Now what's hottest at the Detroit auto show?

Now that more than 200,000 average folks have visited the North American International Auto Show going on in Detroit, which new models are considered winners or losers?

Picking the best and worst is a tough job, but Mark Rechtin, West Coast automotive editor for Automotive News, sounds up to the task in this week's issue. He gives a green light to the three performance vehicles that we profiled on video -- Chevrolet Corvette Z06, BMW M4 and Toyota's FT-1 concept.

In fact, he says that FT-1 turned out to be the star of the show. Every year, there's one car that seems to dance in attendees' heads long after they are done prowling Cobo Hall. Since Ford had already showed its next Mustang a month ago and the hoopla faded quickly when it came to the aluminum F-150, Toyota was left standing as the automaker with the "it" car.

Rechtin is less enthusiastic about cars that impressed us, like the Kia GT4 Stinger, Hyundai Genesis and Porsche Targa.

And he gives the big no-go to the Chrysler 200 ('claustrophobe's nightmare"), Infiniti Q30 concept/Q50 (ersatz German styling), VW Dune concept (warmed-over Baja Bug) and Volvo XC Coupe concept (sexy but makes "zero business sense").

Is he right? Check out all the models on our At the Auto Show page.

Toyota shows the FT-1 concept  Keith Barry/Reviewed.comFullscreen The Toyota FT-1 sports car concept looks menacing from the front  Keith Barry/Reviewed.comFullscreen The Toyota FT-1 concept car points to tthe brand's future design look  STAN HONDA AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreen Members of the media get a look at the Toyota FT-1 concept car  STAN HONDA AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreen The Toyota FT-1 concept car has a rear spoiler, though it is not seen raised here  STAN HONDA AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreen Another look at the Toyota FT-1 concept car during a press preview at the North American International Auto Show  STAN HONDA AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreenLike this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:ReplayAutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow ! CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide

Natural Gas Inventory Declines Again, Price Slips

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Thursday morning that U.S. natural gas stocks decreased by 250 billion cubic feet for the week ending February 14. That compared with an expected drop of 248 to 252 billion cubic feet anticipated by analysts. Natural gas futures prices were trading about 1% lower in advance of the EIA report, at around $6.09 per million BTUs, and slipped to around $5.94 immediately following the report.

Natural gas prices rose to a five-year high near $6.15 per million BTUs Wednesday, up almost $0.50 since last week’s inventory report. Forecasts call for continued cold weather and snowy conditions in the Midwest and Northeast. Natural gas storage levels could even fall to below a trillion cubic feet by the end of the winter heating season in March, according to a report at MarketWatch. Thursday’s drop was in line with expectations, dampening what might have been a sharper price increase.

The EIA reported that U.S. working stocks of natural gas totaled 1.44 trillion cubic feet, about 741 billion cubic feet below the five-year average of 2.18 trillion cubic feet. Working gas in storage totaled 2.42 trillion cubic feet for the same period a year ago. Natural gas inventories are dropping further below the bottom of the five-year range.

Here is how stocks of the largest U.S. natural gas producers reacted to this report:

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), the country’s largest producer of natural gas, was up about 0.8%, at $94.74 in a 52-week range of $84.79 to $101.74.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) was up 0.2%, at $26.44 in a 52-week range of $18.21 to $29.06.

EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: EOG) was up 0.9%, at $180.54. The 52-week range is $112.05 to $188.30.

The U.S. Natural Gas Fund (NYSEMKT: UNG) was down about 0.6%, at $26.76 in a 52-week range of $16.59 to $27.58. The Market Vectors Oil Services ETF (NYSEMKT: OIH) was up 0.4%, at $47.77 in 52-week range of $39.42 to $51.11. The first fund tracks spot prices; the second includes major drillers and services companies.

Why the Keystone XL Is Not So Key

The joint monthly web chat for subscribers of The Energy Strategist (TES) and MLP Profits (MLPP) took place last week. The chat is conducted by Igor Greenwald, who is managing editor for TES and chief investment strategist for MLPP, and myself.  

There were four energy sector questions remaining at the end of the chat that required an extended answer, or a bit more research. This week I will answer two of the four questions that were left: One on the importance (or lack thereof) of the Keystone XL pipeline, and one on Nordic American Tankers. Next week's issue will tackle the other two questions: One on Argentina's expropriation from Repsol in 2012 and one on Shell's massive floating liquefied natural gas project.

For answers to some of the remaining MLP questions from the chat, see this week's MLP Investing Insider.

Q: With the impending development of Canada’s own Western and Eastern pipelines, does the Northern leg of Keystone remain essential for Canadian E&Ps or is it just important to transport from the Dakotas?

Given the recent release of the US State Department's final environmental impact statement (EIS) for TransCanada's (TSE: TRP, NYSE: TRP) Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline, this is an opportune time for an update. The EIS concluded that "the proposed Project is unlikely to significantly affect the rate of extraction in oil sands areas…" This is something that I have maintained all along, but this also means that the importance of KXL has been incredibly overblown.

This pipeline project has gotten more attention than any pipeline project since the Trans-Alaska Pipeline of the 1970s. Many environmentalists have protested KXL out of the belief that it is the key to expanding oil sands production in Alberta, but this only demonstrates a general lack of understanding about how logistics projects are executed.

For a bit of perspective, see this partial map of ! just the largest pipelines that crisscross North America. There are presently pipelines crossing rivers and above the nation's aquifers, and there are pipelines crossing the US border to the north and south. According to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., there are 74 operating oil and gas pipelines that cross the border between the US and Canada. KXL would be the 75th.

Major North American oil, gas, and product pipelines. Source: Theodora

Before KXL, there were many pipeline proposals that would have exported Alberta bitumen. But the Keystone XL got a lot of commitments from the industry because it made the most sense to ship the heavy oil to US Gulf Coast refineries that were configured to refine it. Now that KXL is facing formidable opposition, TransCanada's competitors are dusting off old proposals, and coming up with new ones.

As you suggest, there are pipeline proposals going both east and west. Enbridge's (TSE: ENB, NYSE: ENB) Northern Gateway would provide an outlet to the Pacific Ocean, but there is significant opposition in British Columbia and from First Nations groups. More likely to be approved for a western route will be Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP) has filed an application with Canadian regulators that would nearly triple the 300,000 barrels-per-day Trans Mountain pipeline capacity to 890,000 bpd, and would terminate in Burnaby, British Columbia. The $5.4 billion expansion would be along the existing right-of-way, greatly simplifying the environmental permitting for the project. Last year, 13 companies signed firm contracts, bringing the total volume of committed shippers to 710,000 barrels per day (bpd). The pipeline is scheduled to begin construction in 2016 with incremental product online in 2017.

