect the border was much, much farther -- between 10 billion and 16 billion miles.

Over the past year, scientists have collected several pieces of evidence to indicate Voyager's passage out of the solar system. But for final proof, they needed to know that the density of plasma surrounding the spacecraft had increased. The instrument that measures plasma density directly failed long ago, so scientists had to wait for the opportunity to measure it another way. That came in April, when bursts of radio waves rattled the plasma, an oscillation picked up by the spacecraft's antenna. The frequency of that vibration indicated a higher-density plasma -- the evidence scientists needed.

At NASA's press conference, the scientists played the realization of Voyager's data as a set of recorded sounds, noisy tones that rise noticeably as the craft enters interstellar space. At some 12 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 has yet to reach the Oort Cloud -- a collection of debris at our solar system's doorstep. By some definitions, the Oort Cloud marks the end of the solar system, so some debate about whether Voyager is or is not outside still exists. But undeniably, it has crossed a boundary, reaching a new milestone in space exploration. By 2025, its power source is expected to be completely exhausted. It will live out its remaining transmitting years sending lonely signals in an unending trek across interstellar space. Once dead, it will likely reach proximity of a distant star in about 40,000 years, after which it will continue to orbit the center of the galaxy. The Musical Alien Partly as a public relations measure, NASA included aboard the Voyager 1 probe a gold-plated record encoded with information for any intelligent aliens who may discover it -- a message in a bottle on the interstellar ocean. The gold-plated disc has printed on it a simple map indicating our position in the universe using 14 known pulsars of varying frequencies as landmarks and diagramed instructions for how to play back the information inscribed in the record, which included a combination of photos, sounds, human greetings in various languages and samples of music.

This being the U.S. of 1970s, the 27 music samples on the record are decidedly biased in favor Western classical music of the 18th to early 19th century. That's the stuff we used to impress people in those days: orchestras, choirs, opera singers, elaborate polyphony and highly structured forms.

Seven classical music excerpts are included and of those, only Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring lies outside of 100-year period defined by the careers of J.S. Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. Two Bach recordings, two Beethoven recordings and one Mozart aria are all included.

Jazz is underrepresented, with only one recording included, Melancholy Blues by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. Only one rock 'n' roll recording is listed as well, Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry. While those are all culturally important, one might wonder how they represent us as a species.

On the other hand, the inclusion of one blues recording, Dark Is the Night, by Blind Willie Johnson, seems a stroke of genius. As I've said elsewhere, this little miracle of a wordless song probably represents the human race as well or better than everything else on this disc. One example of Indian classical music, the raga, Jaat Kahan Ho, sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar; one example of Javanese court gamelan; one example of Japanese shakuhachi flute. Those three, and all the rest of the recordings here, would fall under what we today in the U.S. would term "World Music," meaning the folk traditions and classical traditions of the non-Western or Native American cultures. What all that indicates is that we are still growing in our understanding of one another. Someday relatively soon, I suppose, the term World Music will seem terribly quaint, uninformed, non-P.C., because it fails to differentiate between these widely disparate styles. It fails to see the nuance, the individuality, personality and wonder in each culture. Even here, in a gold-plated record intended to bring our species together, to show it in its best light, there are elements of nationalism and tribalism, hints of "us" and "them." Looking at that "pale blue dot," considering Sagan's words and the vastness of the distances that Voyager 1 has traveled, it is harder to see a "them" here on Earth. Will any species like ourselves ever find Voyager 1 floating between the stars and play back the encoded information? Not likely. A famous Star Trek film imagined a future human space mission encountering an evolved Voyager spacecraft (calling itself "V'Ger"), sentient and longing for its creator. That film may be closer to the point than its writers knew. At this moment, we are the alien to our 1977 selves, encountering this vessel as an old-Earth time capsule. Maybe through this milestone, the rugged, enduring human achievement symbolized by this little antiquated spacecraft, bridging the gap of space and time, we are gaining a surprisingly clearer view of ourselves and a glimpse of our true potential. -- Written by Carlton Wilkinson in Asbury Park Follow @CarltonTSC

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Soros Speaks with CNBC Regarding Crisis in Syria

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

How Bill Marriott's Putting Employees First Transformed A Family Root Beer Stand Into $14B Hotel Giant

Chairman Bill Marriott sat down with me to talk about the company's evolution from root beer stand to global hotel empire, what he learned from Dwight Eisenhower, and the four most important words in business. A video and transcript of our conversation follows.

Steve Forbes: Bill, thank you for joining us.

Bill Marriott: Thank you, Steve.

Forbes: And before we begin, since I'm a wannabe author and try to sell books, so plug your book.

