AAA: New car features can help older drivers

If you're an older person, wouldn't a keyless entry system be a lot more convenient than fumbling for keys?

Or power-adjustable seats to help your aching knee? Or a lumbar system in the seats for your back?

Nearly 90% of drivers age 65 or older have health conditions that can affect driving safety, yet only 10% are driving cars with features that address those conditions, according to AAA. So in the latest update of the roadside-assistance provider's "Smart Features for Older Drivers" report, AAA recommends a new crop of available vehicle features that can help alleviate older drivers' physical challenges while making the road safer for everyone.

Originally completed in 2008 in cooperation with the University of Florida's Institute for Mobility, Activity and Participation, the "Smart Features" study seeks to help seniors shopping for a new car find vehicle options that help with age-related challenges such as decreasing flexibility and muscle strength. Automotive experts reviewed more than 200 vehicles from the 2013 model year.

"A 2012 survey revealed that only one in 10 senior drivers with health issues are driving a vehicle with features like keyless entry or larger dashboard controls that can assist with such conditions," said Jake Nelson, AAA director of traffic safety advocacy and research, in a statement.

The 2013 "Smart Features" report recommends:

•Six-way adjustable seats for drivers with limited range of motion in their knees, or with hip or leg pain, as the seats require less strength to adjust and ease vehicle entry and exit.

•Keyless entry and ignition, which reduces the amount of grip strength needed for those with arthritic hands or stiff fingers.

•A thick steering wheel, which alleviates pain associated with twisting and turning for drivers with diminished fine motor skills.
Displays with contrasting text to reduce blinding glare for those with diminished vision or problems with high-low contrast.

AAA released the new "Smart ! Features" list in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association's Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, which runs today through Dec. 6 and aims to promote the importance of mobility and transportation in empowering elderly adults to remain active in their communities. Every day, 10,000 Americans turn 65, AAA stated.

Nine Products Not To Buy On Black Friday

Americans are likely to trim their budgets this holiday season. According to Gallup, consumers estimate they will spend just $704 on gifts this year, on average. This is down from 2012, when the average consumer said they would spend $770.

With consumers expecting to spend less, and Thanksgiving falling especially late in the year, competition between retailers will be especially intense this holiday season. But even with the sheer number of deals being offered for Black Friday, consumers can still make bad shopping decisions. Consulting with several groups that compile Black Friday deals, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed some of the worst purchases to make on Black Friday.

Click here to see the Nine Products Not To Buy On Black Friday

Many of the worst deals being offered on Black Friday feature out-of-season products. Prices for home improvement tools and supplies tend to be best around Father's Day, closer to when many consumers are looking for spring cleaning sales. Both Lowe's and The Home Depot offer "Spring Black Friday" sales. According to FatWallet's Brent Shelton, gas grills are a better deal in the fall, when retailers are looking to clear out unsold inventory from the summer months.

Black Friday also coincides with the peak demand for some popular gifts. Among these are toys, winter clothing, and holiday decorations. Shoppers buying toys for their kids may want to wait until December, since prices for toys tend to drop as Christmas approaches. Winter clothing and holiday decorations also tend to be especially expensive around Black Friday.

Customers should also be on the lookout for products that tend to be marked up on Black Friday. Electronics often are loss leaders, meaning companies sell them at a loss to get customers into their stores. However, the accessories that come with many electronics are frequently marked up.

These are nine products you shouldn't buy on Black Friday.

5 Stocks With Great Sales Growth — PCYC HTH INSY CREG GV

Popular Posts: 5 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now5 Tech Services Stocks to Buy Now5 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 5 Metals and Mining Stocks to Sell Now 5 Stocks With Awful Sales Growth — HTS MITT MNKD UEC IDIX 5 Stocks With Great Sales Growth — PCYC HTH INSY CREG GV View All Posts

This week, these five stocks have the best ratings in Sales Growth, one of the eight Fundamental Categories on Portfolio Grader.

Pharmacyclics, Inc. () is a pharmaceutical company developing products to improve upon current therapeutic approaches to cancer, atherosclerosis, and retinal disease. PCYC also gets an A in Equity. .

Hilltop Holdings () provides business and consumer banking services in Texas. .

Insys Therapeutics, Inc. () develops pharmaceutical products that target the unmet needs of cancer patients, with a focus on cancer-supportive care. INSY also gets A’s in Analyst Earnings Revisions, Earnings Surprises and Equity. .

China Recycling Energy () engages in the provision of energy savings and recycling products and services. CREG also gets A’s in Earnings Momentum and Cash Flow. .

Goldfield Corp. () conducts electrical construction operations, including the placement of fiber optic cable and is also engaged in real estate operations. GV also gets an A in Equity. The stock currently has a trailing PE Ratio of 7.60. .

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

Review: Honda’s Grom is small, slow and tons of…

Honda outfitted the Grom's diminuitive frame with 12-inch wheels, a large, aggressive-looking headlamp and a sporty nakeness that beckons a rider to hop on and tear up the roads. Only thing is, you top out at about 55 mph; 62 mph if you're small like me (5'2", 120 lbs) and pinning the throttle, or 70 if a truck happens to pass and you get pulled into its draft. But no matter. It's a perfect commuter for the city, on campus and even on twisty backroads. The light weight makes it super easy to flick around and builds confidence in riders at every skill level.

With its speed limitations, this fuel sipper is not recommended on highways. In fact, the engine's 125cc size makes it too small and illegal on freeways in some states. But it easily kept up with traffic in Baltimore City, threading through congested areas. It's also small enough to park just about anywhere.

Single disc brakes on the front and rear give the little guy good stopping power, but if you're accustomed to the braking of sport bikes, then this will feel a bit soft.

The tank holds just under 1.5 gallons of fuel, but it'll go a long way. I got 95 miles with the first fuel-up; the next tank got close to 120 miles.

Surprisingly, the little Grom will fit taller riders fairly comfortably. I asked a 6-foot tall rider to take it for a spin. Because of the seat length, there was plenty of room for him to stretch his legs. However, the seat angle appears to slope forward a bit, making the seat feel somewhat awkward at first and making longer rides uncomfortable.

Even more surprising is that the Grom is built to handle two adult passengers. The only problem is the lack of torque means you really have to give it some throttle to make it take off from a stop. Once it gets rolling, it will accelerate to speed with ease, even two-up. Well, until you reach an incline.

A few other drawbacks:

It looks like a toy. The Grom is so small, cars have driven into the shoulder to pass me, even though I was moving at speed wit! h traffic. I can only assume the size of the bike made them think it was more of a toy than a "real" motorcycle. Twice, police cars followed me a while to run the tag, presumably, to make sure the bike is legit for the road. One officer shook his head at me before speeding off.

Easy to steal. When parking the bike in the city, I feel I chain and lock it to the lamppost. I didn't like having it out of sight for too long, fearing some able-bodied, malicious-minded person would lift it up, drop it in a pickup and take off. Yes, it's really that light.

No cargo space. If you are considering this bike as an economy commuter over a scooter, one thing to keep in mind is storage. Most scooters have ample space under the seat. The Grom has none. So if you want to do some quick grocery shopping, bring a backpack. However, from a pure riding perspective, the Grom will feel much more stable at speed and it will take corners better.

If you want a commuter for longer trips on high-speed roads, you'll need to look at something with a bigger engine. It's a great bike to learn on and at around $3,000 new, it's not likely to break your bank. American Honda says it chose the name Grom because it means a young surfer and fit the lifestyle and intent of the bike. The Grom is offered in red and black, and several after-market parts are already available.

Honda outfits the Grom with 12-inch wheels and a seat long enough for two.(Photo: USA TODAY)

New Website Lists Consumer Reviews of Financial Advisors

A new online service touts itself as a social network for financially minded individuals. WalletHub, an offshoot of CardHub, which is an online store for credit and gift cards, launched the new service on Monday.

The site was in beta testing for a little over a year before its launch, founder Odysseas Papadimitriou told ThinkAdvisor on Tuesday.