TransCanada has its own K! XL altern! ative with its Energy East pipeline — a 4,500-kilometer pipeline that would carry 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in Eastern Canada. Much of the project will involve conversion of an existing natural gas pipeline and modifications to enable it to transport oil. This project would be nearly 50 percent larger than KXL, and would give Alberta's bitumen an outlet to the East Coast.

Enbridge also has a pipeline project running south and east. Enbridge is expanding the capacity of its Alberta Clipper Pipeline from 450,000 bpd to 570,000 bpd. The Canadian portion of the pipeline transports oil from the Hardisty Terminal in southeastern Alberta to Enbridge's Gretna Station in southern Manitoba, then connects at the international border to the US portion of the system and continues to Superior, Wisconsin. The project is expected to be completed and in service by July 2014.

Whether KXL is approved is unlikely to have a big impact on any particular company. TransCanada would probably see the most significant share price movement, but the project isn't a make-or-break for the company. Oil sands producers like Cenovus Energy (NYSE: CVE, TSE: CVE) have signed up to ship on KXL, and could see some share price movement as well. KXL would probably be the low-cost shipping option for Cenovus and other oil sands producers, but during my visit to Fort McMurray in November Cenovus emphasized that whether KXL is approved or not, the outcome would have no effect on its growth plans given the ready availability of alternatives.

Q: What about Nordic American Tankers? I read that there are even more ships coming onto the market which should kill the latest rise in tanker rates, which would obviously be bad for tanker companies like NAT. Is this what you expect as well?

Nordic American Tanker (NYSE: NAT) is a Bermuda-based tanker company that acquires and charters double-hull tankers. Its fleet consists of 20 double-hull Suezmax tankers. Besi! des the f! actor you mention about more ships coming onto the market, NAT has underperformed — period. Shares have lost two-thirds of their value over the past five years, and the dividend has been cut multiple times.

The company was in one of our portfolios when Igor and I assumed responsibility for the newsletter, and we removed it in a purge almost exactly one year ago. Shares were trading at just under $9 when we removed it, and in the year since, the price has traded as low as $7 and as high as $12.61. Right now it is trading at about $10, around 15 percent higher than it was a year ago.

The reason we removed NAT is that the company has consistently failed to meet its own forecasts as well as investors' expectations. Last month, in a move familiar to Nordic American investors, the company once more cut the dividend from the previous quarter's $0.16 per share to $0.12 per share. (The quarterly dividend in 2012 was $0.30 per share). The share price had been rallying, but now has dropped 11 percent in the past three weeks.

This is one that I would avoid based on past management performance, regardless of the overall drivers in the tanker market.

Next week we will discuss Shell's massive Prelude project, which may help put that company in a dominant position in the world's LNG market, as well as the expropriation of YPF from Repsol by the Argentine government.

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

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014

People who have experienced difficulties are often the best positioned to help others facing those same problems.

That goes for a child of divorce who now counsels clients with failing marriages, and also describes an advisor who has personally experienced the dangers of debt addiction.

Fort Worth financial advisor Jason Hull, a popular blogger, gets personal about his bouts of credit card binging in a post that is all the more interesting because he also had a later experience as a credit card company executive.

Hull covers familiar ground in noting there are two general approaches to paying off credit card debt.

The mathematically sound method is to pay off higher rate cards first, to arrest the negative compounding and pay a smaller total interest tab, ultimately.

There are those who take a behavioral approach, however, arguing that it’s of greater value to pay off a smaller debts first in order develop a feeling of accomplishment needed to make further progress.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: LaPorte Bancorp Inc.(LPSB)

LaPorte Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for the The LaPorte Savings Bank, which provides commercial banking services to individuals and small businesses. The company?s deposits include savings accounts, health savings accounts, NOW accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and IRAs, as well as commercial checking accounts for businesses. Its lending portfolio includes one to four family residential loans, mortgage warehouse loans, commercial real estate loans, construction and land loans, commercial loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, and consumer and other loans. The company also offers trust services. It operates through eight branches in LaPorte and Porter Counties, Indiana. The company is based in LaPorte, Indiana. LaPorte Bancorp, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of LaPorte Savings Bank, MHC.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: VSE Corporation(VSEC)

VSE Corporation focuses on providing sustainment services for the legacy systems and equipment of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD); and professional services to the DoD and federal civilian agencies in the United States. The company?s Federal Group offers legacy equipment sustainment, engineering, technical, management, integrated logistics support, and information technology (IT) services to DoD and other government agencies. The Federal Group provides technical support services; field maintenance and logistics support services for military vehicles and equipment; systems and software engineering, logistics, and prototyping services; and life cycle engineering, and maintenance and refurbishment services. Its International Group offers engineering, industrial, logistics, and foreign military sales services to the U.S. military and other government agencies. The International Group provides program management and technical support services for ship reactivations and tr ansfers; management, maintenance, storage, and disposal support for the U.S. Department of Treasury?s seized and forfeited general property program; and field engineering, logistics, maintenance, and IT services to the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The company?s IT, Energy, and Management Consulting Group offers technical, policy, and management support in the areas of energy efficiency, energy supply, grid modernization, climate change mitigation, and infrastructure protection and resilience; IT services to government agencies; and IT health care solutions to the DoD?s health services and logistics sector. Its Infrastructure Group provides engineering and transportation infrastructure, and construction management services to Federal Civilian agencies. The company?s Supply Chain Management Group supplies vehicle parts through a managed inventory program to the United States Postal Service; and through direct sales to DoD. VSE Corporation was founded in 1959 and is headquarter ed in Alexandria, Virginia.

Best Stocks To Invest In: Critical (CCZ.TO)

CriticalControl Solutions Corp., a technology information control company, builds, implements, and manages business process solutions. The company�s Service Bureau Operations segment implements technology and provides outsourced solutions to enhance information intensive business functions of clients primarily in the government, health care, financial, and retail industries. This segment also provides data entry and imaging services to capture paper or microfilmed documents electronically; technology solutions and hosted repositories to manage captured electronic information; and outsourcing of business processes that comprise document reception, imaging services, content analysis and response, and outgoing mail management, as well as sells imaging and related equipment and supplies. The company�s Canadian Energy Services segment offers ProStream, a software with interrelated suite of modules, including field data capture, regulatory compliance and risk management, and p roduction and financial accounting to manage production data from the well head to the financial statement. This segment is involved in the sale and implementation of ProStream software in Canada. The company�s US Energy Services segment engages in the sale and implementation of ProStream solutions to the United States client base; provision of gas measurement field and laboratory services, including natural gas meter installation, calibration, and monitoring; and fabrication, assembly, and sale of gas measurement and related equipment. The company was formerly known as WNS Emergent Inc. and changed its name to CriticalControl Solutions Corp. in June 2004. CriticalControl Solutions Corp. is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Formation Capital Com Npv(FCO.TO)

