As prices rise, housing recovery wobbles

A housing recovery that was expected to accelerate this year is instead sputtering. And no, you can't just blame the weather.

Sharp increases in home prices in much of the USA, along with higher mortgage rates, have discouraged many house-hunters. Home inventories are at historically low levels. First-time home buyers, who traditionally drive home sales, remain saddled with student debt and face still-stringent lending standards.

After bouncing back smartly in 2012 and most of 2013 following the 2006-09 real estate crash, the housing market began slowing last fall. Although an unusually cold and snowy winter hindered activity early this year, home sales and starts were disappointing again in March, even in the West and South.

First-time buyers Bill and Lauren Mensinger, who rent a one-bedroom loft in Hanover, Mass., have been looking for a three-bedroom house for about a year — a mission made more urgent by the recent birth of their daughter. With homes for sale in short supply in the Boston area, they've been outbid several times, Bill says, even for houses that needed extensive repairs.

"It's draining," says Bill, 37, an architect.

Thirty-year fixed mortgage rates have risen from 3.4% to 4.33% since the Mensingers began looking. That's forced them to drop their price limit to $315,000 from $330,000. They've also grudgingly agreed to widen their search beyond the reach of Boston's commuter rail line.

Others aren't even looking.

Lending standards, despite some easing in recent months, remain tough, especially for "people who don't have good credit scores," says economist Patrick Newport of IHS Global Insight.

Economists still expect the housing market to gain momentum this year as job and wage growth lead to more new households, credit conditions continue to ease, and builders ramp up production. Pending home sales increased in March for the first time in nine months, and real estate brokers in several regions say sales have been picking up.

! But many analysts now say the housing recovery will take longer than they had projected. "It hasn't come back as quickly," Newport says.

He expects housing starts to finally reach 1 million this year for the first time since 2007 — almost double 2009's level. But he doesn't forecast a return to a normal annual rate of 1.5 million until the fourth quarter of 2015, several months later than he had estimated.

Meanwhile, 4.9 million existing homes are expected to be sold this year, about 3% fewer than last year, says Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors.

One big reason is rising prices. In February, home prices in 20 large cities were up an average 13% from a year earlier, according to the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller 20-city Index. In metro areas hammered in the housing crash, such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, prices have soared nearly 20% or more from a year ago.

The pace of price increases has slowed recently, and U.S. home prices are still 20% below their summer 2006 peak. But combined, higher prices and mortgage rates have made home-buying 20% more expensive than a year ago, dampening sales, says Jed Kolko, chief economist of Trulia, a real estate website.

In California cities such as San Francisco and San Jose, about 35% of household income is devoted to mortgage payments — more than the historical average of a third, says Stan Humphries, chief economist of real estate firm Zillow.

"Affordability looks on par or worse than it has historically in a lot of markets," Humphries says.

Prices have been driven up by a housing inventory that remains skimpy despite moderately improved demand and more jobs. Thirty-seven percent of homeowners can't sell their houses either because they're worth less than what they owe on their mortgages or they don't have enough equity to buy another house, says Zillow's Humphries.

Also limiting supplies and pushing up prices are fewer distressed properties. Foreclosures and short sale! s made up! 14% of existing home sales in March, vs. nearly 30% two years ago, Yun says. Investors who snapped up many troubled properties are now playing a smaller role.

Meanwhile, new-home supplies are rising but are still near 50-year lows, says economist Robert Dietz of the National Association of Home Builders.

The nation's largest home builders have raised prices sharply after enduring thin profit margins after the crash. In a conference call with analysts last week, Richard Dugas, CEO of Pulte Homes, said the company's average $317,000 sale price in the first quarter is up 10% over last year.

Corporate credit research firm GimmeCredit says in a report that the big builders are raising prices despite slowing sales, hurting first-time buyers and underscoring that they "apparently can be relied upon to gorge until the well runs dry."

Small builders, which make up 75% of the market, have been hindered by tight credit, labor shortages, limited lot availability and rising construction costs, Dietz says.

Ed Brady, owner of Brady Homes in Bloomington, Ill., built 150 homes a year before the downturn but now puts up 10 to 15. He says he'd like to turn out 25, but can't get loans for more than five "speculative" houses, which are sold after they're built.

A shortage of construction workers means it takes Brady up to five months to build a house, vs. three months normally.

Tight supplies are falling short of rising demand in Massachusetts, where a thriving tech sector has fueled job gains. "Buyers are wanting to lock in at very low interest rates and be done with it, because (rates) are creeping up," says Ryan Wilson, a Realtor at Keller Williams in Watertown, Mass.

