Investors who had been counting on a summer stock market correction to grab up shares of promising companies on the cheap got a nasty wake-up call from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke last night, with his comments supporting the continued "highly accommodative monetary policy" stoking the fire of bullishness once more. By today's close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) found itself at a new record-high close of 15,461, having climbed 169 points. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC ) joined the fun with a new all-time high of its own, rising 22, to 1,675, while the Nasdaq had to be content with a 13-year high of 3,578, up more than 57 points on the day.
The Bernanke-inspired rally lifted all 30 of the Dow's stocks, but a few of them had limited gains of less than half a percent. IBM (NYSE: IBM ) was the biggest laggard, rising just a quarter-percent. The tech giant likely didn't suffer any ill effects from yesterday's announcement that PC demand had continued to slide during the first quarter, as it has transitioned away from hardware production toward higher-margin businesses like IT services. Yet, comments from UBS suggest that IBM could be vulnerable if macroeconomic conditions don't pick up worldwide in the near future, especially given the recent hit to emerging markets. Still, IBM's strong pursuit of high-reward areas, like cloud computing and Big Data, should help the company make the best of whatever conditions it faces, even if a recovery in global growth doesn't happen as quickly as some hope.
Top 5 Warren Buffett Companies To Buy Right Now: Oasis Petroleum Inc.(OAS)
Oasis Petroleum Inc., an independent exploration and production company, engages in the acquisition and development of oil and natural gas resources in the Montana and North Dakota regions of the Williston Basin. The company?s primary project areas include West Williston, East Nesson, and Sanish. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 78.7 million barrels of oil equivalent of estimated net proved reserves. Oasis Petroleum Inc. was founded in 2007 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
Oasis Petroleum (OAS) is a pure Bakken/Three Forks play, with 335,000 leased acres in the Williston Basin.
Oasis has only been a public company since 2010, and in addition to the $400 million raised in its initial public offering, the company has funded operations with $1.2 billion in debt.
- [By Tyler Crowe]
What's most surprising is that if rail was to lose its competitive advantage to more expensive sources such as Brent, the rail companies would not be the most affected industry out there. Despite the large surge in oil carloads in the past couple of years, it still represents only 5% of total rail traffic in the U.S. year to date. Compare that with producers of Bakken oil, which depend on rail to move 75% of oil away from the region. EOG and Continental are heavily invested in moving their oil by rail, and they aren't the only ones. Both Hess (NYSE: HES ) and Oasis Petroleum (NYSE: OAS ) move about 50% and 80% of their oil from the Bakken region by rail, respectively. Without rail, there would be several thousand barrels of oil stranded in the region, and the prices for that oil would be likely to fall. Even with proposed expansions, pipeline capacity simply wouldn't be enough to move oil.�
Hot Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Spectra Energy Partners LP(SEP)
Spectra Energy Partners, LP operates as an investment arm of Spectra Energy Corp. Spectra Energy Partners, LP, through its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation of natural gas through interstate pipeline systems, and the storage of natural gas in underground facilities in the United States. As of December 31, 2007, it owned and operated 100% of the approximately 1,400-mile East Tennessee interstate natural gas transportation system that extends from central Tennessee eastward into southwest Virginia and northern North Carolina, and southward into northern Georgia; and a liquefied natural gas storage facility in Kingsport, Tennessee with working gas storage capacity of approximately 1.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) and re-gasification capability of 150 million cubic feet per day. The company also owned a 24.5% interest in the approximate 700-mile Gulfstream interstate natural gas transportation system, which extends from Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama across the Gulf of Mexico and into Florida; a 50% interest in Market Hub, which owns and operates 2 salt cavern natural gas storage facilities, the Egan storage facility with gas capacity of approximately 20 Bcf, and the Moss Bluff storage facility with working gas capacity of 15 Bcf. The company transports and stores natural gas for local gas distribution companies, municipal utilities, interstate and intrastate pipelines, direct industrial users, electric power generators, marketers, and producers. Spectra Energy Partners (DE) GP, LP, operates as the general partner to Spectra Energy Partners, LP. The company is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Natural gas pipeline supplier Spectra Energy Partners (SEP) raised its quarterly dividend 5.8% to 54.625 cents per share, payable on Feb. 28 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 14.