Formation Metals Inc. engages in the exploration, development, and refining of mineral properties in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company owns 100% interest in the Idaho Cobalt project, which consists of 241 claims covering an area of approximately 4,080 acres located in Lemhi County, Idaho; and the Big Creek Hydrometallurgical refining complex located in Shoshone County, near the town of Kellogg, Idaho. It also explores for silver, gold, copper, uranium, lead, zinc, and rare earth elements, as well as base and precious metals. The company was formerly known as Formation Capital Corporation and changed its name to Formation Metals Inc. in November 2009. Formation Metals Inc. was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Advent Wireless Inc (AWI.V)

Advent Wireless Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as independent specialty retailer of personal wireless and wireline communication products and services. Its retail products include wireless voice and data, high speed Internet, digital cable television, and home phones. As of December 31, 2011, the company operated a network of 24 stores in Canada. Advent Wireless Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is based in Richmond, Canada.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Trueclaim Exploration Inc (TRM.V)

Trueclaim Exploration Inc. engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of resource properties in Canada and the United States. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and copper deposits, as well as precious and base metals. The company holds interest in the Scadding Gold Property located in the area of Scadding, Ontario; and the Tecumseh property located within Trueclaim�s East Wahnapitae area in Canada. It also holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Black Diamond Mining property comprising 127 claims covering an area of approximately 2,500 acres located in the Gila County, Arizona. In addition, the company holds 10% working interests in the Linear Mining property in Newfoundland; the Berry-Desboues Township Mining property and the Hebecourt Township Mining property in Quebec; and the Boston Township Mining property and the Cook/Guibord Townships Mining property in Ontario, Canada. Trueclaim Exploration Inc. is based in Vancouver, Canada.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Flexsteel Industries Inc.(FLXS)

Flexsteel Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, import, and market of residential and commercial upholstered and wooden furniture products in the United States. Its upholstered and wooden furniture products include sofas, loveseats, chairs, reclining and rocker-reclining chairs, swivel rockers, sofa beds, convertible bedding units, occasional tables, desks, dining tables and chairs, and bedroom furniture. The company distributes its products for use in home, office, hotel, and other commercial applications through its sales force and various independent representatives, as well as to various national and regional chains. Flexsteel Industries, Inc. was founded in 1929 and is based in Dubuque, Iowa.

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 Flexsteel Industries (Nasdaq: FLXS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of La-Z-Boy have gained 11% to $27.02 at 1:54 p.m. today. Its performance is also giving other furniture stocks a boost. Flexsteel (FLXS) has risen 1% to $27.60, Hooker Furniture (HOFT) has jumped 1.6% to $17.12 and Ethan Allen International (ETH) has advanced 1.2% to $29.20. Haverty Furniture (HVT) has dipped 0.3% to $27.87.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: LEG is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: Hooker Furniture Corp. (HOFT) with a 2.4% yield, Flexsteel Industries Inc. (FLXS) with a 2.7% yield and Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETH) with a 1.4% yield.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Darden Restaurants Inc (DDN)

Darden Restaurants, Inc., incorporated on March 30, 1995, is a company owned and operated full service restaurant company. As of May 26, 2013, the Company operated through subsidiaries 2,138 restaurants in the United States and Canada. In the United States, it operated 2,105 restaurants in all 50 states, including 822 Olive Garden, 678 Red Lobster, 430 LongHorn Steakhouse, 49 The Capital Grille, 44 Yard House, 33 Bahama Breeze, 31 Seasons 52, nine Eddie V's Prime Seafood, six test synergy restaurants (which house both a Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurant in the same building) and three Wildfish Seafood Grille restaurants. As of May 26, 2013, it operated 33 restaurants, including 27 Red Lobster and six Olive Garden restaurants in Canada.

Through subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates all of its restaurants in the United States and Canada, except for three restaurants located in Florida and three restaurants in California, which are owned jointly by the Company and third parties, and managed by the Company, and five franchised restaurants in Puerto Rico. As of May 26, 2013, it also had 37 restaurants operated by independent third parties pursuant to area development and franchise agreements, including 23 Red Lobster restaurants in Japan, five LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in Puerto Rico, four Red Lobster restaurants and two Olive Garden restaurants in the Middle East region (a Red Lobster in Dubai, a Red Lobster in Qatar, a Red Lobster and an Olive Garden in Kuwait, a Red Lobster and an Olive Garden in Abu Dhabi), and two Olive Garden restaurants and one The Capital Grille restaurant in Mexico City.

Olive Garden

Olive Garden is a full service dining Italian restaurant operator in the United States. Olive Garden�� menu includes a variety of authentic Italian foods featuring fresh ingredients and a wine list that includes a selection of wines imported from Italy. The menu includes flatbreads and other appetizers; soups, salad and garlic breadsticks; bak! ed pastas; sauteed specialties with chicken, seafood and fresh vegetables; grilled meats, and a variety of desserts. Olive Garden also uses coffee imported from Italy for its espresso and cappuccino.

Red Lobster

Red Lobster is a full service dining seafood specialty restaurant operator in the United States. It offers a menu featuring fresh fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops and other seafood in a casual atmosphere. The menu includes a variety of specialty seafood and non-seafood entrees, appetizers and desserts. Red Lobster maintains different lunch and dinner menus and different menus across its trade areas.

LongHorn Steakhouse

LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants are full-service establishments serving both lunch and dinner. With locations in 38 states, primarily in the Eastern half of the United States, LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants feature a range of menu items, including signature fresh steaks and chicken, as well as salmon, shrimp, ribs, pork chops, burgers and prime rib.

The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille has locations in metropolitan cities in the United States. The Capital Grille offers seafood flown in daily and culinary specials created by its chefs. The restaurants feature a wine list offering over 350 selections, personalized service, and private dining rooms.

Bahama Breeze

Bahama Breeze restaurants bring guests the feeling of a Caribbean escape, offering the food, drinks and atmosphere found in the islands. The menu features fresh seafood, chicken and steaks, as well as signature specialty drinks.

Seasons 52

Seasons 52 is a grill and wine bar with menus offering a dining experience that celebrates living well. It offers an international wine list of more than 90 wines, with approximately 60 available by the glass. Its private dining rooms create the ideal environment for many social and business events, the Chef's Table provides a setting for chef-hosted cust! omizable ! food and wine pairing events, while the piano bar, featuring live music every night.

Eddie V's

Eddie V's opened in 2000 with an emphasis on prime seafood creations, USDA prime beef and chops, and fresh oyster bar selections. The ambiance is sophisticated and contemporary, with live nightly music in the V-Lounge.