Marriott: Thank you.

Forbes: Fascinating.

Marriott: Without Reservations.

Forbes: It's an excellent one. And before getting into the operations of Marriott today, just want to hit on people. Every CEO talks about the importance of people, but you've practiced it in a way that certainly is revolutionary for the hotel and motel industry. So, what do you do that's different.

Marriott: My dad started it all back in the '30s when we had a root beer stand and then a restaurant. And one day the cook didn't show up and he decided he better get a program going so he could retain his people and keep them happy. And he put a doctor on the payroll to do their healthcare and a few years later he put a surgeon on the payroll to do their healthcare. But it's always been the major belief of our company, take good care of your people, they'll take good care of the customer and the customer will come back.

And we celebrate them. We train them. We teach them. We provide opportunity for them. Fifty percent of our general managers have come out of the hourly ranks and we continue to promote. We're at almost 4,000 hotels around the world and the majority of our senior people in the company and in the hotels themselves have had a lot of opportunity to work with people and work very hard to develop a relationship with our people, because we know they make the difference, particularly in the hospitality business.

We're not like an assembly line in a factory. People are out there meeting the guests, checking them in, checking them out, waiting on them in the restaurants, cleaning their rooms, so they have millions of interactions every day with our guests.

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Forbes: But you just don't tell your people, "Do a good job," you're noted for very meticulous ways of how things should be done, almost like an airline pilot, you know, no matter how experienced, they have a checklist.

Marriott: We have a checklist.

Forbes: And describe a little bit of that.

Marriott: Well, we have 66 ways to make up a room, steps that they have to follow when they make up a guest room. And we have detailed procedures for checking guests in and checking guests out. But at the same time we want our people to know that they've got latitude. And Ritz Carlton, for instance, there's a certain amount of money that they're allowed to spend to satisfy a guest, if they have a compliant, without having to go to the general manager or up to my office or some place else to get it approved. And so we've put a lot of effort on teaching our people how to respond and take care of the customer and take care of the complaints.

Forbes: So, a typical person who comes to work, how many days do they go into training?

Marriott: Well, we train in Ritz Carlton, for instance, 90 days before they ever sign to the job. Probably around 30 days in most Marriott hotels that they have a co-worker that's assigned with them that teaches them and trains them and follows up with them. We want them to feel comfortable, because we know if they don't feel comfortable on the job they leave.

And so it's the first 30-60 days that are really key to making them feel embraced, making them feel that they're a part of the company and an important part of the company and that they can take care of the guests. And give them the confidence they need to stick around and progress within the company.

Forbes: Describe the awards you give to, what is it, a dozen people around the world each year.

Marriott: It's called 'The Marriott Award of Excellence' and we get people from the Middle East, we get people from Asia, South America and the United States. We have about 10 to 15 people every year that we recognize, most of them are hourly workers: housekeepers, cooks, engineers, secretaries, people that are down the line that don't get a lot of recognition.

We bring them to Washington for four or five days of celebration. They get to tour the city. I have lunch with them and we have a big dinner for them and we celebrate them. There's about 400 or 500 executives in the room that are all clapping and cheering. And they come up and tell their story and they get a big medal they can wear around their neck. And so the celebration part is really key.

Forbes: That makes a difference?

Marriott: It does.

Forbes: It hasn't been a straight line for Marriott. It started out as Hot Shoppes.

Marriott: That's right.

Forbes: Describe that, how you went from the food business to now just really the hotel business.

Marriott: Well, we started out as a root beer stand and then the weather got cold, we put on food because people stopped drinking ice cold root beer and we called it a Hot Shoppe. And we expanded that into airline catering and to a group of Hot Shoppe Restaurants, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours, Big Boy Coffee Shops.

And then we filed the conglomerate rule of Harold Geneen back in the '70s and early '80s when analysts wanted to know, "What new business are you going to be in this week?" So we got into cruise ships, we got into theme parks, we got into airline security, airport security, we got into doing all kinds of different business.

And then we finally figured out, "Let's make money in the hotel business and let's focus on that," so we've spun off everything, except the lodging side of the business. We even got rid of our timeshare business, because we felt that that was not as important to us as the lodging business.

Forbes: And was it wrenching to watch the Hot Shoppes go the way, go on the long trail?

Marriott: Well, they sort of faded out by themselves because once McDonald's started selling 15 cent hamburgers, and we were at 50 cents, and it took two minutes in McDonald's to get a 15 cent hamburger and 15 minutes at the Hot Shoppe to get a 45 or 50 cent hamburger, we sort of, we were defeated basically, by their fast food operations.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Was Expedia targeted by 'negative SEO' campaign?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Expedia may have been hit by a "negative SEO" campaign that hammered the travel website's rankings on Google searches, according to an analysis by the firm that uncovered the problems.

