What a week out of Japan for investors! Japan's Nikkei (NIKKEIINDICES: ^NI225 ) stock index exploded on one of its best weekly runs in recent history, roaring higher by 7.6%. The Nikkei's been one of the best indexes across the world this year, and there's no slowing it down right now as Japan pushes forward in its stimulus moves and fight against decades of stagnation.
But can the Nikkei keep its run going through the end of the year? Japanese stocks have made many investors wealthy, but analysts and economists are concerned after Japan's economy hit a snag in its most recent quarter. Let's catch up on the latest.
Is Japan's growth slowing?
Japan's GDP growth slowed down to just 0.5% in the third quarter, recording an annualized growth rate of 1.9%. That's far less than the annualized rate of 3.8% seen in the prior quarter, although as Tokyo noted, it's still far better than the contraction the country was experiencing in 2012. There's no doubt that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic expansion have jump-started an economy stuck in a rut until this year.
5 Best Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation (KS)
KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation engages in the production and sale of unbleached kraft, linerboard, saturating kraft, and unbleached folding carton boards primarily in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It offers kraft paper to converters, who produce multiwall bags for agricultural products, pet food, cement, chemicals, and grocery bags, as well as specialty conversion products, such as wrapping paper products and roll wrap; and linerboards to converters in the corrugated box industry and to other converters for various end uses, including laminated tier sheets and wrapping material. The company offers its saturating kraft products to various industries, such as construction, electronics manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing; and unbleached folding carton board products to the general folding carton segment of paperboard packaging. KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation offers its kraft paper, linerboard, and saturating kraft products under the DuraSorb brand name; and folding carton board under the Kraftpak brand name. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By BLOGS.BARRONS.COM]
Barron�� wrote last month that International Paper, Rock-Tenn and Kapstone Paper and Packaging�(KS) could have significant upside potential if they create MLPs. International Paper and Rock-Tenn management have said they are seriously considering the idea, which has been advocated by New York investment firm Perry Capital. Ng sees a sum-of-the-parts value of $61.50 for IP, $72.32 for Rock-Tenn and $87.73 for Packaging Corp.
Hot Sliver Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cytori Therapeutics Inc(CYTX)
Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of medical products and devices to enable the practice of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicines focus on repairing or restoring lost or damaged tissue and cell function. Its principal products include the Celution family of products, which processes patients' adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) at the point of care. The Celution family of products consists of a central device, a related single-use consumable used for each patient procedure, proprietary enzyme reagents, and related instrumentation. Its core product, the Celution System, provides physicians with clinical grade stem and regenerative cells for use in the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery market. The company also provides PureGraft, a consumable product that provides grafts for use in aesthetic body contouring procedures. In addition, it sells the StemSource family of products worldwide, including in the United States, for research, as well as for the cryopreservation and storage of ADRCs. It offers the StemSource System as a standalone product, or as a part of a comprehensive suite of systems, equipment, and protocols collectively referred to as a StemSource Cell Bank. Further, the company develops Celution System, which has completed two clinical trials for applications in cardiovascular disease, wound healing, gastrointestinal disorders, stress urinary incontinence, liver and renal disease, spinal disc degeneration, and pelvic health conditions. It has strategic development and manufacturing joint venture agreement, and other related agreements with Olympus Corporation. The company was formerly known as MacroPore Biosurgery, Inc. Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Rojas var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(func]
Cytori Therapeutics Inc.(CYTX) on Tuesday said it is putting a clinical hold on enrollment in two chronic-heart-failure clinical trials, citing safety concerns. Shares sank 32.9% to $1.41 premarket.
- [By James E. Brumley]
If you're reading this, then odds are you already know that Cytori Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:CYTX) is up a whopping 8% today. In some ways that's encouraging, as it proves there's a lot of trade-worthy momentum to be tapped. In other ways, however, it's bad, because CYTX is overbought and ripe for a pullback. No matter how you're seeing Cytori Therapeutics in the short run, though, when you take a step back and look at the longer-term picture, there's a lot to like.