Synergy Restaurants

Synergy restaurant houses both a Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurant in the same building, but with separate front doors, dining rooms and brand-specific menus. It opened a second synergy test location during the fiscal year ended May 26, 2013.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: (MMFIN.BO)

Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited, a non-banking finance company, primarily provides finance for utility vehicles, tractors, and cars. The company offers vehicle finance, such as tractor, utility vehicle, car, three-wheeler, commercial vehicle, and two-wheeler loans, as well as loans for construction equipment. It also provides home loans, including loans for construction, purchase, extension, and improvements; and personal loans for medical needs, educational needs, agricultural needs, and festival and marriage expenditures. In addition, the company offers direct life and non-life insurance broking for corporations and retail customers; mutual fund distribution services; and fixed deposits and auto refinance services. It primarily serves rural and semi-urban sectors in India. The company was formerly known as Maxi Motors Financial Services Limited and changed its name to Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited in November 1992. Mahindra & Mahindra Fina ncial Services Limited was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India. Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited is a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: VCA Antech Inc (WOOF.O)

VCA Antech, Inc., incorporated on May 4, 1987, is a national animal healthcare company operating in the United States and Canada. The Company provides veterinary services and diagnostic testing to support veterinary cares. The Company operates in two segments: animal hospital and laboratory. Its all other category includes Vetstreet and Medical Technology operating segments. The Company sells diagnostic imaging equipment and other medical technology products and related services to the veterinary markets. The Company's animal hospitals offer a range of general medical and surgical services for companion animals, as well as specialized treatments, including advanced diagnostic services, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and cardiology. On January 31, 2012, it expanded its operations into Canada with an increased investment in Associate Veterinary Clinics (1984) Limited (AVC), which operates 44 hospitals in three Canadian provinces. On February 1, 20 12, it acquired ThinkPet's, Inc. (ThinkPets). In 2012, it acquired 79 animal hospitals, including 44 with the acquisition of AVC, one laboratory and ThinkPets.

The Company provides various communication, marketing solutions and other services to the veterinary community. The Company's network of animal hospitals is supported by more than 3,000 veterinarians and had approximately 7.4 million patient visits during the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company's network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories provides testing and consulting services used by veterinarians in the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, treatment and prevention of diseases and other conditions affecting animals. The Company's network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories provides diagnostic testing for over 16,000 clients, which includes standard animal hospitals, large animal practices, universities and other government organizations. The Company's medical technology business sel ls digital radiography and ultrasound imaging equipment, p! ro! vides education and training on the use of that equipment, and provides consulting and mobile imaging services.

The Company's Vetstreet business provides services to veterinary practices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the pet owning community. The Company's services to veterinary practices include subscriptions to the Company's Pro Pet Portals. The Pro Pet Portal provides an online platform for the veterinarian to offer secure individualized portals for pet owners, as well as practice Websites that are branded to the individual veterinary clinic. The Company also sells appointment reminder notices that are sent to pet owners on behalf of their clinics. The Company's services to manufacturers involve targeted marketing programs to animal hospitals whom are subscribers to the Company's Pro Pet Portal.

Animal Hospital

As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated 609 animal hospitals serving 41 states and three Canadian provinces. The Company's Animal Hospital revenue accounted for 78% of total revenue in 2012. In addition to general medical and surgical services, the Company offers specialized treatments for companion animals, including advanced diagnostic services, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and cardiology. The Company also provides pharmaceutical products for uses in the delivery of treatments by its veterinarians and pet owners. Many of the Company's animal hospitals offer additional services, including grooming, bathing and boarding. The Company also sells specialty pet products at its animal hospitals, including pet food, vitamins, therapeutic shampoos and conditioners, flea collars and sprays, and other accessory products.

Laboratory

The Company operates a veterinary diagnostic laboratory network serving all 50 states and certain areas in Canada. The Company's Laboratory revenue accounted for 16% of total revenue in 2012. The Company service a diverse customer base of over 16,000 clients, including! ani! mal! hospi! tals the Company operates, which accounted for 16% of total laboratory revenue in 2012. The Company's diagnostic spectrum includes over 300 different tests in the area of chemistry, pathology, endocrinology, serology, hematology and microbiology, as well as tests specific to particular diseases. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated 55 veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The Company's laboratory network includes primary hubs that are open 24 hours per day and offer a testing menu, secondary laboratories that are open 24 hours per day and offer a testing menu servicing large metropolitan areas, and short-term assessment and treatment (STAT) laboratories that service other locations with demand sufficient to warrant nearby laboratory facilities and are open primarily during daytime hours. In 2012, the Company derived approximately 85% of its laboratory revenue from metropolitan areas, where the Company offers twice-a-day pick-up service and same-day results. In additio n, in these areas the Company generally offers to report results within three hours of pick-up. Outside of these areas, the Company typically provides test results to veterinarians before 8:00 a.m. the day following pick-up.

The Company competes with IDEXX Laboratories, Demand Force, and ePet Health.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Shanda Games Ltd (GAME.O)

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

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

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

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

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

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Patterson-UTI Energy Inc.(PTEN)

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides onshore contract drilling services to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States and Canada. The company offers pressure pumping services that consist of well stimulation and cementing for completion of new wells and remedial work on existing wells, as well as hydraulic fracturing, nitrogen, cementing, and acid pumping services in Texas and the Appalachian Basin; and contract drilling services primarily in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and western Canada. It also owns and invests in oil and natural gas assets located primarily in Texas and New Mexico. As of December 31, 2011, it had a drilling fleet of 330 marketable land-based drilling rigs. Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEN) is another name in which the Deutsche Bank team sees tremendous upside. With strong cash flow generation and continued share repurchases to help as activity levels accelerate, the stock has solid potential for investors at this level. Deutsche Bank has a $30 price target and the consensus figure is at $23.50.�Patterson closed Monday at $25.47. Investors are paid a 0.8% dividend.

• [By Elliott Gue]

  Our investment thesis: Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) continues to upgrade its fleet of drilling rigs, replacing older units with advanced APEX Walking rigs.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEN) was reinstated as Buy with a $27 price target at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

  Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) was started as Overweight with a $142 price target at J.P. Morgan. Deutsche Bank also started it with a Buy rating and a $170 price target.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Ashburton Minerals Ltd(ATN.AX)

Ashburton Minerals Limited engages in the exploration and evaluation of gold, copper, and base metal projects in Australia and Indonesia. The company primarily focuses on the Obi Gold project, which is located on the island of Obi, south of Halmahera in eastern Indonesia. It also holds interests in the Mt Webb copper project in Western Australia; the Yea gold project in Victoria; and the Spring Valley zinc-copper-lead project in New South Wales. The company is based in West Leederville, Australia.