Expedia's website lost 25% of its visibility in Google search between Jan. 12 and 19, after Google clamped down on efforts to boost its online traffic through paid links from other sites, third-party search analytics firm Searchmetrics said on Monday.

Expedia shares fell on Tuesday on concern about the impact to its business and the stock was down again on Wednesday.

Searchmetrics Founder Marcus Tober completed a deeper analysis of the episode on Wednesday and shared the data and his conclusions with USA TODAY.

The main take-away: The techniques used to increase Expedia's search visibility were so clumsy and out-dated - and used in such high volume - that it would be very surprising if the company alone was responsible for the scheme.

Instead, Tober reckons there are three possible reasons for the scheme. First, Expedia may have used artificial link building techniques years ago and the company forgot that they did this and left the links on the web.

Or, some department within Expedia, or a third-party hired by the company, is still using these out-dated techniques, Tober said. Expedia is a big company, with many search engine optimization, or SEO, teams that work with different agencies, so it is possible that one one rogue department was responsible.

Lastly, an Expedia competitor built these links in the past, over a long time, to hurt Expedia, Tober said. This strategy, known as "negative SEO," has become more common in recent years, he noted.

Dave McNamee, a spokesman for Expedia, declined to comment on Wednesday.

Whatever the reason, Expedia's rankings in important travel-related search results have been hit hard. For example, in a Google search using the word "hotels" on Wednesday, Expedia's website appeared no where on the first few pages of resu! lts. In the past, expedia.com would have appeared in the number three spot on the first page, according to Tober.

The word "hotels" was used more than 15,000 times as an anchor text on many websites to create links back to Expedia's main website, according to the Searchmetrics analysis shared with USA TODAY.

In one example - http://www.vngarden.com/w/ - a website about traveling in Vietnam was created and at the bottom of the page it says "Designed by the Expedia Hotels Team." The word Hotels links to the hotel section of Expedia's main website.

"This is very unusual and never done anymore in search," Tober said. "This is completely obvious to Google's search engine that these sites are made just for the links."

In another example, a German-language blog - http://internet-maerchen.de/blog/ - was created. At the bottom, it says "Designed by the Expedia Cheapest Flights Team." This time, the link is to the flights section of Expedia's main website.

However, the font used for this links is white on a white background, so most visitors to the site would not see the words and the link. Tober uncovered it by highlighting the area with his computer's cursor.

"I don't know why Expedia did this. This is a technique that stopped about 10 years ago," Tober said. This adds to his suspicion that the episode may have been caused by negative SEO.

"In the last year or two there has been a lot of movement within the black hat industry to use negative SEO to hurt rankings of companies with these kinds of techniques," he added. "Hopefully Expedia will recover soon."

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Eleven Countries with Soaring Inflation

While inflation has been relatively tame in the United States and Europe, several large nations have struggled with rising prices. Sadly, most instances are simply stagflation, where prices are rising but the economic growth is substandard. A high inflation rate jeopardizes a country’s economic stability and the well-being of its people. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the nations with the highest inflation rates around the world and it was in many cases shocking to see which nations were on the list.

As was the case in the United States, even a modest increase in health care costs of a few percentage points had major repercussions for the population as lower-income residents stopped affording many services. In developing and emerging economies, rising prices can cause much more severe problems as most of the benefits of economic growth are being absorbed by a higher cost of living. Unlike much of the developed world, many nations do not have formal health care systems. And with prices of other necessities increasing as well — from food to heating to gasoline to clothing — there is less to spend on everything.

Higher inflation can be crippling for economic development. A 10% increase in income compared to the prior year when prices are stable allows for a higher disposable income and higher savings rates. However, if prices rise 10% while economic growth slows down to 2%, then real purchasing power has eroded.

If the countries that suffer from high inflation rates and slower economic growth also have high unemployment rates, low economic mobility and low job openings, the situation can quickly deteriorate. That is when the risk of stagflation becomes real. Three of the high-growth, emerging market BRIC nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — are among the nations suffering from high inflation.

In several of the high inflation nations, the reported unemployment rate remains quite high. Four nations had a higher unemployment rate than the U.S.’s 7.4% as of July. In South Africa, more than 25% of the workforce was unemployed as of the second quarter of 2013. Egypt, currently embroiled in a massive political crisis, has an unemployment rate of more than 13%.