Hot Sliver Stocks To Watch Right Now: Sears Holdings Corporation(SHLD)
Sears Holdings Corporation operates as a specialty retailer in the United States and Canada. The company?s Kmart segment operates stores that sell merchandise under Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer labels; and Sears brand products, such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard. This segment?s stores provide consumer electronics, seasonal merchandise, outdoor living, toys, lawn and garden equipment, food and consumables, and apparel, as well as operate in-store pharmacies. Its Sears Domestic segment operates stores that sell merchandise under the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard, Lands? End, Covington, Apostrophe, and Canyon River Blues brand names. This segment?s stores provide appliances, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, outdoor living, lawn and garden equipment, home fashion products, automotive products, apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, health and beauty products, pantry goods, household products, and toys. The Sears Domestic segment also provides clothing, acces sories, footwear, and soft luggage; appliances and services to commercial customers in single-family residential construction/remodel, property management, multi-family new construction, and government/military sectors; premium appliance and plumbing fixtures to architects, designers, and new construction or remodeling customers; parts and repair services for appliances, lawn and garden equipment, consumer electronics, floor care products, and heating and cooling systems; and home improvement services. The company?s Sears Canada segment engages in the retail of apparel and other softlines. Sears Holdings Corporation operates approximately 2,172 full-line stores and 1,338 specialty retail stores in the United States; 500 full-line and specialty retail stores in Canada, as well as operates 17 floor covering stores, 1,734 catalog pick-up locations, and 108 travel offices; and kmart.com and sears.ca Websites. The company was founded in 1899 and is based in Hoffman Estates, Illi nois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By DAILYFINANCE]
Bebeto Matthews/AP NEW YORK -- Retailers got Americans into stores during the start to the holiday shopping season. Now, they'll need to figure out how to get them to actually shop. Target (TGT), Macy's (M) and other retailers offered holiday discounts in early November and opened stores on Thanksgiving Day. It was an effort to attract shoppers before Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season. Those tactics drew bigger crowds during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, but failed to motivate Americans to spend. "The economy spoke loud and clear over the past few days," said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors. "We are going to see an increase in markdowns." A record 141 million people were expected to shop in stores and online over the four-day period that ended on Sunday, up from last year's 137 million, according to the results of a survey of nearly 4,500 shoppers conducted for The National Retail Federation. But total spending was expected to fall for the first time ever since the trade group began tracking it in 2006, according to the survey that was released on Sunday afternoon. Over the four days, spending fell an estimated 2.9 percent to $57.4 billion. Shoppers, on average, were expected to spend $407.02 during the four days, down 3.9 percent from last year. That would be the first decline since the 2009 holiday shopping season when the economy was just coming out of the recession. The survey underscores the challenges stores have faced since the recession began in late 2007. Retailers had to offer deeper discounts to get people to shop during the downturn, but Americans still expect those "70 percent off" signs now during the recovery. And stores may have only exacerbated that expectation this year. By offering bargains earlier in the season, it seems they've created a vicious cycle in which they'll need to constantly offer bigger sales. Shoppers who took
- [By Reuters]
Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images NEW YORK -- Walgreen is moving 120,000 employees to a private health insurance exchange from coverage provided directly from carriers, the company will announce Wednesday. The pharmacy chain will join 17 other large employers on the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange as part of a growing movement to offer employees fixed dollar amounts to purchase their own plans on such exchanges. The end-cost to employees depends on the plan chosen, but they typically get more options than under traditional arrangements. Private exchanges mimic the coverage mandated as part of the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in the public exchanges starts Oct. 1. "What happens to employer contributions over time? Will they put in as much as they put in the past? These are unanswered questions but potential negatives," says Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The benefit to Walgreen and other employers is unknown at this point, as their cost-savings aren't clear. Of the 180,000 Walgreen (WAG) employees eligible for health care insurance, 120,000 opted for coverage for themselves and 40,000 family members. Another 60,000 employees, many of them working part-time, weren't eligible for health insurance. Aon Hewitt (AON) says other participants in its program include retailer Sears Holding (SHLD) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). These new additions raise enrollment to 330,000 from 100,000 last year, and Aon Hewitt estimates enrollment will jump to 600,000 next year, a fivefold increase from 2012. By 2017, nearly 20 percent of employees nationwide could get their health insurance through a private exchange, according to Accenture Research (ACN). A recent report by the National Business Group on Health said that 30 percent of large employers are considering moving active employees to exchanges by 2015. Other major providers of private exchanges include Mercer, a division of Marsh & Mc
- [By Rich Duprey]
Spin as he might to put some life back into�Sears Holdings'� (NASDAQ: SHLD ) first-quarter results, chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert can't mask the pallor of the retailer's true state of health. With sales down another 7% as it closed 185 stores over the past year and Sears Canada -- which it just announced it would spinoff -- continuing to decline, Sears remains on a downward spiral that not even the singularity of positive comparable sales at its domestic namesake stores can alter.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Outside the Dow, earnings played a key role in the market's overall decline. Among the worst performers is Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD ) , which plunged 16.5% after posting a loss that was much worse than expected. Yet what might be more troubling for investors is the fact that the company is looking at strategic options for its real estate and its warranty service-protection business, demonstrating its need to raise capital and its continued difficulty in focusing on improving its retail business. Without any viable plan to boost sales, Sears doesn't appear to have a turnaround plan that's at all likely to result in long-term success for the long-struggling retailer.