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA)

Mine Safety Appliances Company develops, manufactures, and supplies health and safety products used by workers in the fire service, homeland security, construction, and other industries, as well as the military. It offers respiratory protection products, including self contained breathing apparatus, air-purifying respirators, gas masks, and escape hoods; and portable and permanent gas detection instruments, such as single-and multi-gas hand-held detectors, multi-point permanently installed gas detection systems, flame detectors, and open-path infrared gas detectors. The company also provides thermal imaging cameras; head, eye, face, and hearing protection products, such as industrial hard hats, fire helmets, and military helmets and communication systems; and body protection products comprising fall protection equipment and ballistic body armor. In addition, it offers consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. The company?s products are used by first responders; general industry workers; military personnel; oil, gas, petrochemical, and chemical workers; hazmat and confined space workers; and construction workers and contractors. Mine Safety Appliances Company sells its products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company was founded in 1914 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  Take Mine Safety Appliances (NYSE: MSA  ) , for instance. The safety equipment provider missed expectations in its most recent quarter. But its very solid balance sheet helps protect it from the cyclicality in its industry, and its overall strength enabled it to increase its dividend last week, in spite of that short-term weakness. That solid balance sheet was one of the key factors that led to its selection for the iPIG portfolio and the reason the portfolio still has room for the company even though it slipped.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Occupational safety specialist�MSA� (NYSE: MSA  ) �has increased its�second-quarter dividend�to $0.30 per share, a 7% increase over the $0.28-per-share payout it made back in February.

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  The third biggest gainer for the IPIG portfolio last week was safety-equipment purveyor Mine Safety Appliances (NYSE: MSA  ) , which also rose on its earnings news. Mine Safety Appliances' numbers were pretty strong, once you backed out the impact of currency fluctuations and a divestiture, and the market rewarded the company for those results. Solid results like that are also a decent reason for a company's stock to rise, but of course, what the company delivers in the future will drive where its stock goes next.

MMM: 3M Stock is Now a Top 25 Dividend Giant

3M (MMM) has been named as a Top 25 ”Dividend Giant” by ETF Channel, with a stunning $4.24B worth of MMM stock held by ETFs, and above-average ”DividendRank” statistics including a strong 2.62% yield, according to the most recent Dividend Channel ”DividendRank” report.

The report noted a strong quarterly dividend history at 3M, and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points.

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25 Dividend Giants Widely Held By ETFs »

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now

The annualized dividend paid by 3M Co is $3.42 per share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 02/12/2014. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for MMM, which the report stressed as being of key importance.

Indeed, studying a company’s past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue.

Netflix's Next Move: Producing Its Own Blockbuster Films

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now

AP/Elise Amendola Netflix (NFLX) has been called a lot of things over the years -- some of them unkind. As the leading streaming video service -- serving up 2 billion hours of content a month -- it's going to get that. Critics call it "rerun TV" given its digital catalog that leans heavily on episodes of shows that are no longer on the air, or older seasons of current shows. Fans view it as a hub for "binge viewing" as it makes entire seasons of even new original programming available all at once, so folks can stream episode after episode. If Netflix has its way, the next name it's called may be "movie mogul." One of the more interesting tidbits from Netflix's earnings call late last month was the suggestion that it could soon start competing with the major Hollywood studios it usually partners with by producing a big-budget blockbuster. "It seems like you have bigger aspirations to do a real -- call it $100 million type -- movie," Netflix was asked. "Could you discuss why that's interesting and what that could potentially do for Netflix?" This is the kind of question that Netflix would have laughed off in the past, but Chief Content OfficerTed Sarandos didn't shoot down the chatter this time. Tinseltown Rebellion "Without confirming or denying the range or the aspiration, I would say that to the consumers the line between a movie and a TV is getting pretty blurry," Sarandos responded, going on to say that a TV show like "House of Cards" with 13 episodes is more like a 13-hour movie. A movie, then, is along the lines of a two-hour TV show. This would seem to indicate that Netflix thinks investing in an original series along the lines of "Orange is the New Black" or bankrolling that fourth season of "Arrested Development" is a better financial gamble than joining Hollywood's gamble in backing a costly film. But Sarandos didn't stop there. He went on to complain that the movie industry's system of putting out a movie in the multiplexes, and then waiting nearly a year before releasing it in other distribution outlets is a broken model. "What we like to do is look at ways -- different ways -- that we can accelerate that window," he said. "Maybe like with original programming, the most effective way to work that is to do it yourself." That makes it sound as if Netflix will be producing a major theatrical release sooner rather than later as a way to reinvent the release cycle of movies, the way its full-season-at-once system is reinventing the release cycle for new TV shows. Coming Soon to a Theater Near You Last month, Netflix received its first Oscar nomination for "The Square," a critically-acclaimed documentary that details the Egyptian revolution that began in Tahrir Square three years ago. Another Netflix-produced documentary -- "Mitt," which focuses on the failed 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney -- began streaming on the service late last month. Documentaries are safe investments for Netflix. They are far cheaper to produce than scripted films, and Netflix knows that they generate a lot of interest for a fair amount of time. Making a Hollywood-style movie will come with risks. Will it fare well at the box office? Will moviegoers stay away if they know that it's going to be streaming on Netflix sooner than most theatrical releases? These will be important questions to answer given the amount of money that Netflix may have to invest unless it teams up with other parties. However, a huge benefit for Netflix would be something that was mentioned at the beginning of this article. Netflix is streaming 2 billion hours of content a month, and it began the year with 44 million streaming customers worldwide. None of its competitors comes even close to those numbers. Netflix knows just what these 44 million people are watching -- information that will be invaluable in deciding what movies to get behind. It knows which genres, directors, writers, and actors viewers are drawn to with a precision even the most successful Hollywood studios can't match. Netflix is going to make a movie -- a big movie -- and when it does, you're probably going to want to see it.

Sears Spinoff of Land’s End Might Be Credit Negative, Moody’s Says

Poor Sears (SHLD). First Eddie Lampert dumps a big chunk of his holdings and now Moody’s says that the potential spinoff of Land’s End, which Sears announced last Friday, could be a credit negative. Yikes!

From Moody’s:

Until such time as a final capital structure is determined as well as the extent of any cash distributions, if any, Sears Holdings may receive, the B3 rating and stable outlook are unchanged. We recognize that Sears Holdings would still retain a significant asset base post-spin including but not limited to its 51% stake in Sears Canada, meaningful real estate holdings, and the Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard brands. Further, Sears has no meaningful debt maturities (outside its asset-based revolver) until 2018. However given the weak operating performance of Sears Holdings, the lack of any visibility on an improvement in operations, and its sizable negative cash flow, the loss of the Land’s end assets and earnings streams will result in further weakening for creditors at this critical juncture. As such, absent a recovery in Sears operating performance beyond our current expectations — a stabilization of earnings in the second half of 2013 — we would anticipate that a spin-off of Lands’ End with limited cash proceeds would likely result in the rating outlook being revised to negative from stable due to the loss of value to Sears from the spin-off of the Lands’ End business. We also note that if a transaction were structured that resulted in moderate levels of proceeds, that would be a positive for near term liquidity, however, that in and of itself would not fully address our concerns if performance were to weaken in the holiday 2013 season.