“We identified a big vacuum in the market where there are no reviews for financial advisors online,” he said. “You can find a million reviews for the latest iPhone, but for the person who handles your retirement, you cannot find a single review.”

The site lists about a quarter of a million financial advisors and firms, according to Papadimitriou. The list is compiled through publicly available information.

Users can also compare rates on financial products like credit cards or loans, and can rate financial institutions. However, consumers can also rate and review individual advisors -- even though the advisors themselves can't participate on WalletHub.

“Unfortunately, the SEC has, according to some legal experts, overreached when it comes to how they have interpreted that law so they consider reviews testimonials as well,” Papadimitriou said. “That’s a problem in terms of advisors not being able to actively participate on the site, at least the ones that are regulated by the SEC. We are aware of this issue; however, we feel that it’s a higher priority to bring transparency to this market.”

Papadimitriou recommended that advisors featured on WalletHub who are concerned about running afoul of the SEC’s rules on using testimonials “consult with their compliance department to figure out whether they can play an active role or not. There are some that have taken the viewpoint that they can as long as there are no reviews, and if reviews do show up then maybe they will stop participating. Unfortunately, it would impact our credibility if we started removing reviews that consumers have written.”

He added, “We make an analogy that we are the Yelp of personal finance. We have all banks, all insurance companies, a quarter of a million of financial advisors and their firms and adding more as we speak. The vetting process will happen from the marketplace.”

He compared clients of a newly licensed advisor to diners at a new restaurant. “When a restaurant first opens, some brave consumers need to go and give it a try. Similarly, when a new financial advisor gets licensed, they will be on WalletHub, but we hope that when they start getting clients those clients will start sharing their experiences and educate fellow consumers.”

Nancy Lininger, founder of The Consortium, a compliance consulting firm, said she's heard concerns about Yelp before. "I have had advisors ask about Yelp recommendations in regards to the testimonials prohibition," she told ThinkAdvisor by email on Thursday. "My response is that you (the advisor) control Facebook, LinkedIn and similar social media sites. When in your control, you must do what you can to disable recommendation or like features, or to take recommendations down if posted."

Unfortunately, with third-party sites, it's out of advisors' hands. Lininger said, "Yelp, or newer similar services, are not under the advisor’s control. There is no way to stop unsolicited postings to those sites. The only thing you can do is not to encourage clients or others to post to these third-party sites."

Similar to the way Twitter users can “follow” people and companies, WalletHub users can follow various news outlets to customize the news that appears on a dedicated page in their profile. Initially, news is automated through the outlets’ RSS feeds, but those who want to take over their profile can do so by submitting a business listing, which will then be confirmed by the WalletHub team as a legitimate source. Papadimitriou said currently a “handful” of blogs and news outlets have taken control of their listing.

“This is a great way to attract readers that are focused on financial-related news,” he said. “We are trying to attract a community of people who want to talk about saving money, about making smarter financial decisions, not about what they had for breakfast.”

In addition to the Yelp-like review element of WalletHub and the Twitter-like element of the news page, Papadimitriou said, “The third element is companies will essentially be able to take over their profile, professionals can list their qualifications and services they offer, and that resembles LinkedIn. If you will, WalletHub you can think of as a child of LinkedIn, Yelp and Twitter: a ‘Frankenstein’ child but with a focus on personal finance.”

He concluded, “When we go to a restaurant or visit a hotel, we take for granted that we can go to TripAdvisor for thousands of reviews. When it comes to much bigger money issues we, for whatever reason, as you mentioned some of it has to do with regulatory factors, have been completely isolated from transparency.”

Foolish Reviews: Our Favorite Android Phone(s)

The high end of the cell phone market is a lucrative, but highly competitive space. Consumers have fairly straightforward choices when it comes to iPhones or Windows devices, but there are more confusing choices among the Android phones.

In this multipart review series, Motley Fool analysts Eric Bleeker and Rex Moore look at three of the Android giants: the HTC One, Nexus 4, and Samsung Galaxy S4, and how they stack up against each other as well as the non-Android competition. In today's video, Eric and Rex do a quick feature comparison and give their bottom line on the best Android phone for your money.

Dialing a different tune
Want to get in on the smartphone phenomenon? Truth be told, one company sits at the crossroads of smartphone technology as we know it. It's not your typical household name, either. In fact, you've probably never even heard of it! But it stands to reap massive profits NO MATTER WHO ultimately wins the smartphone war. To find out what it is, click here to access The Motley Fool's latest free report: "One Stock You Must Buy Before the iPhone-Android War Escalates Any Further..."

Can TIBCO Software Meet These Numbers?

TIBCO Software (Nasdaq: TIBX  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on June 20. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict TIBCO Software's revenues will wane -0.2% and EPS will compress -30.8%.

The average estimate for revenue is $246.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.18.

Revenue details
Last quarter, TIBCO Software reported revenue of $237.8 million. GAAP reported sales were 5.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $225.7 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.18. GAAP EPS of $0.06 for Q1 were 50% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.12 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 69.0%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.1%, 270 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.0%, 510 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $1.06 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.04.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 522 members out of 548 rating the stock outperform, and 26 members rating it underperform. Among 135 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 130 give TIBCO Software a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on TIBCO Software is outperform, with an average price target of $27.00.

Software and computerized services are being consumed in radically different ways, on new and increasingly mobile devices. Many old leaders will be left behind. Whether or not TIBCO Software makes the coming cut, you should check out the company that Motley Fool analysts expect to lead the pack in "The Next Trillion-dollar Revolution." Click here for instant access to this free report.

Add TIBCO Software to My Watchlist.

How Europe's Faring in the Dow's Bull-Market Run

For the past couple of months, the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) have been rising to record highs. But after having dominated the headlines throughout much of last year, Europe has moved to back of most investors' minds. Let's take a closer look at what's been happening in Europe lately and whether you should be confident that the all-clear has sounded.

A look at Europe's big players
Despite the temptation to think of Europe as a single entity, there's a huge disparity among the various national economies and stock markets in Europe. In Germany, where austerity has been a centerpiece of the response to tough economic conditions, the DAX (DAXINDICES: ^DAX  ) set a new all-time record high of its own on May 3 and has continued to soar, rising another 5% in just the past few weeks. As Fool contributor Dan Carroll noted last week, European automakers have benefited from a rise in car sales, representing the first gain for the industry in about a year and a half. That's consistent with what we saw from General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) earlier this month, which posted losses in Europe of $175 million that were much lower than what anyone had expected.

By contrast, France's stock market continues to languish well below its past records set in 2007, and even though the CAC 40 broke through the 4,000 level last Friday for the first time since mid-2011, French leaders aren't nearly as committed to the austerity path. With its success in getting European Union officials to give the nation more time to reduce its deficits, France is responding to public pressure to avoid big budget cuts that many of its people believe are worsening the recession.

Finally, outside the eurozone entirely, Great Britain has come within spitting distance of its own all-time stock market high, with the FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE  ) closing today at levels about 1% below the record mark of 6,930 set on the last trading day of 1999. The banking sector has done particularly well lately, with Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE: RBS  ) having produced extremely strong gains in what is shaping up to become a full recovery from the depths of the financial crisis. Insulated from the eurozone's troubles to some extent because of its decision to retain its own currency, Great Britain is dealing with its own austerity issues, but with the Canadian central bank leader slated to take over as head of the Bank of England, policy changes may be in the offing for the island nation later this year.

Keep your eyes open
As easy as it is to focus solely on U.S. markets, it's essential to stay aware of events around the world. In a global economy, what's happening in Europe can have a dramatic effect on American companies and investors.

Few companies lead to such strong feelings as General Motors. But ignoring emotions to make good investing decisions is hard. The Fool's premium GM research service can help, by telling you the truth about GM's growth potential in coming years. (Hint: It's even bigger than you think. But it's not a sure thing, and we'll help you understand why.) It might help give you the courage to be greedy while others are still fearful, as well as a better understanding of the real risks facing General Motors. Just click here to get started now.

Wall Street: We've Seen It Before, and We'll See It Again

During the financial crisis in 2008, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) CEO Jamie Dimon's daughter asked her father what was going on. "Well, it's something that happens every five to seven years,'' he said he told her.