SEP Dividend Yield: 4.87% - [By David Dittman]
Question: What�� your medium- and long-term outlook for El Paso Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE: EPB), Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) and Spectra Energy Partners LP (NYSE: SEP)? If you had to choose one for the long term, which one would it be?
- [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of Spectra Energy (NYSE: SE ) climbed 10% today after announcing that it will drop down all U.S. transmission and storage assets to its publicly traded MLP, Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE: SEP ) .
Hot Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Swedbank AB (SWDBY.PK)
Swedbank AB is the parent company of Swedbank. Swedbank consists of subsidiaries, associates and a joint venture. The Company operates in six business areas: Swedish Banking, Baltic Banking, International Banking, Swedbank Markets, Asset Management and Ektornet. On January 20, 2009, Swedbank Robur AB acquired Banco Fonder AB from Alfred Berg. In February 2010, the Company acquired a 15% equity stake in OAO Swedbank from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). During the year ended December 31, 2009, Swedbank sold four branches to Sparbanken Nord, three branches to Sparbanken Dalsland, two branches to Sparbanken Rekarne, one branch to Tidaholms Sparbank and one branch to Sparbanken 1826.
Swedish Banking
Swedish Banking is engaged in offering a range of financial products and services to private customers, corporates, organisations and municipalities through close to 400 branches, as well as the telephone bank and Internet bank in Sweden. Swedbank�� products are also sold through the cooperating savings banks, which account for another 275 branches. The subsidiary in Luxembourg, with a representative office in Spain is included in the business area as well.
Baltic Banking
Baltic Banking offers a range of financial products and services to private and corporate customers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It offers its services through 226 branches, as well as the telephone bank and Internet bank.
International Banking
International Banking consists of operations outside Swedbank�� home markets, primarily the banking operations in Ukraine and Russia. In addition to Ukraine and Russia, the business area includes the branches in Denmark, Norway, the United States and China, as well as the representative office in Japan. The branch network in Ukraine, consists of 156 branches, serves both private and corporate customers. The Nordic branches offer corporate customers, mainly Swedish customers with operations in! the Nordic markets, a range of financial products and services.
Swedbank Markets
Swedbank Markets has operations in equity, fixed income and currency trading, corporate finance, as well as project, export and acquisition financing. In addition to its operations in Swedbank�� home markets, the business area includes the subsidiaries First Securities ASA in Norway and Swedbank First Securities LLC in New York.
Asset Management
Asset Management, which consists of the subsidiary Swedbank Robur Group, offers services in fund management, institutional and discretionary asset management in all of Swedbank�� home markets. Its customers include private customers, as well as institutions, foundations, municipalities, county councils and other investors. Its products are sold and distributed primarily by Swedish Banking and Baltic Banking and the savings banks in Sweden.
Ektornet
Ektornet is an independent subsidiary of Swedbank AB. It focuses on managing the Company�� repossessed assets and developing them over time. Most of the collateral consists of real estate, the part of which will be in the Baltic countries, though also in the Nordic region and the United States.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Hunkar]
Current Dividend Yield: 5.16%
Company: Swedbank AB (SWDBY.PK)
Sector: Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
Country: FranceCurrent Dividend Yield: 6.50%
Sector: Banking
Country: Sweden
Hot Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: General Growth Properties Inc (GGC)
General Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP), incorporated on July 1, 2010, is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company owns or with joint venture partners 144 regional malls (126 domestic and 18 in Brazil) consists of approximately 135 million square feet. The Company is engaged in ownership, operation, management and selective re-development of its Consolidated Properties and Unconsolidated Properties, which are primarily regional malls.
As of December 31, 2012, the Company's segment was consists of 126 regional malls in the United States and 18 malls in Brazil, eight strip centers totaling 1.6 million square feet, primarily in the Western region of the United States, as well as seven stand-alone office buildings totaling 0.9 million square feet, concentrated in Columbia, Maryland. The Company also own interests in regional malls in Brazil.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
His largest new buys in the first quarter are: Penn Virginia Group Holdings LP (PVG), Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN), Methanex Corp. (MEOH), Solutia Inc. (SOA) and Georgia Gulf (GGC). Of his top eight stocks, five are from the chemicals industry.
Hot Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: 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 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.).
- [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.
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