10 Best Stocks To Buy Right Now

Shares of Sears fell 1.8% to $46.86 today.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014

In this segment of The Motley Fool's everything-financials show,�Where the Money Is, banking analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson discuss second-quarter earnings from Regions Financial (NYSE: RF  ) and give their takes on some other regional banks.

While Regions Financial and Huntington Bancshares seem to be stuck in neutral, PNC Financial Services appears to be well-positioned and poised to grab market share.

More outlook on the banking sector from The Motley Fool
Many investors are terrified about investing in big banking stocks after the crash, but the sector has one notable stand-out. In a sea of mismanaged and dangerous peers, it rises above as "The Only Big Bank Built to Last." You can uncover the top pick that Warren Buffett loves in The Motley Fool's�new report. It's free, so click here to access it now.

You can follow�David�and�Matt�on Twitter.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Whitehaven Coal Ltd(WHC.AX)

Whitehaven Coal Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, production, and operation of coal properties in New South Wales. It holds interests in the Gunnedah coal basin that comprises the Tarrawonga, Rocglen, and Sunnyside open cut mines; the Werris Creek project; the Narrabri underground mine; and the Vickery open cut mine. The company has 1,772 metric tones of thermal and metallurgical coal resources and 426 metric tones of marketable reserves. Whitehaven Coal Limited was founded in 1999 and is based in Sydney, Australia.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation(AMTD)

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides securities brokerage services and technology-based financial services to retail investors, traders, and independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) in the United States. The company?s offerings include TD Ameritrade for self-directed retail investors; TD Ameritrade Institutional, which provides brokerage and custody services to independent RIAs and their clients; thinkorswim that offers a suite of trading platforms serving self-directed and institutional traders, and money managers; and Investools, which provides investor education products and services for stock, option, foreign exchange, futures, mutual fund, and fixed-income investors. Its offerings also include Amerivest, an online advisory service that develops portfolios of exchange-traded funds to enable long-term investors pursue their financial goals; and TD Ameritrade Corporate Services, which provides self-directed brokerage services to employees and executives of corporations. In addition, the company offers various products and services, such as common and preferred stocks; exchange-traded funds; a range of option trades, including complex, multi-leg option strategies; futures trades in various commodities, stock indices, and currencies; and foreign exchange products. Further, it provides mutual funds; treasury, corporate, government agency, and municipal bonds; mortgage-backed securities and certificates of deposit; new issue securities; margin lending; and cash management services. Additionally, the company offers trustee, custodial, and other trust-related services to retirement plans; and cash sweep and deposit account products through third-party relationships. It provides its products and services through the Internet, network of retail branches, mobile trading applications, and interactive voice response and registered representatives via telephone. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquart ered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  It almost seems impossible to believe that a new online-trading firm could find itself shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Charles Schwab Corp. (NYSE:SCHW), TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (NYSE:AMTD), and E-TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC). All three of those companies have been around since the mid-90's, and got into the online-trading game at the exact right time (when the world wide web just exploded into existence), and having secured their places at the top three spots in terms of the industry's North American market share, it's tough to imagine any other name chipping away at AMTD, ETFC, or SCHW and becoming as big as these three iconic names. It's possible, however, when the opportunity is right. Well, the opportunity is right for one such name, and that budding company's odds of growth just got a whole lot better today.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Getty Images No question, 2008 is a year that few investors will soon forget; the stock market suffered its worst losses in a generation and left millions of Americans without any financial security. But now, with five years of strong stock market gains behind us since the nadir of the Great Recession, average investors are finally feeling more confident -- and getting back into investing for their financial futures. The most recent Financial Review & Outlook Survey from TD Ameritrade (AMTD) showed several concrete signs that investor confidence has risen dramatically in the years since the crash. Let's take a look at some of the most important indications that ordinary Americans are moving in the right direction again. 1. More People Are Actually Benefiting From Strong Markets In 2013, the Dow Jones Industrials (^DJI) rose 26.5 percent, the index's best year since the mid-1990s. Yet in past years, during the five-year-long bull market, ordinary investors have been less likely to reap the benefit of the gains, as many cashed out of stocks during the financial crisis and missed a fair chunk of the rebound. The most recent survey results show that in 2013, though, that trend has definitely shifted. Fully two-thirds of those who responded said that 2013 was an excellent, very good, or good year, compared to just 11 percent saying that conditions were tough or very tough. Especially given that bond-market investments lost ground in 2013, the survey results suggest that investors were back in the stock market and enjoying its outsized gains last year. 2. More People Are Investing More Money in the Stock Market Investors have recovered their optimism about the stock market. The survey found that almost 80 percent of investors were putting the same amount of money or more as they did in 2012 into the stock market in 2013, up from 67 percent when TD Ameritrade did its similar survey in 2010. Correspondingly, the percentage of investors putting less money into

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Last week, TD AMERITRADE (NYSE: AMTD  ) reported earnings for its fiscal third quarter. CEO Fred Tomczyk said nearly all metrics performed well, and the rising yield curve bodes well for its net interest income. Net revenues hit a new record at $725 million, and the company added net new client assets of approximately $11 billion. However, there was one thing holding it back: Apple.

Best Undervalued Companies To Own In Right Now: Janus Capital Group Inc (JNS)

Janus Capital Group Inc., and its subsidiaries (JCG), incorporated on January 23, 1998, provide investment management, administration, distribution and related services to financial advisors, individuals and institutional clients through mutual funds, other pooled investment vehicles, separate accounts and sub advised relationships (collectively referred to as investment products) in both domestic and international markets. JCG provides investment management competencies across a range of disciplines, including fundamental the United States and global equities (growth and value), mathematical equities, fixed income and alternatives through its subsidiaries, Janus Capital Management LLC (Janus), INTECH Investment Management LLC (INTECH) and Perkins Investment Management LLC (Perkins). JCG's investment products are distributed through three primary channels: retail intermediary, institutional and international.

The institutional channel serves the United States corporations, endowments, foundations, Taft-Hartley funds and public fund clients and focuses on distribution direct to the plan sponsor and through consultants. As of December 31, 2012, assets in the institutional channel totaled 24% of total Company assets under management. The international channel primarily serves professional retail and institutional investors outside of the United States, including central and local government pension plans, corporate pension plans, multi-managers, insurance companies and private banks. International products are offered through separate accounts, sub advisory relationships and Janus Capital Funds Plc, a mutual fund trust. As of December 31, 2012, assets in the international channel totaled 11% of total Company assets under management. JCG operates international offices in London, Paris, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, The Hague, Dubai, Zurich, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Melbourne and Taipei. The retail intermediary channel serves financial advisors, third-party intermediaries and retirement platf! orms in the United States. In addition, this channel serves existing individual investors who invest in JCG products through a mutual fund supermarket or directly with JCG. As of December 31, 2012, assets in the retail intermediary channel totaled 65% of total Company assets under management.