Hot Sliver Stocks To Watch Right Now: CME Group Inc.(CME)
CME Group Inc. operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX regulatory exchanges worldwide. The company provides a range of products available across various asset classes, including futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, foreign exchange, weather, and real estate. It offers various products that provide a means of hedging, speculation, and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency, credit risk, and changes in the prices of commodities. CME Group owns and operates clearing house, CME Clearing, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts and counter derivatives transactions; and also engages in real estate operations. Its primary trade execution facilities consist of its CME Globex electronic trading platform and open outcry trading floors, as well as privately negotiated transact ions that are cleared and settled through its clearing house. In addition, the company offers market data services comprising live quotes, delayed quotes, market reports, and historical data services, as well as involves in index services business. CME Group?s customer base includes professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, and governments. It has strategic partnerships with BM&FBOVESPA S.A., Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, Singapore Exchange Limited, Green Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., as well as joint venture agreement with Dow Jones & Company. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. CME Group was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
CME Group (Nasdaq: CME ) reported earnings on May 2. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), CME Group met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share. - [By Sean Williams]
Leading the charge higher is CME Group (NASDAQ: CME ) , which advanced 3.3% after exploring a possible sale of its New York Mercantile Exchange building. CME has considered leasing back a portion of the building to run its energy trading operations out of, or it may just move those operations to another building in Manhattan altogether. This announcement also comes on the heels of news that Treasury futures volume hit an all-time record yesterday. With CME looking for ways to maximize shareholder value in an otherwise tepid trading environment, I'd call today's move encouraging.
Hot Sliver Stocks To Watch Right Now: Office Depot Inc.(ODP)
Office Depot, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies office products and services. Its North American Retail division sells an assortment of merchandise, such as general office supplies, computer supplies, business machines and related supplies, and office furniture under various labels, including Office Depot, Viking Office Products, Foray, Ativa, Break Escapes, Niceday, and Worklife through its chain of office supply stores. It also provides printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services, as well as personal computer support and network installation service. As of December 25, 2010, this division operated 1,147 office supply stores in the United States and Canada. The company?s North American Business Solutions division sells nationally branded and private brand office supplies, technology products, furniture, and services to small- to medium-sized customers through a dedicated sales force, catalogs, and Internet. Its International division sells o ffice products and services through direct mail catalogs, contract sales forces, Internet sites, and retail stores using a mix of company-owned operations, joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, alliances, and other arrangements. As of December 25, 2010, it sold its office products to customers in 53 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This division operated, through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities, 97 retail stores in France, Hungary, South Korea, and Sweden; and participates under licensing and merchandise arrangements in South Korea, Thailand, India, Israel, Japan, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Lewis]
Office Depot (NYSE: ODP ) scored a win in its merger with fellow big-box supply store retailer Office Max (NYSE: OMX ) , but is the company out of the proverbial weeds? The Depot saw its shares decline more than 6% Wednesday due to an earnings report that came in under estimates and altogether left investors and analysts unimpressed. No one has any delusions as to the intense technology-fueled disruption facing Office Depot and its recently acquired competitor, but there are levers the company can pull to remain relevant in the future.
- [By Amanda Alix]
Last Friday saw Target and a slew of others,�such as JCPenney (NYSE: JCP ) and Office Depot (NYSE: ODP ) , file their own lawsuits, citing the same complaints as the Walmart crew. In response, Visa and MasterCard have sued right back, requesting a judge to rule in favor of the card issuers' fee structure and implementation practices.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
OfficeMax has struggled along with many big-box office-products retailers as online competition and a generally weak economic recovery have held back their ability to grow. But the company's recent proposal to merge with rival Office Depot (NYSE: ODP ) has breathed new life into the sector. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with OfficeMax over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.
Hot Sliver Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nathan's Famous Inc.(NATH)
Nathan's Famous, Inc. operates in the foodservice industry. It engages in marketing Nathan?s Famous brand, and selling products bearing the Nathan?s Famous trademarks through various channels of distribution in the United States and internationally. The company operates and franchises quick-service restaurant units that features Nathan?s beef hot dogs, crinkle-cut french-fries, and other menu offerings under the Nathan?s Famous brand name. It also provides licensing agreements for the sale of Nathan?s products within supermarkets, club stores, and other grocery-type outlets; and involves in the manufacture of spices, and sale of Nathan?s products directly to other foodservice operators. In addition, the company offers Arthur Treacher?s brand fish fillets. As of August 3, 2011, its restaurant system consisted of 269 Nathan?s units, including 264 franchised units and 5 company-owned units (including 1 seasonal unit). The company was founded in 1916 and is based in Je richo, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Nathan's Famous (Nasdaq: NATH ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Chris Hill]
In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts explain why they're watching Nathan's Famous (NASDAQ: NATH ) and Sony (NYSE: SNE ) .
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