Adverse winter weather discouraged some sellers from putting their homes on the market, says Peter Ruffini, president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. A bigger problem, he says, is that many homeowners are reluctant to sell because they fear they'll be unable to find a new home. Through ! March, ex! isting home sales in Massachusetts are down 4.5% vs. a year ago, while median prices are up 10%.

The Phoenix area, hit hard by the housing crash, is grappling with the opposite problem. Housing supplies are ample, in part because builders have rushed into the retirement mecca since 2012. But with prices up 14% in the past year, buyers got nervous that a new bubble might be forming, says broker Ray Sullivan of Keller Williams in Scottsdale. "People took a step back."

Overall, analysts say better days are coming — slowly. "The housing market will continue to improve" this year, Kolko says, adding, "A normal market is still years away."

FINRA OKs RCAP’s Cetera Deal; Schorsch Group May Buy NorthStar Realty

RCS Capital (RCAP) said early Monday that FINRA has approved its $1.15 billion purchase of Cetera Financial’s broker-dealer operations, which include about 6,600 independent financial advisors.

Meanwhile, RCAP affiliate American Realty Capital Properties (ARCP) reportedly is in talks to buy NorthStar Realty Finance Corp., according to Bloomberg. NorthStar is a loan originator and manager of commercial real estate debt.

ARCP, led by Nicholas Schorsch, bought Cole Real Estate Investments last year. Schorsch also is executive chairman of RCAP. (Schorsch is named in the IA 25 for 2014.)

Realty Capital announced its deal with Cetera in January and says it “expects to close the Cetera acquisition in the coming days in accordance with the merger agreement.”

The company is also buying Investor’s Capital (ICH), J.P. Turner and Summit Brokerage Services—giving it about 9,000 reps and roughly $200 billion in assets. 

“This creates one of the most powerful capital accumulation machines on the globe,” Schorsch said, when the Cetera deal was announced earlier this year. “It will attract the best and brightest financial advisors, and with $3.1 billion in revenue brings us close to LPL Financial (LPLA) and puts us ahead of others in the business.”

Cetera was formed in 2010 following the sale of three ING broker-dealers; it includes four platforms — Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Financial Institutions and Cetera Financial — and is led by CEO and President Valerie Brown.

In June 2013, RCAP Holdings shared the news that it was buying First Allied Securities and the Legend Group from Lovell Minnick Partners. (RCAP Holdings owns Realty Capital Securities, which is the wholesale broker-dealer and affiliate of American Realty Capital Properties.) 

A request for a statement on the two deals was declined by RCAP and ARCP. 

ConocoPhillips’ Huge Opportunity in the Eagle Ford

At a recent analyst meeting at the New York Stock Exchange, ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) , the world's largest independent exploration and production company based on output and proved reserves, explained how it plans to continue delivering strong returns for its shareholders over the next few years.

Though the Houston-based company has operations all over the world, its presence in North American liquids-rich resource basins -- particularly Texas' Eagle Ford shale -- will be key in driving Conoco's production and cash flow growth over the next few years. Let's take a closer look.

Photo credit: Flickr/Paul Lowry.

Conoco boosts Eagle Ford resource potential estimate
One of the more encouraging pieces of information delivered at the analyst meeting was a substantial increase in its resource base in the Eagle Ford, arguably the company's most prized asset in terms of production potential and return on capital. Conoco now reckons that it is sitting on 2.5 billion barrels of oil in place in the Eagle Ford, up from a previous estimate of 1.8 billion barrels.

The higher resource estimate is due mainly to a reassessment of the quality of the company's acreage and improved technical knowledge it has gleaned over years of drilling. Conoco is not the only company to revise its Eagle Ford resource estimate upward. Peer EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG  ) also this year increased its Eagle Ford resource potential to 3.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, of BBOE, up 45% from a previous estimate of 2.2 BBOE, thanks largely to improvements in completion techniques and tighter spacing between wells.

Why Conoco's Eagle Ford program stands out
While there are plenty of world-class operators in the Eagle Ford, Conoco's drilling program stands out for a few main reasons. First, the company's 221,000 net acres are located in the play's sweet spot, where an ideal combination of pressure, maturity, and thickness yields extremely high oil production rates.  