Janus

Janus manages primarily growth equity portfolios. As of December 31, 2012, Janus managed 63% of total Company assets under management. The Janus Overseas Fund is included in the assets managed by Janus and represented approximately 6% during the year ended December 31, 2012.

INTECH

INTECH has managed institutional portfolios. INTECH's investment process is based on a mathematical theorem that seeks to add value for clients by capitalizing on the volatility in stock price movements. As of December 31, 2012, INTECH managed 26% of total Company assets under management.

Perkins

Perkins has managed value-disciplined investment products. With its fundamental research and careful consideration for downside risk, Perkins has established itself as a value manager. Perkins offers value equity investment products across a range of the United States asset classes and global equity. As of December 31, 2012, Perkins managed 11% of total Company assets under management.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Who wants in on the action?
  All that said, plenty of mutual fund companies have seen the writing on the wall and are eager to come to market with active ETFs. Mutual fund giants Fidelity, Franklin Templeton (NYSE: BEN  ) , Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS  ) , and Legg Mason (NYSE: LM  ) are just some of the companies looking to follow in PIMCO's footsteps with active ETFs. Each of these companies owes a huge portion of its profits to management fees on the billions in assets that it holds, and each recognizes the need to defend its turf by reaching into the ETF space. For Legg Mason and Franklin Templeton, which already offer closed-end mutual funds that trade on exchanges, moving to ETFs is an even shorter step.

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  “Valuations for many of these companies seem just as stretch as Internet stocks were back then,” asset management firm Janus Capital(JNS) writes in its latest monthly equities update. Some Janus funds rode high-flying technology and communications stocks to big gains during the 1990s, but saw those bets sour as the tech bubble burst.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Tower Financial Corporation(TOFC)

Tower Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Tower Bank & Trust that provides commercial and consumer banking services in the metropolitan areas of Fort Wayne, Allen County, and Warsaw, Indiana. It accepts various deposits, which include checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and direct deposit services. The company?s loan portfolio comprises secured and unsecured commercial loans; commercial real estate loans; fixed rate, long-term residential mortgage loans, and construction loans; and personal loans and lines of credit to consumers for various purposes, such as the purchase of automobiles, boats, and other recreational vehicles, as well as to make home improvements and personal investments. In addition, it offers investment management and trust services, including estate planning and money management; traditional revocable trusts; irrevocable trusts; charitable trusts; estate administration; guardianship admi nistration; IRA administration; personal and institutional investment management; custodial services; and investment brokerage services. Further, the company provides securities and insurance brokerage services. It operates with six Allen County locations and one Warsaw location. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: CombiMatrix Corporation(CBMX)

CombiMatrix Corporation, a molecular diagnostics company, operates primarily in the fields of genetic analysis and molecular diagnostics in the United States. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, CombiMatrix Diagnostics, operates a diagnostics reference laboratory that provides DNA-based clinical diagnostic testing services to physicians, hospitals, and other laboratories in two primary areas, including prenatal and postnatal developmental disorders, and oncology. It offers a suite of developmental disorder array tests on the prenatal and postnatal application of array-comparative genomic hybridization in diagnosing genomic syndromes associated with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, dysmorphic features, and/or birth defects. The company also provides DNAarray?Heme Profile test to address various common hematological malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia; DNAarray?HER2 PRO test for breast cancer; and DNAarray?Tumor Profile test for the analysis of solid tumors, including breast, colon, lung, prostate, and brain tumors. In addition, it focuses on developing a series of drug compounds to address various oncology-related diseases. CombiMatrix Corporation was founded in 1995 and is based in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Also, shares of Combimatrix Corp. (CBMX) rose 7.5% to $2.73 in moderate volume late Friday following a Securities and Exchange Commission filing showing Longwood Capital Partners acquired a 5.1% stake in the microcap molecular diagnostics company.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One stock that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is CombiMatrix (CBMX), which operates a diagnostics reference laboratory that provides DNA-based clinical diagnostic testing services to physicians, hospitals, clinics and other laboratories in the areas of prenatal and postnatal development disorders, and hematology/oncology genomics. This stock hasn't done much over the last three months, with shares up by just 1.4%.

  If you take a look at the chart for CombiMatrix, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending over the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $2.14 to its recent high of $2.90 a share. During that move, shares of CBMX have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That uptrend has now pushed shares of CBMX within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CBMX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.90 to $2.92 a share, and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $2.96 to more near-term overhead resistance at $3.20 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 823,656 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CBMX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.70 to $4.44 a share.

  Traders can look to buy CBMX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average at $2.57 a share or just below more support at $2.20 to $2.14 a share. One can also buy CBMX off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Mariner Corporation Limited(MCX.AX)

Mariner Corporation Limited engages in the management of investment schemes in Australia. It also involves in the cattle leasing activities. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Melbourne, Australia.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Crystal Rock Holdings Inc.(CRVP)

Crystal Rock Holdings, Inc. engages in the production, marketing, and distribution of bottled water, and distribution of coffee, ancillary products, and other office refreshment products in New England, New York, and New Jersey. The company also rents and sells water coolers to customers to dispense bottled water; and sells and rents units to commercial accounts that filter water from the existing source on site. It provides coolers in a range of consumer preferences, such as cold, or hot and cold dispensing units. In addition, the company rents and sells coffee brewing equipment; and distributes various coffee, tea, and other hot beverage products and related supplies, as well as other consumable products used around the office. Further, it offers vending services. The company markets and distributes its water products in three and five gallon bottles to homes and offices. Vermont Pure Holdings markets its products primarily under the Vermont Pure Natural Spring Water, Cr ystal Rock, Cool Beans, Baronet, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters trade names. The company was formerly known as Vermont Pure Holdings, Ltd. and changed its name to Crystal Rock Holdings, Inc. on May 1, 2010. Crystal Rock Holdings was founded in 1989 and is based in Watertown, Connecticut.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Iron Mountain Incorporated(IRM)

Iron Mountain Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides information management services primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers records management services, including records management program development and implementation based on best-practices to help customers comply with specific regulatory requirements; implementation of policy-based programs that feature storage for various media comprising paper; flexible retrieval access and retention management; hybrid services to help organizations gain control over their paper records; and specialized services for vital records and regulated industries, such as healthcare, energy, government, and financial services. It also provides data protection and recovery services, such as disaster preparedness; off-site vaulting of data backup media for data recovery in the event of a disaster, human error, or virus; online backup and recovery solutions for desktop and la ptop computers, and remote servers; and technology escrow services to protect and manage source code and other proprietary information. In addition, the company offers information destruction services that primarily consist of physical secure shredding operations; and is involved in the shredding of sensitive documents to third-party recyclers. Further, it provides fulfillment services that assemble custom marketing packages and orders, as well as provide reporting on customer marketing literature inventories; and professional consulting services to develop and implement comprehensive records and information management programs. Iron Mountain Incorporated serves commercial, legal, banking, health care, accounting, insurance, entertainment, and government organizations. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Singer had also bought debt of Chrysler and Lehman Brothers, and has taken activist equity stakes in Novell and Iron Mountain (IRM).