How much truth is there to his statement?

Wall Street has a deep history of boom and bust. Throughout all economic conditions, all political administrations, and all regulatory environments, it finds a way to get itself into trouble. When there's so much money dangling in your face, otherwise admirable people do stupid things.

Last week I asked David Cowen, CEO of the Museum of American Finance and a financial historian, what he thought of Wall Street's boom-bust cycle. Here's what he had to say. (A transcript follows.)

David Cowen: "There's an old adage: It's greed and fear on Wall Street. And we've seen the cycle over and over. Here at the museum just last night, we had a play that was based on the events of what was called The Panic of 1857, triggered -- the match that set the powder keg off was actually a bank failure, and that bank failure was in large part by embezzlement by their cashier, which is kind of an Enron-Lehman rolled into one. And so no, human nature hasn't changed so very much. I look at these as cyclical, and we've seen it all before and sadly probably will see it again." 

The stage is set for American Funds' comeback

It's been a grueling five post-financial-crisis years for American Funds, but things are finally starting to look up for the mutual fund company, a favorite of advisers.

American Funds, which is owned by The Capital Group Cos. Inc, was the largest mutual fund company in the world before Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. collapsed and set off a chain reaction that caused global stock markets to plummet. But its funds, which famously avoided the bursting of the tech bubble, were merely average in 2008 when the financial crisis started to break.

That performance letdown has led to a half-decade in which advisers have fled both stocks in favor of bonds and active managers in favor of index funds. As a result, stock-fund heavy American Funds has seen almost $250 billion of net withdrawals since 2008, dropping it behind the Vanguard Group Inc. and Fidelity Investments in the mutual fund company pecking order.

But the post-crisis bull market, along with some product tweaks that American Funds has made along the way, could drive the company to its first positive year for sales in 2014.

“If 2014 looks anything like this year or last year, I think they're in pretty good shape,” said Janet Yang, a mutual fund analyst at Morningstar Inc. “When markets are up, it gets people interested and rotating a little more toward equities.”

Investors have actually been rotating into equities at the fastest pace in more than a decade. Equity funds have attracted $132 billion of net inflows this year through November, the most for a single year since 2000, according to Morningstar.

With the financial crisis fading into history, active management also is starting to catch on again with investors as five-year trailing returns improve.

The five-year rolling average return for domestic equity funds, for example, jumped a full 8 percentage points to 18.6% between September and November by the simple trick of moving October 2008 out of the picture.

Not surprisingly, actively managed domestic funds are on pace for their best year since 2005, the last year they had more inflows than outflows. Investors have pulled only a net $10 billion from actively managed U.S. equity funds this year, down from $130 billion in 2012.

The trend hasn't eluded American Funds, which in January actually saw its first single month of net inflows since May 2009.

Although that turned out to be more of a blip than a trend, American Funds has had $15.7 billion of outflows this year through November, down from $61 billion in 2012 and $81 billion in 2011.

The $136 billion American Funds Growth Fund of America (AGTHX), which contributed $33 billion to the company's net withdrawals in 2012, also has turned its performance around since stumbling in 2008 and 2011.

The flagship fund outperformed the S&P 500 by 400 basis points last year and is ahead by 100 basis points through Dec. 18 this year. Its five- and 10-year ! annualized returns of 18% and 8% both top the benchmark as well.

Its international funds have fared well, too. The $7.5 billion American Funds International Growth and Income Fund (IGAAX) and the $23 billion American Funds New World Fund (NEWFX) rank in the top third percentile of the developed international and emerging-markets categories, respectively. Both are among the 10 best-selling funds in each category for the year.

In the past, American Funds would have probably been more than content to rest on its performance laurels, but this year the firm has taken steps that years ago would have seemed as normal as, say, trying to iron a shirt you're already wearing.

For instance, the company has conceded that it hasn't been as transparent as it could be with its investment process and plans on making available to financial advisers detailed reports that explain how each portfolio management team is constructed. Hey, it's a start.

To get the word out, it's also in the process of increasing its wirehouse and broker-dealer sales force by 25% to about 150.

Sure, it probably could be doing more to reach out the cost-conscious registered investment adviser community, given that American Funds is the cheapest actively managed fund company not named Vanguard out there. But one step at a time.

Forget Amazon, GNC's Biggest Threat Is Medical Journals

By Jeff Bailey

It's not every day that a New York Stock Exchange-listed company has its very reason for being questioned in the New York Times, but that's what happened to GNC Holdings GNC Holdings, the supplements and vitamins retailer.

In the Times weekly Science section, the paper reported on an editorial in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, which was headlined rather unambiguously, "Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements."

The Times summed up the article thusly:

"The message is simple," the editorial continued. "Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided."

"We have so much information from so many studies," Dr. Cynthia Mulrow, senior deputy editor of Annals of Internal Medicine and an author of the editorial, said in an interview. "We don't need a lot more evidence to put this to bed."

In recent years, the biggest threat to GNC seemed to be that Amazon (AMZN) would steal its customers by selling vitamins and supplements more cheaply over the Internet, and indeed GNC has been identified as a retailer that's very vulnerable to online competition.

But GNC's sales and profits have so far defied those worries.

GNC Revenue (Quarterly) data by YCharts

How about a prestigious medical journal telling your customers to essentially stop doing business in your stores? GNC, based in Pittsburgh and with about 8,400 retail locations and a $5.5 billion market cap, seemed to shrug off the report. Its shares were down ever so slightly in a sideways market.

GNC data by YCharts

One can surmise why investors didn't panic. First, the overlap between GNC customers and readers of the New York Times (never mind the Annals of Internal Medicine) may be, well, small. And though other news organizations ran accounts of the study, too, for every competently reported and evenhanded article or television news segment on health, these days there would seem to be several shrieking reports magnifying either a danger or a potential cure available to consumers.

The Internet, airwaves and news racks are stuffed with junk science and medical news. There's certainly the opportunity for people to tune it all out, or to listen only to reports that appeal to an existing bias. (Sort of like political coverage, eh?) Perhaps in the days ahead, the Annals of Internal Medicine editorial will snowball and lead to a complete turnaround in thinking about all the silver bullets that stock the shelves at GNC.

I'm guessing not, however. And if you're an owner of GNC shares, seeing the company waltz through this kind of bad publicity should be fabulously encouraging. Oh, on GNC's Web site today, under the heading "Latest News," was a headline: "Acid-Suppressing Drugs Linked to Vitamin B12 Deficiency." The link leads you to a New York Times article of the same headline.

The hoped for message: all you acid suppressant junkies better come in and buy some B-12. GNC's Web site lists B-12 available in about 15 different packages. Better stock the shelves.

—

Jeff Bailey, the editor of YCharts, is a former reporter, editor and columnist at the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. He can be reached at editor@ycharts.com. Read the RIABiz profile of YCharts. You can also request a demonstration of YCharts Platinum.

What to Do if You Win the $636 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Slightly more than a year ago, TheStreet asked various money managers, contributors and market experts how they'd advise a newly-minted half billionaire. With Tuesday night's $646 million Mega Millions jackpot, we're at it again.

This time, though, responses from our staff preferred spending the money instead of saving it.

"I'd open a dog shelter," said Natalia Kaspshik, an analyst at TheStreet.

"I'd buy a Major League Soccer team," said Antoine Gara, an M&A reporter. "I'd go to a beach and do nothing," said Alicia Formella, a marketing associate. "Help family and give to charity. Then I'd buy houses," said Kieran McBriar, a graphic artist. I'd buy an island in the South Pacific," said Bill Inman, editor in chief at TheStreet. But for those of you looking for serious investment advice, we discovered that going headlong into stocks may not have been the first choice of the pros. Here are some responses from last year's study: "Finding a brokerage-house/steward that can handle investments in the hundreds of millions of dollars: "My suggestion would be to find one that isn't publicly traded and has a stellar reputation for customer service and not putting pressure on the customer. "An example would be Fidelity Investments. They have conveniently located offices that are pleasant to visit, and they will offer you a generous number of free trades when you open a large enough account." -- Marc Courtenay, Advanced Investor Technologies. "Very simple: 100% U.S. Treasuries and a good tax attorney and estate planner. "Let's do the math: 500,000,000 at 1.66% = $690,000 a month pre-tax. There is no need for risk assets. My motto: You can only eat so many steaks." -- Steve Cordasco, Cordasco Financial Network. "The first rule: Take it slow. With $500 million, you should be set for life. Even if you simply put it in checking accounts and earned no interest at all, you'd never have to worry about running short." -- Richard Saintvilus, TheStreet contributor.