As a result of this location advantage, as well as continued cost improvements, the economics of Conoco's Eagle Ford drilling program are truly impressive. Not only do the company's wells have the highest oil rates per well in the entire play, but the net present value of its Eagle Ford acreage is about 35% higher than that of its closest competitor, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie.  

Conoco's breakeven costs in the play are just under $40 per barrel, representing one of the lowest production costs in the entire industry. Though location is an important factor, Conoco deserves much credit for improving its returns through a persistent focus on technical innovation that has delivered substantial improvements in drilling and completion costs.

Since 2010, the company has reduced both the average number of days it takes to drill and complete an Eagle Ford well and the average completion cost per unit of proppant, a key ingredient in the fracking process, by 40%. These improvements are due largely to greater use of multiwell pad drilling, which allows the company to drill multiple wells from an existing pad. Greater use of proppant has also boosted the average estimated ultimate recovery per Eagle Ford well by 30%

Having identified more than 3,000 drilling locations across the Eagle Ford, Conoco plans to spend $3 billion in the play from 2014 to 2017. This increased spending is expected to boost its production from the play to more than 250,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2017, which would represent 20% compound annual growth from 2012 levels.

Investor takeaway and one risk to consider
As an increasing share of Conoco's production growth comes from the Eagle Ford and other high-margin North American resource plays, which are generating cash margins in excess of $40 per BOE, margins should expand at an annual rate of 3%-5% through 2017. Assuming commodity prices remain unchanged from last year's levels, this should drive significant cash flow growth.

By 2017, Conoco expects to generate cash flow of $20 billion-$23 billion, the midpoint of which would imply 36% growth from last year's cash flow of $15.8 billion. If the company can achieve that target, it should be able to cover its annual capital expenditures of $16 billion and dividends in 2017 through internally generated cash flow.

However, as with all independent E&Ps, this cash flow forecast is predicated upon high commodity prices. If commodity prices fall by roughly $10 a barrel to about $100 for Brent crude and $90 for West Texas Intermediate, it could slash $1 billion or more from Conoco's cash flow outlook and hinder dividend growth.

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Japan's Election Looms Large for the Nikkei's Future

It's a big week across the Pacific in Japan. Parliamentary elections on Sunday could give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party serious strength as Japan's governmental leader attempts to continue the economic rise he's birthed in an economy that has known stagnation for two decades. Expectations of the election helped the Nikkei (NIKKEIINDICES: ^NI225  ) gain 0.8% this week, part of the index's unrivaled 38% year-to-date gains. Can Japan keep up this surge?

Abe's time to shine
No doubt Abe's loose monetary policy  in the first half of 2013 has driven Japan's stocks to world-leading gains, but the prime minister could have even more control if the LDP gains control of both houses of Japan's parliament on Sunday. That hasn't happened in more than 20 years, but with many in Japan looking for a longer-ruling leader after several short periods of leadership by recent prime ministers, Abe's chances at a unified government look good.

What's that mean for the yen, the currency that investors' eyes around the world have tracked this year? Abe's committed to weakening Japan's currency and a united government will give him an unblocked path to pushing his aggressive economic agenda. The yen gained against the U.S. dollar and other currencies this week ahead of the election, although Japan's currency is still hovering at more than 100 yen to the dollar, a sharp drop compared to last year's strong exchange rates.

As long as the yen keeps dropping, investors in Japan's leading exporters will have plenty to cheer about. Japanese tractor and equipment manufacturer Kubota's (NASDAQOTH: KUBTY  )  shares fell by more than 2.4% this week after cautious investors reeled in profits ahead of the election, but Kubota and other leading Japanese manufacturers that engage in significant overseas business will be set to flourish if Abe's unified government comes to fruition.

Kubota's presence in the U.S. will be all the more valuable as long as the yen keeps falling against the dollar -- and the company's already facing benefits as leading rival Deere's (NYSE: DE  ) utility tractor sales remained flat through May, underperforming the industry's 4% growth in the segment. While Kubota has a lot of ground to make up to stack up against an industry titan like Deere, a weak yen and worse-than-expected performance from its top competitor will ease the firm's path to making up ground in the American market -- and likely keep its stock's run going strong through the year, although the shares' 36% gains so far in 2013 may not be set for a repeat in the year's second half. Given that Abe's looked to deregulate the Japanese agricultural sector as well, Kubota's facing strength both at home and abroad.