  He sued his first nation in 1996, when his firm bought defaulted debt of Peru. After a lengthy legal battle and the overturning of a law that stood in his way, Elliott received a $58 million judgment on his $11 million investment, according to Fortune. He has also sued Congo-Brazzaville, Argentina, and several other countries using the controversial tactic that some say disenfranchises the people of the countries with indebted governments.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Super Cheap Auto Group Ltd(SUL.AX)

Super Retail Group Limited operates as a retailer of automotive and leisure products in Australia and New Zealand. It retails automotive parts and accessories, handyman items, and tools and equipment to marine and motorbike products, including batteries, car care products, exterior accessories, hand and power tools, in-car navigation systems, in-car stereo equipment, lighting and electrical products, oils, filters and additives, outdoor equipment and accessories, seat covers and interior accessories, spare parts, paint and panels, and performance products. The company also offers boating, camping, and fishing equipment, such as lures, rods and reels, tackle boxes, fishing nets, tents, ropes, pegs, cooking equipment, clothing and hiking gears, fishing rod holders, bilge pumps, and fish finders. In addition, it engages in the wholesale, retail, and distribution of bicycles, bicycle accessories, and clothing; and retail of outdoor entertainment and camping leisure products, a s well as apparel. As of July 2, 2011, Super Retail Group Limited operated 422 stores, including 274 Supercheap Auto stores, 78 BCF stores, 20 Goldcross Cycles stores, and 50 Ray?s Outdoors stores. The company was formerly known as Super Cheap Auto Group Limited and changed its name to Super Retail Group Limited in December 2010. Super Retail Group Limited was founded in 1972 and is based in Lawnton, Australia.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Northgate(NTG.L)

Northgate plc, an investment holding company, engages in the rental of light commercial vehicles in the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Republic of Ireland. It offers vehicle hiring and fleet management services. The company also sells former rental vehicles to retail and trade customers; and provides workshop and insurance services. In addition, it provides online vehicle hiring and vehicle monitoring services to its customers. The company operates a fleet of approximately 60,900 vehicles from 65 sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland; and a fleet of approximately 48,900 vehicles from 32 sites in Spain. It serves a range of industries comprising construction, distribution, local authorities, manufacturing and engineering, public utilities, retailers, and wholesalers and business services. Northgate plc was founded in 1981 and is based in Darlington, the United Kingdom.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Nile Therapeutics Inc. (NLTX)

Nile Therapeutics, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, develops pharmaceutical products for the treatment of cardiovascular and renal diseases. Its lead product candidate include Cenderitide, a chimeric natriuretic peptide that has completed Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of patients following admission for acutely decompensated heart failure. The company also develops CU-NP, a natriuretic peptide, which is in pre-clinical studies for the treatment of cardiovascular and renal diseases. Nile Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is based in San Mateo, California.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Buy For 2014: Cue Energy Resources Ltd (CUE.AX)

Cue Energy Resources Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of petroleum properties. It explores for hydrocarbons through its projects located in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Venture for America launches young entrepreneurs

When the management consulting and investment banking job offers and law and business school acceptance letters come in this spring, 100 U.S. college seniors will decline those typically sought-after opportunities.

They'll choose Venture for America instead, working for the next two years at start-ups around the nation, in preparation for starting a business someday.

Their careers will become examples for the researchers and economists who believe bright young people can revive the U.S. economy by creating new products and starting companies.

Venture for America is a two-year-old organization founded by corporate attorney-turned-serial entrepreneur Andrew Yang. It has placed 106 new college graduates in paid fellowships in eight U.S. cities — Las Vegas, New Orleans, Detroit, Cincinnati, Providence, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore — assigning them to start-ups that have raised $7 million and added 800 jobs since mid-2012. Those fellows have started at least seven of their own businesses.

In his new book Smart People Should Build Things, Yang shares his insights from 30 visits to high-ranking colleges. Like himself years prior, students were interested in alternative careers but knew only the most obvious routes.

"Students tend to look for jobs very specific to what they studied in school," Yang says. "Their sense of opportunity is heavily emphasized by who is recruiting there."

Yang's observations are echoed in the first youth entrepreneurship study in decades, set for release this fall. Researchers at Tufts, Stanford and Ball State universities have found that as many as a quarter of all twentysomethings are "drifting" with no career path.

Universities, though they've created entrepreneurship majors and minors, clubs and business-accelerator programs, still have few students enrolled or involved in these efforts. Entrepreneurship isn't presented as a career opportunity for the majority of students.

"I see this as the great untapped potential of o! ur economy," says Bill Damon, a study leader and director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence. "Entrepreneurship is an avenue that is wide open for these young people, but a lot of them don't have confidence or don't think they have the needed skills, even if they have a lot of ideas about services or products that could be useful and successful."

Venture for America offers that avenue. It already has some successes.

Brian Rudolph, a 2012 Detroit fellow, in January won $10,000 in a Venture for America crowd-funding contest after he raised $17,581 for Banza! Greek Pasta, a brand of chickpea pasta he'll soon launch.

And 2013 fellows Kate Leisy and Zubin Teherani won second place in the contest for Bandaloo, a weekend for musicians to meet, write music and form bands, modeled on the popular Startup Weekend.

Leisy is a Vanderbilt University graduate working at Curalate in Philadelphia, managing the customer accounts for the analytics and marketing start-up. Georgetown University grad Teherani works in New Orleans for IDScan, selling its software to read and capture data from identification cards.

They're performing tasks that might require years of training and experience at a large corporation. That's given them the confidence to tackle Bandaloo. The first event will happen in New Orleans in March.

Rudolph of Emory University was Quikly's second hire. He's since left the marketing software company to pursue his business full-time. But there, he learned to run an e-commerce website, craft a passionate pitch and use data to make decisions. He's armed with strategies for marketing a business online. They're all skills he's funneling into Banza!, which he wouldn't have started if not for Venture for America, he says.

"Start-ups are baptism by fire," Rudolph says. "You don't necessarily know what you're doing, but when you're forced to learn on the spot, it accelerates your learning curve."

Baverman is a Raleigh, N.C.-based business journalist covering start-up! s and ent! repreneurship for regional and national publications. She previously covered entrepreneurship for the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett newspaper. Baverman can be reached via e-mail at lbaverman@gmail.comor or on Twitter @laurabaverman.