Good luck deciding what to do when you win. -- Written by Joe Deaux in New York. >Contact by Email. Follow @JoeDeaux

5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Short-sellers hate being caught short a stock that reports a blowout quarter. When this happens, we often see a tradable short squeeze develop as the bears rush to cover their positions to avoid big losses. Even the best short-sellers know that it's never a great idea to stay short once a bullish earnings report sparks a big short-covering rally.

>>5 Rocket Stocks Worth Buying This Week

This is why I scan the market for heavily shorted stocks that are about to report earnings. You only need to find a few of these stocks in a year to help enhance your portfolio returns -- the gains become so outsized in such a short time frame that your profits add up quickly.

That said, let's not forget that stocks are heavily shorted for a reason, so you have to use trading discipline and sound money management when playing earnings short-squeeze candidates. It's important that you don't go betting the farm on these plays and that you manage your risk accordingly. Sometimes the best play is to wait for the stock to break out following the report before you jump in to profit off a short squeeze. This way, you're letting the trend emerge after the market has digested all of the news.

>>5 Stocsk Ready to Break Out

Of course, sometimes the stock is going to be in such high demand that you risk missing a lot of the move by waiting. That's why it can be worth betting prior to the report -- but only if the stock is acting technically very bullish and you have a very strong conviction that it is going to rip higher. Just remember that even when you have that conviction and have done your due diligence, the stock can still get hammered if The Street doesn't like the numbers or guidance.

If you do decide to bet ahead of a quarter, then you might want to use options to limit your capital exposure. Heavily shorted stocks are usually the names that make the biggest post-earnings moves and have the most volatility. I personally prefer to wait until all the earnings-related news is out for a heavily shorted stock and then jump in and trade the prevailing trend.

>>3 Big Stocks on Traders' Radars

With that in mind, here's a look at several stocks that could experience big short squeezes when they report earnings this week.

FactSet Research Systems

My first earnings short-squeeze trade idea is FactSet Research Systems (FDS), an integrated financial information and analytical applications provider to the global investment community, which is set to release numbers on Tuesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect FactSet Research Systems to report revenue of $223.66 million on earnings of $1.24 per share.

>>4 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

The current short interest as a percentage of the float FactSet Research Systems is pretty high at 13.6%. That means that out of the 39.98 million shares in the tradable float, 5.63 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a high short interest on a stock with a relatively low tradable float. Any bullish earnings news could easily spark a large short-covering rally for shares of FDS post-earnings.

From a technical perspective, FDS is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last three months and change, with shares soaring higher from its low of $100.76 to its intraday high of $119.08 a share. During that move, shares of FDS have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.

If you're bullish on FDS, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to take out its 52-week high at $119.08 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 302,936 shares. If we get that move post-earnings, then FDS will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $130 to $135 a share.

I would simply avoid FDS or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that move and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $114 a share to its 50-day moving average at $111.05 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then FDS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $108 to $107 a share, or its 200-day moving average at $103.37 a share.

Arrowhead Research

Another potential earnings short-squeeze play is nanomedicine player Arrowhead Research (ARWR), which is set to release its numbers on Wednesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Arrowhead Research to report revenue of $530,000.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Arrowhead Research is pretty high at 9.4%. That means that out of the 20.01 million shares in the tradable float, 1.59 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a high short interest on a stock with a very low tradable float. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of ARWR could easily explode higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their short positions.

From a technical perspective, ARWR is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last six months, with shares moving higher from its low of $1.81 to its recent high of $9.30 a share. During that uptrend, shares of ARWR have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of ARWR within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're in the bull camp on ARWR, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above its 52-week high at $9.30 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 554,658 shares. If that breakout hits, then ARWR will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $11 to $12 a share.

I would simply avoid ARWR or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at its 50-day moving average of $7.70 a share to more support at $7 share with high volume. If we get that move, then ARWR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $6 to $5.45 a share.

Lennar

Another potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is homebuilder Lennar (LEN), which is set to release numbers on Wednesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Lennar to report revenue of $1.56 billion on earnings of 45 cents per share.

>>5 Big Trades for Year-End Gains

The current short interest as a percentage of the float Lennar is extremely high at 20.4%. That means that out of the 167.62 million shares in the tradable float, 39.97 million shares are sold short by the bears. If this company can report a solid quarter that pleases the bulls, then shares of LEN could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the bears jump to cover some of their bets.

From a technical perspective, LEN is currently trending just above its 50-day moving average and below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been trending sideways for the last two months and change, with shares moving between $32.15 on the downside and $37.79 on the upside. Any high-volume move above the upper-end of that range post-earnings could trigger a big breakout trade for shares of LEN.

If you're bullish on LEN, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $36.61 to $37.79 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 5.29 million shares. If that breakout hits, then LEN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $40 to $44 a share. Any high-volume move above $44.40 will then give LEN a chance to enter new 52-week high-territory, which is bullish technical price action.

I would avoid LEN or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $34.56 to $34.09 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then LEN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels $32.15 to its 52-week low at $30.90 a share.

Sanderson Farms

Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is poultry processing player Sanderson Farms (SAFM), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Sanderson Farms to report revenue of $714.38 million on earnings of $2.15 per share.

>>4 Stocks Under $10 to Trade for Breakouts

Back in late October, Stephens downgraded shares of Sanderson Farms due to falling chicken prices, especially in leg quarters, and higher feed costs. The firm lowered its price target to $65 from $81 per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Sanderson Farms is notable at 7.7%. That means that out of the 20.24 million shares in the tradable float, 1.44 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a decent short interest on a stock with a very low tradable float. Any bullish earnings news could easily spark a large short-squeeze for shares of SAFM post-earnings.

From a technical perspective, SAFM is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending over the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $59.77 to its intraday high of $71.34 a share. During that uptrend, shares of SAFM have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.

If you're bullish on SAFM, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to take out Monday's intraday high of $71.34 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 208,948 shares. If we get that move, then SAFM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $75.30 a share. Any high-volume move above $75.30 will then give SAFM a chance to trend north of $80 a share.

I would simply avoid SAFM or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support at $67.22 a share, and then below both its 50-day at $65.95 and its 200-day at $64.75 a share high volume. If we get that move, then SAFM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $62 to $59.77 a share.

Apogee Enterprises

My final earnings short-squeeze play is Apogee Enterprises (APOG), a designer and developer of valued-added glass products, services and systems, which is set to release numbers on Wednesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Apogee Enterprises to report revenue of $202.59 million on earnings of 35 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Apogee Enterprises stands at 4.6%. That means that out of the 27.95 million shares in the tradable float, 1.24 million shares are sold short by the bears. If the bulls can get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of APOG could experience a sizeable short-covering rally post-earning as the bears rush to cover some of their short positions.

From a technical perspective, APOG is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last six months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $22.06 to its recent high of $36.49 a share. During that uptrend, shares of APOG have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of APOG within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're in the bull camp on APOG, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above its 52-week high at $36.49 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 213,441 shares. If that breakout hits, then APOG will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $45 to $50 a share.

I would avoid APOG or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $34.50 to $34.07 a share, and then once it takes out its 50-day moving average at $32.97 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then APOG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $30 to its 200-day moving average at $28.47 a share.

To see more potential earnings short squeeze plays, check out the Earnings Short Squeeze Plays portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

>>Hedge Funds Hate These 5 Big Stocks -- but Should You?

>>5 Toxic Stocks to Sell to Avoid the Christmas Carsh

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Will Banks Ever Pay Savers More?