Fellow Japanese manufacturer Komatsu's (NASDAQOTH: KMTUY  ) shares have slid more than 3% this past month, but like Kubota, this stock has blown up in 2013 and could be headed higher with a win by Abe and the LDP. However, there's risk in Komatsu's lofty 45% profit growth outlook in 2013: The company's the top manufacturer in China, but given the current slowdown plaguing the second-largest economy on Earth, Komatsu investors could be left disappointed. Komatsu's likely to see a strong uptick for the full year due to the weak yen -- particularly if Abe moves more aggressively after the elections -- but China's slump could make meeting optimistic projections a tall order.

Japan's been the best world market in 2013 behind the weak yen, and major stocks like Komatsu and Kubota have soared. But even as Japan flies high, other world markets have soured.

Yet a turnaround could be coming for international investors, and now's the time to take advantage in your portfolio before markets take off. A recent Motley Fool report, "3 Strong Buys for a Global Economic Recovery," outlines three companies that could take off when the global economy gains steam. Click here to read the full report!

Stellar Growth Ahead for Solar

The Sun Provides

Nearly all of our energy sources derive from the sun. Coal, oil, and natural gas are all various forms of sunshine captured via photosynthesis and first stored away as biomass, and ultimately converted into fossil fuels. In addition to the ancient sunshine of fossil fuels, the sun's rays are directly captured in solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar heating applications.  The sun's rays are also converted into energy via biomass, which is used for heat, power, and to produce biofuels. Wind power is produced from winds that are created when the surface of the earth is heated unevenly. Hydroelectric power ultimately traces to the evaporation of water from heat, and the sun's gravitational force is partially responsible for the tides.

The only two major source of energy that don't derive directly from our sun are nuclear power and geothermal energy, and these together only account for about 5 percent of global energy consumption.

So when someone asks me what energy source will replace fossil fuels, I always say "solar power." That answer will almost certainly prove to be correct. But in order to be useful intelligence for an investor, we have to be a little more specific about what this means.

Solar Electricity

Solar PV is already making major inroads into the electrical generation industry. From 2007 through 2012, the solar PV industry has added capacity at an average annual rate of 60 percent.

Source: REN21′s 2013 Renewables Global Status Report

To date wind generation has grown at a faster rate than generation from solar PV, but based on solar's much faster rate of capacity installation and the fact that small scale solar is more universally applicable than small scale wind, in time solar PV wil! l likely grow to be a major provider of electricity. The contribution from solar PV is still small — only 0.4 percent of global electricity production in 2012. But that's 12 times higher than its contribution in 2007 — and the phenomenal growth looks set to continue.

The solar PV sector is likely to outperform the market averages over the next decade. However, it can be hard to find fair value in this hot sector, so it certainly helps to buy on extreme weakness when volatility and fear strike. For example, on Aug. 28 we recommended First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) to The Energy Strategist subscribers. Last month, we urged the same subscribers to take some money off the table after a gain of more than 80 percent. At the moment I see no real bargains in the sector, but First Solar is one that I would add on a significant correction. Over the long haul the solar PV sector looks like a big winner, but you need to be selective with your entry points.  

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now

What About Transportation Fuel?

Solar PV is making inroads into the electricity generation sector, but what about transportation fuels? Solar PV may play an important role there as well. As mentioned above, all biofuels are an indirect form of solar power, but there are ways to utilize solar PV for fuel production.

This past week I toured the ranch of  Henk Rogers on Hawaii's Big Island. Henk is an interesting character, best known for bringing the game "Tetris" — the world's most popular video game with over 125 million units sold — to handheld video game devices. Henk also holds the exclusive intellectual property rights to Tetris. Having made a fortune in the video gaming world, Henk has turned his attention to sustainable energy with his Blue Planet Foundation. (Rogers also supports the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog & Simulation, a long-durat! ion simul! ated Mars exploration habitat 8,200 feet above sea level on Mauna Loa.)

Henk has built an energy lab on the Big Island where he is experimenting with a number of technologies for producing and storing energy. The roof over his lab is studded with 360 solar PV panels generating up to 85 kW of electricity — enough to power about 17 homes in Hawaii. But he is also using the electricity from the solar panels to produce hydrogen, which is used to supply the only hydrogen refueling station on the Big Island.   

As I explained last week in One More 'Free Lunch' in Energy, it always takes more energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen than you can get back from burning the hydrogen. But such a scheme might make sense in some instances if the electricity is cheap. At times renewable energy installations may produce more power than the grid can absorb, and it could be directed into electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen for later consumption. In this way, the hydrogen is acting like an energy storage device.