Many of these nations also have trade deficits, meaning they are massive net importers. Just four of these nations — Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Vietnam — have had exports exceed imports over the most recently available 12 months. India's trade deficit was the second highest in the world behind only the United States, at nearly $200 billion for the 12 months through the second quarter of 2012.

Countries with high inflation also face high government borrowing costs as a result, since lenders need to be compensated for the loss of their investments' buying power. Each of the seven nations for which 10-year government bond interest rates were available had one of the eight highest interest rates in the world. To borrow for 10 years, Pakistan's government must pay a quoted rate of 12%.

Based on the 57 nations considered by the Economist, 24/7 Wall St. identified the nations with the highest inflation rates measured by year-over-year increases in consumer prices. We reviewed figures on output, unemployment, trade, budgets and interest rates, also from the Economist. Population data are from the CIA's World Factbook. We excluded Hong Kong from the rankings because it is a Special Administrative Region of China and not a fully independent nation. Similarly, while Zimbabwe and Iran are both struggling with high inflation, they were not considered by the Economist, likely due to the countries’ unreliable economic data.

These are the countries with the highest inflation rates.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

5 Stocks Rising on Big Volume

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

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

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume today.

Fiesta Restaurant Group

Fiesta Restaurant Group (FRGI) owns, operates and franchises fast-casual restaurants under the Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana brand names. This stock closed up 10.5% to $34.73 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 552,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 220,525

Volume % Change: 140%

From a technical perspective, FRGI ripped sharply higher here right off some near-term support at $30.89 and back above its 50-day moving average of $34.23 with strong upside volume. This move pushed shares of FRGI into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $33.14. Shares of FRGI are now starting to move within range of triggering another key breakout trade. That trade will hit if FRGI manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $35.73 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FRGI as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $34.23 or above $33 and then once it sustains a move or close above $35.75 with volume that hits near or above 220,525 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then FRGI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its all-time high at $38.84. Any high-volume move above that level will then give FRGI a chance to trend north of $40.

Huntington Ingalls Industries

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is engaged in building, overhauling and repairing ships, mainly for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. This stock closed up 1% at $64.11 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 297,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 211,441

Volume % Change: 50%

From a technical perspective, HII trended modestly higher here right above some near-term support levels at $62.13 to $61.74 with above-average volume. This move also pushed shares of HII into breakout territory, since the stock took out and closed above its previous 52-week high at $63.99.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HII as long as it's trending above some key near-term support at $62.13 or above $61.74 and then once it sustains a move or close above Friday's high of $64.14 with volume that hits near or above 211,441 shares. If we get that move soon, then HII will set up to enter new 52-week -igh territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $70 to $72.

Caesars Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment (CZR) is a casino-entertainment provider and a diverse U.S. casino-entertainment company. This stock closed up 4.2% at $18.36 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 1.55 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 636,136

Volume % Change: 205%

From a technical perspective, CZR jumped higher here and broke out into new all-time high territory above $18.37 with heavy upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $11.90 to its intraday high on Friday of $18.73. During that move, shares of CZR have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CZR as long as it's trending above Friday's low of $17.39 or above more near-term support at $16, and then once it sustains a move or close above its all-time high at $18.73 with volume that's near or above 636,136 shares. If we get that move soon, then CZR will set up to enter new all-time-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $22 to $25.

Performant Financial

Performant Financial (PFMT) provides technology-enabled recovery and related analytics services in the U.S. This stock closed up 6.9% at $11.84 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 310,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 261,916

Volume % Change: 60%

From a technical perspective, PFMT soared higher here right off both its 200-day moving average of $11.02 and its 50-day moving average at $11.06 with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PFMT within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PFMT manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $12.47 to $13.26 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PFMT as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $11.02 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 261,916 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PFMT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its all-time high at $14.09. Any high-volume move above $14.09 will then give PFMT a chance to trend north of $15.

Elizabeth Arden

Elizabeth Arden (RDEN) is a beauty products company with a portfolio of prestige fragrance, skin care and cosmetics brands. This stock closed up 0.30% at $33.66 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 736,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 219,258

Volume % Change: 125%

From a technical perspective, RDEN bounced modestly higher here with heavy upside volume. This stock recently gapped down sharply from $40 to its new 52-week low at $30.37 with monster downside volume. That move has now pushed shares of RDEN into extremely oversold territory, since its current relative strength index reading is 16.20. Oversold can always get move oversold, but it's also an area where a stock can experience a powerful bounce higher from.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in RDEN as long as it's trending above Friday's low of $33.08 or above $32 and then once it sustains a move or close above its gap down day high of $34 with volume that's near or above 219,258 shares. If we get that move soon, then RDEN will set up to re-fill its previous gap down zone that started at $40. Some possible upside targets for RDEN if it gets into that gap with volume are $36 to $38.