Low interest rates have helped the economy recover from the financial crisis. But it has also hurt savers, and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) , Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , and other big banks seem stingier than ever when it comes to paying interest on bank accounts. Will a trend toward rising rates help savers?

In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, looks at where investors can get better rates from banks. Dan notes that big banks like the aforementioned ones don't have much incentive to pay attractive rates to depositors, as they can get funding cheaply through the Federal Reserve and currently have more than enough liquidity for their own needs. By contrast, Dan recommends looking at smaller banks and credit unions, which have to fight to get the capital they need to operate effectively. Dan gives one solid example of a financial institution paying almost a full percentage point above the next-highest bank on five-year CDs, noting that it pays to shop around for the best deals you can find.

Be smart with your savings
Having money in the bank is important, but it's no substitute for investing for growth. Your best investment strategy is to buy shares in solid businesses and keep them for the long term. In the special free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," The Motley Fool shares investment ideas and strategies that could help you build wealth for years to come. Click here to grab your free copy today.

Beer Man: Green Bullet’s hoppy flavor delights

Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.

This week: Green Bullet

Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego

www.greenflashbrew.com

A while ago I wrote positively about Green Flash's Double Stout Black Ale and mentioned that the brewery touts a large selection of highly hopped beers.

The Green Bullet Triple India Pale Ale caught my eye during one of my recent beer expeditions, and feeling guilty over not writing as much about hoppy beers as I probably should, I picked up a four-pack of it.

This ale is named after the Green Bullet hop variety developed in New Zealand, a fairly recent variety that has a high bitterness content and more of a grassy flavor. The Green Bullet beer also contains Pacific Gem hops.

First, those looking for harsh and bitter blasts of pine-grapefruit hop characteristics will have to search elsewhere. Green Bullet is hoppy, yes, but more in the flavor and aroma areas. The hop flavor was complex, with a bit of grassiness, some tropical fruit — almost like melon — some citrus and a hint of pine.

The Green Bullet pour produced a vibrant, orange-colored ale with a slightly off-white head that left decent lacing. It didn't have a thick or syrupy body, but it was satisfyingly solid and left a creamy mouthfeel.

The first taste produced a malty sweetness that was quickly subdued by the hop flavor and bitterness. The bitterness would probably be quite evident in a lesser-alcohol content beer, but combined with the 10.1% ABV, it keeps the malt sugars in check and contributes to a clean finish. This is a bold beer, but not an insane one.

Green Flash produces a number of other hop heavies, including Symposium IPA, Citra Session IPA, Imperial Red Rye, Palate Wrecker, Imperial IPA, Hop Head Red and West Coast IPA. Some are seasonal and some are year round; the brewery's website has a beer release calendar. Its beers are available in about 40 states (and Canada and Japan) and the brewery's online Be! er Finder link is here.

The craft beer industry has seen a lot of increased experimentation with hops and more coming down the pike. As someone who quickly tired of the whole pine-grapefruit hop thing 15 years ago, I'm excited to see what our nation's adventurous brewers come up with.

Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns Click here.

Stocks to Watch: Anadarko Petroleum, Simon Property, Qualcomm

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade Friday are Anadarko Petroleum Corp.(APC), Simon Property Group Inc.(SPG) and Qualcomm Inc.(QCOM)

A U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled Anadarko Petroleum could be liable for at least $5 billion in a lawsuit over environmental and legal liabilities related to its 2006 acquisition of Kerr-McGee Corp. Judge Allan L. Gropper said Anadarko could have to pay damages of between $5.2 billion and $14.2 billion in his opinion. Energy analysts had pegged Anadarko’s liability at $3 billion or less. Shares sank 11% premarket to $74.85.

Simon Property unveiled plans to spin off all its strip centers and smaller enclosed malls into an independent, publicly traded real-estate investment trust, as the nation’s largest mall owner looks to focus on its larger malls and outlets. Shares rose 2.8% premarket to $152.50.

Qualcomm Inc. named its chief operating officer, Steve Mollenkopf, as its new chief executive, replacing Paul Jacobs, who has led the chip maker since 2005. The move comes amid reports that Mr. Mollenkopf had been a possible contender to succeed Steve Ballmer as chief executive of Microsoft Corp.(MSFT) Shares rose 0.7% premarket to $73.25.

Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc.'s(RH) Co-Chief Executive Carlos Alberini is resigning from the high-end home-goods retailer as of the end of next month, to become the chairman and chief executive of Lucky Brand. The announcement was made as the company also raised its fiscal-year guidance and reported that its fiscal third-quarter earnings surged as same-store sales climbed 29%. Still, shares were down 7.9% to $60.10 premarket.

Adobe Systems Inc.(ADBE) said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit tumbled 71% as the software company reported a sharp drop in product sales and higher sales and marketing expenses. The company also issued targets for the new year that missed Wall Street’s expectations. However, shares rose 6.1% to $57.30 premarket as revenue for the latest quarter topped analysts’ estimates.

Xoma Corp.(XOMA) announced it plans to sell shares of its common stock, though it didn’t say how many. The drug developer recently had about 93.1 million shares outstanding, according to FactSet. Shares fell 8.3% to $5.19 premarket.

Building materials company Texas Industries Inc.(TXI) is considering a sale, Bloomberg News reported, citing three people familiar with knowledge of the matter. Shares of the company jumped 12% premarket to $65.50.

Biopharmaceutical firm Coronado Biosciences Inc.(CNDO) said a recent pilot study found that the first five patients using its potential autism treatment showed statistically significant separation from placebo, in favor of the drug. The treatment was also well-tolerated. The study is still ongoing. Shares jumped 26% to $2.25 premarket.

Sonus Networks Inc.(SONS) agreed to buy Performance Technologies Inc.(PTIX), a supplier of network communications products, for $3.75 a share, a 26% premium of Thursday’s close, or $42 million. The companies said the deal was worth $30 million, net of Performance Technologies’ cash and excluding acquisition costs. Performance Technologies shares jumped 24% to $3.70 premarket, just under the offer price.

Coca-Cola Co.(KO) is shaking up its senior management, announcing late Thursday that its Americas chief is leaving the beverage giant. The sudden departure of Steve Cahillane, once viewed as a potential successor to Chief Executive Muhtar Kent, comes as the maker of Minute Maid orange juice, Powerade sports drinks and namesake cola struggles to grow in its key U.S. market and slowing sales in Brazil and Mexico.

Medical-testing services provider Quest Diagnostics Inc.(DGX) raised the low end of its 2013 profit estimate, a rosier view that comes two days after rival Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings issued a disappointing 2014 outlook.

United Technologies Corp.(UTX) issued profit and revenue targets for 2014 that mostly fell short of Wall Street’s expectations, as the industrial conglomerate signaled asset sales will temper top-line growth.

3 Commercial Services Stocks to Buy Now

Popular Posts: 18 Oil and Gas Stocks to Sell Now7 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now4 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 24 Commercial Banking Stocks to Buy Now 7 Insurance Stocks to Buy Now 3 Commercial Services Stocks to Buy Now View All Posts

This week, three commercial services stocks are improving their overall rating on Portfolio Grader. Each of these rates an “A” (“strong buy”) or “B” overall (“buy”).

Performant Financial Corporation’s () grade is moving up to a B (“buy”) this week from last week’s C (“hold”). Performant Financial provides technology-enabled recovery and related analytics services in the United States. The stock price has risen 10.2% over the past month, better than the 1.3% decrease the Nasdaq has seen over the same period of time. .

This week, Courier Corporation () pushes up from a C to a B rating. Courier engages in printing, publishing, and selling books. .

United Stationers () boosts its rating from a C to a B this week. United Stationers is a wholesale distributor of business products, including technology products, office products, office furniture, janitorial and breakroom supplies and industrial supplies. .

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

The Public Is NOT in the Stock Market

Despite stocks hitting new highs, the general public is not racing back into them, writes MoneyShow's Howard R. Gold, who tells you where the majority are putting their money instead.

As stocks keep hitting new milestones, more and more pundits worry we're in another stock market bubble. They cite record margin debt, euphoria over initial public offerings like that of Twitter (TWTR), and, of course, the big run we've already seen in the major indices.

And they mention the growing involvement of Main Street investors in the stock market just as we're hitting all-time highs—a contrarian sign, if there ever was one.

The only problem is there's little evidence John and Jane Public are barreling back into stocks. In fact, the data shows, overwhelmingly, that the public remains wary of, if not hostile to, stock investing, and only a small number of affluent, adventurous individuals are doing the buying.

As of last week, investors had bought $144.6 billion of mutual and exchange traded funds (ETFs) focused on US equities and $187.1 billion in international equity funds and ETFs in 2013, according to TrimTabs Investment Research, based in Sausalito, California.

The total of $331.7 billion is the most since 2000, when investors plowed $324 billion into domestic equity mutual funds alone. And we all know what happened then. But look more closely. Of the $144.6 billion in domestic equity funds US investors have bought in 2013, only $24.4 billion went into US equity mutual funds; the rest poured into ETFs.

So, mutual fund investors contributed only 17% of the total inflows into all domestic US equity funds, so far, this year.

But a fund is a fund is a fund, right?

Not really. ETFs are not good barometers of broad individual participation in the stock market, because most aren't even owned by retail investors.

"More than one-half of all ETF assets are held by financial institutions—not individuals," John C. Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, wrote recently. "Financial institutions own 60% of all SPDRs, 59% of iShares, and 41% of Vanguard ETFs."

And, Bogle pointed out, a recent Vanguard study showed individuals who own ETFs "are significantly less likely to be long-term investors, and significantly more likely to be short-term speculators."

Read Howard's commentary on why investors have shunned individual stocks on MoneyShow.com.

They also represent a small sliver of the investing public.

According to the Investment Company Institute, only 3.4 million US households—3% of the total—owned ETFs in 2012, versus 53.8 million, or 44% of households, that owned mutual funds.

"ETF-owning households tended to have higher incomes, greater household financial assets, and were more likely to be headed by college-educated individuals," the ICI reported.

ETF-owning households had a median of $500,000 in financial assets, which include employer retirement plans, but not the value of a primary residence. That's eight times the $62,500 median financial assets of all US households.

NEXT PAGE: Main Street investors shun stocks

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3 Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher

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

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

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.

>>Buy the Dips: This Bull Market's Not Over

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

Net 1 Ueps Technologies

Net 1 Ueps Technologies (UEPS) is a provider of payment solutions and transaction processing services across multiple industries. This stock closed up 4.9% to $8.23 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $7.76-$8.30

52-Week Range: $4.61-$13

Tuesday's Volume: 205,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 193,566

From a technical perspective, UEPS spiked sharply higher here with above-average volume. This stock recently gapped down big from $11.50 to $7.33 with above-average volume. That move has pushed shares of UEPS into oversold territory, since its current relative strength index reading is 29.69. Oversold can always get more oversold, but it's also an area where a stock can experience a powerful bounce higher from. Shares of UEPS have now started to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if UEPS manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.44 to its 200-day moving average at $8.67 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in UEPS as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $7.76 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 193,566 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then UEPS will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone that started at $11.50.

Silver Standard Resources

Silver Standard Resources (SSRI) engages in the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of silver-dominant resource properties principally in the Americas. This stock closed up 6.3% to $6.41 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $6.16-$6.43

52-Week Range: $5.18-$15.53

Tuesday's Volume: 1.95 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 1.60 million

From a technical perspective, SSRI gapped sharply higher here and broke out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.09 to $6.38 with above-average volume. This breakout is pushing shares of SSRI outside of its recent sideways trading chart pattern, which saw the stock move between $5.47 on the downside and $6.38 on the upside. Market players should now look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if shares of SSRI can manage to take out Tuesday's high of $6.44 with strong volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SSRI as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $6.16 or above its 50-day at $5.87 and then once it sustains a move or close above $6.44 with volume that hits near or above 1.60 million shares. If we get that move soon, then SSRI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 200-day moving average of $7.35 to $7.55. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give SSRI a chance to tag $8.

China Gerui Advanced Materials

China Gerui Advanced Materials (CHOP) operates as a contract manufacturer of cold-rolled narrow strip steel products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. This stock closed up 5.9% to $1.24 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $1.15-$1.25

52-Week Range: $1.12-$3.04

Thursday's Volume: 197,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 72,658

From a technical perspective, CHOP spiked sharply higher here right above its 52-week low of $1.12 with above-average volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months, with shares diving lower from its high of $1.82 to its low of $1.12. During that move, shares of CHOP have been mostly making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, the downside volatility for shares of CHOP could be over in the short-term since the stock is finding high-volume buying interest off its recent low. Shares of CHOP are now quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if CHOP manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $1.25 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CHOP as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $1.15 or above its 52-week low of $1.12 and then once it sustains a move or close above $1.25 with volume that hits near or above 72,658 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CHOP will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 50-day moving average of $1.40 to $1.52. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give CHOP a chance to tag $1.60 to $1.70.

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

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>Sell These 5 Toxic Stocks to Avoid a Christmas Crash

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy Before 2014

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Energy Return: Formula For Confusion

Energy Return on Energy Invested

One of the criticisms of oil sands production is that the process requires too much energy. Some argue that these projects are a poor way to use energy, because the energy return on energy invested (EROEI) is ~ 3:1 (which would mean it takes 1 BTU of energy input to produce 3 BTUs of bitumen output). Most conventional oil, on the other hand, has an EROEI in the range of 10:1 to 20:1.

The concept of EROEI has sometimes been used to challenge the logic of certain energy projects. The production of bitumen from oil sands has been challenged on the basis of low EROEI. So is the production of oil sands ultimately doomed by a low energy return? Let’s investigate.

Introduction to EROEI Basics

The concept of energy return on energy invested is greatly misunderstood. On the one hand some argue that EROEI doesn’t matter, only economics. This misses a key point: EROEI is going to affect the future of energy production, because it can be used to show that in order to maintain the current net energy for society, energy production must accelerate as EROEI declines. At low EROEI far more gross energy production is required to achieve the same net, as illustrated below:



Source: EROEI Explained

But it is also true that companies don’t make project decisions on the basis of EROEI. What EROEI can tell us is the relative sustainability of the fossil fuel inputs to various projects, and it can be a useful tool of energy policy when comparing different processes. The lower the EROEI of a process, the lower the sustainability and the faster fossil fuel resources are depleted.

EROEI Basics

The important EROEI equation is EROEI = Energy Output/Energy Input. The “input” term concerns the energy that is actually consumed in producing the usable energy output. Some have incorrectly used “input” to refer to energy that is also an output (i.e., energy that wasn’t actually consumed in the process).  An example of this would be treating an entire barrel of oil as input, when what we are really concerned with is how much energy was consumed to refine the barrel.

Thus, if we have to consume 10 BTUs (Input) to extract and refine 100 BTUs of oil (Output), then the EROEI is 100 to 10, or 10 to 1. Even though the entire 100 BTUs of oil was processed, we are concerned with what was consumed.

The breakeven for EROEI is 1.0. In that case, the process has consumed just as much energy as it produced. In some cases, that may still make economic sense. For instance, if you input coal BTUs but output diesel BTUs (as in a gas-to-liquids project), then the coal was converted into something of greater value. However, if the input is a transportation fuel and the output is a transportation fuel, then from an energy policy point of view the relevant question for a low-EROEI process would be “Why not just use the inputs directly as a transportation fuel?”

Another major caveat is that there is no time factor included in EROEI calculations. Thus, it is possible for a lower EROEI process to be more attractive than a higher EROEI process if the former returns the energy over a shorter time interval. A process that returns 3 percent excess energy on a daily basis is better than one that returns 100 percent excess on an annual basis, even though the relative EROEIs are 1.03 to 1 and 2 to 1. Thus, when someone makes a blanket statement about an EROEI for a process, or between competing processes, a key question needs to be “Over what time interval is the EROEI calculated?” (I explained this in more detail in How Not to Use EROEI).