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

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Opting out of Employees' Provident Fund not a good idea

Hot Cheap Companies For 2014

Below is the verbatim transcript of Roongta's interview with CNBC-TV18.

Q: Is it a good idea to voluntarily increase employees' provident fund (EPF) allocation, but on the flipside would is it advisable to opt out of contributing EPF?

A: Very few people are aware that one can opt out of an EPF when one is joining at a new job and is not covered in the definition of an employee.

The key is should one opt out. I do not think one should opt out because what employer's contribute, up to 12 percent of basic salary is exempt from tax and that earns 8.5 percent and is completely tax free and it also requires a matching contribution from employee side, which is again deductible for tax purposes plus the interest earned on that is exempt, there is a compulsory saving, a retirement corpus gets built. Therefore, EPF is a great thing which even if one has the option to opt out of; one should not opt out of.

Caller Q: My goal is wealth creation and I can invest Rs 6,000 a month. How can I allocate this money?

A: It seems this is extra money and there is no serious liquidity requirement on this and it is something that you can do long-term and if that is true then bigger allocation to equity even as much as 90 percent is something that can be recommended. You can put it through a systematic investment plan in a largecap fund. Therefore, you are put Rs 5,000-5,500 in a largecap fund or you can put Rs 5,000 in provident fund or gold fund. The choice is yours.

However, the key to this is discipline. Continuously keep on doing this month after month, do not look at what is happening to the net asset value (NAV). Over a long period of ten years it should give you excellent returns. Assuming returns of 14 percent, Rs 6,000 a month can become as high as Rs 15 lakh to Rs 16 lakh.

Funds that I can recommend on the largecap side could be Franklin India Bluechip Fund , HDFC Equity Fund or any other largecap fund possibly even an index fund, if that is what you like.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

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

>>3 Stocks Spiking on Big Volume

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 Rocket Stocks to Stomp the S&P in 2014

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

Stereotaxis

Stereotaxis (STXS) designs, manufactures and markets cardiology instrument control system in the U.S. and internationally. This stock closed up 13.2% to $4.96 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $4.29-$5.08

52-Week Range: $1.10-$9.90

Tuesday's Volume: 2.46 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 1.53 million

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

From a technical perspective, STXS ripped sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $4.05 with heavy upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of STXS within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if STXS manages to take out Tuesday's high of $5.08 to some more near-term overhead resistance at $5.24 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in STXS as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $4.29 or above more near-term support at $4.05 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 1.53 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then STXS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.24. Any high-volume move above that level will then give STXS a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from August that started at $10.

Vision-Sciences

Vision-Sciences (VSCI), together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture and marketing of endoscopy products. This stock closed up 9.1% to $1.18 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $1.06-$1.18

52-Week Range: $0.78-$1.50

Thursday's Volume: 165,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 87,022

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

From a technical perspective, VSCI ripped sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $1.04 and above its 50-day at $1.02 with above-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern, after the stock found buying interest at $1 to 99 cents per share. Following that bottom, shares of VSCI have started to rip higher and move within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if VSCI manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.21 to $1.25 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in VSCI as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $1.04 or above its 50-day at $1.02 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 87,022 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then VSCI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $1.50 to some more key overhead resistance levels at $1.70 to $1.80.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals

SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) provides therapies for the treatment of oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, urological, respiratory and central nervous system disorders in the People's Republic of China and internationally. This stock closed up 2.9% to $5.30 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $5.16-$5.30

52-Week Range: $4.29-$6.30

Tuesday's Volume: 247,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 208,984

>>Invest Like a Venture Capitalist With These 5 Stocks

From a technical perspective, SCLN trended notably higher here right above its 200-day moving average of $5.05 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of SCLN within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if SCLN manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $5.35 to some past overhead resistance at $5.49 to $5.56 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SCLN as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $5.05 or above more near-term support at $4.97 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 208,984 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SCLN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $6.30 to $7.

Vitacost.com

Vitacost.com (VITC) operates as an online retailer of health and wellness products primarily in North America. This stock closed up 7.2% to $5.81 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $5.49-$5.86

52-Week Range: $5.11-$9.40

Tuesday's Volume: 96,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 164,035

From a technical perspective, VITC ripped higher here right above some near-term support at $5.33 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months, with shares moving between $5.11 on the downside and $6.12 on the upside. Shares of VITC are now starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern. That trade will hit if VITC manages to take out Tuesday's high of $5.86 to some more key overhead resistance at $6.12 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in VITC as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $5.33 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 164,035 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then VITC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.50 to $7.50.

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.