Reviewing the Methods of Oil Sands Production

As discussed in Mining Black Gold in the Great White North, there are two primary ways of producing bitumen from oil sands. The first is steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). This process consists of:

Drilling a pair of horizontal wells, one about 5 meters above the other

Extracting brackish groundwater and converting that to steam

Injecting steam into the upper well for months to heat up the bitumen

Pumping the hot liquid bitumen from the lower well (steam injection continues during most of the well’s lifetime)

Separating the returned water from the bitumen and reusing the water in the process

When oil sands are produced via surface mining, the process consists of:

Removal of the overburden (timber and 30-40 meters of peat, clay, and sand)

Digging up the bitumen-laden ore and transporting it to the processing facility

Mixing the ore with hot water to separate the bitumen from the sand

Transporting the remaining sand and residual bitumen to tailings ponds for further settling

Optionally upgrading the bitumen into synthetic crude oil

Two companies that I visited on my recent trip to the Athabasca region were Cenovus Energy (NYSE: CVE, TSE: CVE), which produces bitumen primarily via the SAGD process, and Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ, TSE: CNQ), which primarily produces bitumen from surface mining. In the Athabasca region there is an abundance of cheap natural gas, which is consumed in these processes to produce much more valuable crude oil.

The Competitive Analysis

Competitive analyses are tools used by companies to assess their strengths and weaknesses. The organization doing the evaluating will be given access to data from a number of participating companies to provide an overall analysis of particular metrics. The results are then shared with the participating companies, but each company is only allowed to see their rank among the other companies.

During the visit to Cenovus, the company provided data from such a 3rd party competitive analysis which enabled me to calculate the range of EROEIs across the industry. In the graphic below Cenovus knows which bars belong to them, and they know which companies participated, but they don’t know which other bars belong to which companies:



Steam to Oil Ratio. Source: Cenovus Investor Presentation

So we can see that in this analysis of data collected by IHS CERA, the four lowest “steam to oil ratios” — a measure of the relative indication of how much energy is being used — are found in four Cenovus projects. FC, TL, CL, and NL are Foster Creek, Telephone Lake, Christina Lake, and Narrows Lake — all Cenovus projects or joint ventures. The Grand Rapids (GR) project in the middle of the pack is also a Cenovus project.

Calculating the EROEI of Oil Sands Production

But how does a “steam to oil ratio” (SOR) translate to EROEI? I spent a lot of time going back and forth with Cenovus on this issue. To an engineer, a “barrel of steam” really has no absolute meaning, as energy content would vary with the temperature and pressure of the steam. So I asked for actual BTUs of energy to produce a barrel of steam, so that I could make relative comparisons. After several follow-up email exchanges and a phone call, here is what I was told by Brett Harris, a Cenovus spokesperson:

“As of the second quarter of 2012, we were using approximately 840 cubic feet of natural gas to produce 1 barrel of oil. On a BTU basis, that’s approximately 856,800 BTUs of natural gas to produce approximately 5.8 million BTUs worth of oil, which is a ratio of about 1 to 6.8.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the electricity input for 2012. The last year for which I have fully calculated numbers was 2008. In 2008, at our Christina Lake operations, electricity and diesel accounted for about 5% of the total energy input to create a barrel of oil. Natural gas accounted for the remaining 95%. At the time, our all in energy ratio to produce a barrel of oil was about 1 to 6.3. (I believe that has improved since then, but I don’t have the electricity numbers to calculate a more recent all in number for you).”

So if I use their 2012 ratio of 840 cubic feet of natural gas to produce a barrel of oil, add another 5% to account for diesel and gasoline, I arrive at about 900,000 BTUs of energy to produce 5.8 million BTUs of oil. That results in an EROEI for Cenovus’ SAGD bitumen production of 6.4 to 1. The EROEI has been improving over time as they have learned what works well and what doesn’t, and it is approaching the lower range of conventional oil production.

But note in the graphic that while the SOR for most Cenovus projects is down in the 2 to 1 ratio (2.1 according to the graphic below), one of their peers uses a lot more energy at ~7.8 to 1 for the SOR. While the comparison isn’t perfect, because some companies may define a “barrel of steam” in slightly different ways, we can make a rough estimate of the EROEI for the industry laggards.

If we assume that 900,000 BTUs of energy inputs are approximately the equivalent of a 2.1 to 1 SOR, then a SOR of 7.8 would be approximately 3.3 million BTUs of inputs to produce 5.8 million BTUs of oil. (That may be a slight overestimate as that also assumes that the laggards are less efficient with electricity and diesel; if we assume that their electricity and diesel efficiency is the same as that of Cenovus, I come up with 3.2 million BTUs of input).

That means for the worst in class, the EROEI is only about 1.8 to 1 (5.8 million output for 3.3 million input). If these were fungible inputs and outputs — for example, if this company had to cannibalize some of their oil to produce the energy for the process — this wouldn’t likely be economically viable for that particular project. Perhaps their process is still economical with cheap natural gas inputs and oil outputs, but the very existence of this process means that those low-ball EROEIs regarding oil sands production have some truth to them.

While the one company with an SOR of ~7.8 is a clear outlier, there are a number of companies operating in the 4 to 5 range for SOR. Assuming an average of 4.5 for the SOR and repeating the earlier exercise, I arrive at an EROEI for these companies of 3 to 1. So it would appear that the vast majority of oil sands operators are operating in the 3 to 1 range.

How does this compare to surface mining of bitumen? According to the following graphic, Cenovus’ SAGD process is better than the average surface mining process, which itself looks to have an SOR of about 3 to 1. That would make the EROEI of surface mining of bitumen about 4.3 to 1 — better than the average SAGD process but not as good as the best SAGD processes.

GHG Intensity Across Comparable Crudes. Source: Cenovus Investor Presentation

One other item of interest from that graphic is that it indicates that Cenovus’ bitumen production actually has a better energy return from well-to-tank than Nigerian light oil or California heavy oil. This would take into account the production, transport, and refining of the oil. Saudi Arabian medium crude has the lowest energy inputs on the graphic, indicating it has the highest EROEI. (Note that in the previous EROEI calculations, the refining step isn’t included; refining to finished products requires another 500,000 to 600,000 BTUs of energy input per barrel of finished product).

Conclusions

The next time you hear someone argue that oil sands production has a low energy return relative to other sources of oil, you will know that the truth is more complex. Across the industry there is great variation. While the industry average EROEI for oil sands production via in situ methods is indeed around 3 to 1, the very important caveat is that it is possible to have an EROEI of double that — as Cenovus has demonstrated. Further, some conventional sources of oil have a worse energy return than many sources of bitumen.

(Follow Robert Rapier on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.)

Nontraded Schorsch REIT soon to list on public exchange

The $1.7 billion American Realty Capital Healthcare Trust Inc., headed by REIT mogul Nicholas Schorsch, will list its common stock on a national stock exchange in one of the first of what one analyst expects to be up to $20 billion of liquidity events of nontraded REITs over the next two years.

Kevin Gannon, president of investment bank Robert A. Stanger & Co. Inc., said ARC Healthcare Trust's listing would be, along with American Realty Capital Trust IV Inc. and Corporate Property Associates 16 Global Inc., the first to kick off the coming tide of listings of nontraded real estate trusts.

“And there's more coming,” said Mr. Gannon. “Over next two years, and maybe sooner if the financial markets stay healthy, $20 billion of deals are coming to list.”

The board of ARC Healthcare Trust said Friday it intended to begin the process to list its common stock on an exchange under the symbol HCT. It expects to provide more information about the listing in the next few weeks. The REIT earlier had said it was going to examine its long-term, strategic alternatives. Mr. Schorsch is chairman and chief executive of the REIT.

Mr. Gannon said the nontraded REIT sponsors who have performed well will be rewarded. If a REIT lists above its initial offering price, which is typically $10 per share, the REIT's sponsor has a 50% chance of a client recycling cash and investing in a new offering, Mr. Gannon said. If a REIT lists significantly below its offering price, clients are likely to reinvest with the same sponsor only 10% to 20% of the time, he said.

The rosy outlook for REIT listings comes after a strong 2013 for the product. This year saw six listings of nontraded REITs that originally raised $16.9 billion in equity, Mr. Gannon said. In total, the industry expects to raise a record $20 billion in 2013.

2 Big Problems for Sony Spotted in the "Amazing Spider-Man 2" Trailer

Have you seen the new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2? I have, and as both a fan and as an investor, I'm nervous. I'll recount why in a moment. First, click the video to see more of what Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) has planned for Marvel's wall crawler:

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens in theaters on May 2, 2014. Sources: Sony, YouTube.

Where is filmmaker Marc Webb going with this story? Here's what Sony says on the movie's synopsis page:

It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.

Interesting. So perpetually troubled teen Parker, who already carries the burden of caring for a girlfriend and his Aunt May, now also has to bear the burden of keeping all of Manhattan safe while solving the mystery of what happened to his parents? Much as I hope the setup works, I can already see two problems:

1. At least three villains, and counting. We already know that Jamie Foxx assumes the role of Electro in ASM2 while Paul Giamatti plays the Rhino. But with Harry Osborn in the mix -- and Chris Cooper as Norman Osborn -- an appearance from either the Green Goblin or Hobgoblin seems likely. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 may suffer from the same sort of crowded script that made Spider-Man 3 the worst of Sam Raimi's run on the character.

2. A complicated plot needs room to breathe. The trailer and Sony's description also suggest that Webb spends ample time working through the mystery of what happened to Peter's parents. A good idea, I think, but one that needs screen time to fully explore. A crowded script would make that difficult under the best of circumstances.

So is it time to panic? No, but I think we can fairly say that Sony needs The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to be a win when Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems have failed to put up good numbers recently. In fact, U.S. grosses are down nearly 39% year-to-date through Dec. 5, Box Office Mojo reports. Sony's motion pictures and TV productions accounted for about 21% of pre-tax operating profit in the fiscal year ended in March.

In simple terms: Spidey is a meaningful contributor to Sony's bottom line. Or at least he has been up to this point. Unfortunately, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and its conflated story may change that.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. What do you expect from Sony's next Spider-Man film? Do you plan to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

Sony has already commissioned four films starring Spider-Man. Source: Sony/Columbia Pictures.

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Ask Matt: Does timing of stock sale affect taxes?

USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com.

Q: Is it worth holding off selling a stock to get a lower tax rate?

A: Frequent traders like to say it's never wise to let Uncle Sam make your investment decisions for you. But in reality, tax considerations are enormous and shouldn't be ignored.

When you sell a winning stock that you've own for a year or less, you have quite a bill to pay in many cases. These so-called short-term capital gains are taxed at your ordinary income tax bracket, which ranges from 10% to 35%. That's a hefty bill for most investors.

By holding onto a winning stock for more than a year, when you sell, your gain likely qualifies for the long-term capital gains rate. The long-term capital gains rate is a bargain next to most people's short-term capital gains rates. Investors in the 10% and 15% ordinary income tax rates pay 0% capital gains taxes on their long-term gains. And other investors in the 25% or higher ordinary income tax rates are access long-term capital gains rates of 15%.

Given the massive amount of difference between the long-term and the short-term capital gains rates, you can see that unless you think a stock is going to fall by a large amount, and you risk suffering a hit by holding, you're most often best off holding on for a couple of extra days to qualify for the lower tax rate.

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Follow Matt Krantz on Twitter: @mattkrantz.

The chart that’s scaring Wall Street

In recent days, a chart featuring two lines like the ones shown below has been circulating among trading desks, according to hedge-fund manager Douglas Kass. It certainly looks scary, pointing as it does to a 1929-magnitude crash in January.

But there isn't any need to run for the hills just yet. The chart's statistical validity is questionable, at best. Even many of those who insist it is worth paying attention to aren't predicting a crash.

The Wall Street Journal

The chart shows the performance of the stock market over the past 18 months alongside the path the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)  traveled in 1928 and 1929. In emailing it to his clients, Kass, president of Seabreeze Partners Management Inc., called the similarity "eerie." Read: Ghost of 1929 crash reappears.

According to Tom McClellan, editor of the McClellan Report, an investment newsletter, the Sept. 3, 1929, stock market top equates to this coming Jan. 14 — just five weeks from now.

David Leinweber, founder of the Center for Innovative Financial Technology at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, isn't impressed. In an email, he said that "if you looked at enough periods of the same length, you'd find all sorts of very similar pictures, most without a crash at the end."

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Leinweber views charts such as this one as an example of a potentially dangerous practice known as "data mining"— endlessly analyzing a database until you "discover" a pattern. The result of this practice is "the analytical equivalent of finding bunnies in the clouds. If you did enough poring, you would be bound to find that bunny sooner or later, but it would be no more real than the one that blows over the horizon," he said.

Kass, who has been outspokenly bearish on the U.S. stock market during a rally that has pushed the S&P 500 index (SPX)  up 26% this year, said he sent the chart out to his clients merely as "interesting food for thought." He said that, while he believes stocks are likely to produce below-average returns in coming years, he doesn't think there will be a crash.

McClellan said that finding chart correlations is risky, since they "all break down eventually — it's just a matter of time." Unfortunately, "they usually break down the moment you are most counting on it."

Nevertheless, he said he will be closely watching whether the stock market in coming weeks continues to follow the pre-1929-crash script. If it does, and he concedes that this is a "big if," then his confidence will grow that the stock market's direction will turn down in January.

To be sure, a bear market could happen at any time, and drawing the analogy between now and the late 1920s can serve a helpful purpose: If you don't think you can stick with your stock holdings through a market decline, you should reduce them now to whatever level you would be comfortable holding through that decline.

There is another reason to consider selling some shares: The bull market has led equity positions to become a bigger part of overall portfolio values. That in turn means portfolios might be riskier than is appropriate. The end of the year is an ideal time to tweak portfolio allocations.

In this rebalancing, you would normally invest the proceeds of sales into asset classes that have performed poorly. That might mean buying bonds, however, since bonds have lost ground this year as the stock market has soared. That may seem hard to swallow if you expect the Federal Reserve to start pulling back on its bond purchases, which some think could push bond yields higher and prices lower.

Jason Hsu, chief investment officer at Research Affiliates, a money management firm based in Newport Beach, Calif., recommends looking at "absolute-return strategies" as you rebalance your portfolio. These strategies aim to produce consistent returns in all kinds of markets.

In theory, absolute-return strategies tend to march to the beats of their own drummers rather than rise and fall in lock step with either stocks or bonds. That could make them attractive if you, like Hsu, are unenthusiastic about the prospects for either stocks or bonds in coming years.

David Nadig, chief investment officer at IndexUniverse, a research firm, says there are several exchange-traded funds that offer absolute-return strategies. He said in an email that his firm's recommendations are based on a number of factors, including expenses, liquidity, and how closely the fund tracks the market to which it is benchmarked.

His firm's top pick among "absolute-return ETFs" is the IQ Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker [ticker: QAI], with a 0.94% expense ratio, or $94 per $10,000 invested. The fund aims to match the average performance of a wide variety of hedge funds.

Another is the PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest fund [ticker: DBV], with a 0.75% expense ratio, which invests in the currencies of leading industrialized nations. A third ETF that Nadig's firm recommends is the WisdomTree Managed Futures Strategy fund (WDTI)  , with a 0.96% expense ratio; it bets on the directions of currencies, interest rates, and physical commodities.

Hsu also suggested diversifying equity holdings outside the U.S. He believes that three regions offer equity markets that are cheaper than the U.S.: Japan, Europe and emerging markets.

The ETFs linked to these respective regions that Mr. Nadig's firm favors are the iShares MSCI Japan fund (EWJ)  , with a 0.53% expense ratio; the iShares MSCI EMU Index fund (EZJ)  , also with a 0.53% expense ratio; and the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets fund (IEMG)  , with a 0.18% expense ratio.

More related commentary:

Ghost of 1929 crash reappears

Made in the U.S.A. is a money-making investment idea

How to get a $100 discount on an ounce of gold