Hydrogen can be used either directly in a combustion engine (where the combustion product is simply water) or, more efficiently, in a fuel cell that converts chemical energy into electricity. Fuel cells are still quite expensive, but they can be used to provide backup electrical power or to power a vehicle. Henk's lab is experimenting with fuel cells from several manufacturers, including Plug Power (Nasdaq: PLUG) — which incidentally has seen its share price rise more than 40-fold over the past 12 months.

Henk's team is also experimenting with various battery storage technologies. They had a vanadium-redox flow stack, as well as a bank of lithium iron phosphate batteries from Sony. I discussed the problem of energy storage with Blue Planet Research's Chief Technology Officer Vincent Paul Ponthieux, and we both agree that cost effective energy storage is a critically important enabler of a future powered by solar energy.

Vincent Paul Ponthieux and I at the Big Island's only hydrogen refueling station

Given that this is a small experimental facility for hydrogen production, it is not expected that it will be cost effective. However, it is worth mentioning the costs to keep things in perspective. To produce hydrogen from the solar PV panels at Henk Rogers' ranch requires an electrolyzer that cost $125,000. That electrolyzer is capable of producing 12 kilograms of hydrogen a day. Those 12 kilograms of hydrogen contain the energy content of about 12 gallons of gasoline. Thus, over the course of a year that $125,000 electrolyzer might produce hydrogen with the energy equivalent of $10,000 to $15,000 worth of gasoline. But these costs are expected to go down as the system is scaled up.

Conclusions

Still, one could easily envision a future in which solar PV is producing electricity to power our homes and electric cars and getting stored in batteries for later use. Alternatively, excess solar could be used to produce hydrogen for use in an internal combustion engine or in a hydrogen fuel cell. The solar PV sector will be a big winner in this scenario.

This is one vision of life after fossil fuels. Parts of the vision are already coming to fruition with the rise of renewable power in electricity production. For the foreseeable future, this is likely to be the biggest growth area, with coal ultimately the biggest casualty. But in the longer term, don't be surprised to see solar PV-derived transportation fuels making bigger inroads.  

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

 

Why Tarena International (TEDU) Stock Is Up Today

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Tarena International (TEDU) shares are up 14.9% to $7.74 in trading on Monday following the announcement of a deal with Bank of China Consumer Finance Co (BOCCFC).

The tuition financing agreement is the third such agreement the professional education services provider has participated in along with deals with Bank of Beijing Consumer Finance Company and CreditEase.

"The participation of BOCCFC further diversified payment options and increased financing flexibility for our students. We look forward to a long term cooperation with BOCCFC," the company said.

Must Read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Stocks

STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

TEDU data by YCharts

STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Stock quotes in this article: TEDU 

Top Income Stocks To Own Right Now

LONDON -- BAE Systems� (LSE: BA  ) (NASDAQOTH: BAESY  ) and�Vodafone Group� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) �operate in completely separate industries, but both companies have an attractive track record of providing high dividend yields.

The two firms also have another similarity -- both depend quite heavily on the substantial income they receive from their American businesses, without which they might struggle to fund their coveted dividend payouts.

I own both shares myself, but am looking top up some of my holdings -- so which of these two high yielders looks the best buy today?

Vodafone vs. BAE Systems
I'm going to start with a look at a few key statistics that can be used to provide a quick comparison of these two companies, based on their most recent annual results:

� Vodafone BAE Systems Price to earnings ratio 14.2 11.7 Dividend yield 6.9%
(4.9% without special dividend) 5.1% 5-year average dividend growth rate 7.1% 8.8% Net gearing 32% -10% (net cash)

Vodafone plunged into a loss in the first half of this year, thanks to a hefty 5.9 billion pounds impairment on the value of its operations in Spain and Italy.

Top Income Stocks To Own Right Now: SPDR S&P Midcap 400 ETF (MDY)

MidCap SPDRS, Standard & Poor's Depository Receipts, represent ownership interests in the MidCap SPDR Trust, Series 1 (the Trust), which is a unit investment trust that seeks to match the total return of the Standard & Poor's Midcap 400 Composite Price Index (the S&P MidCap Index). To accomplish this, the Trust utilizes a full replication approach.

The Trust's holdings comprise 400 stocks in the S&P MidCap 400 Index, which is designed to capture the price performance of the middle capitalization segment of the United States publicly traded stock market. All 400 securities of the S&P MidCap 400 Index are owned by the Trust in their approximate market capitalization weight.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Similarly, diversification within stocks didn't work well. The performance of iShares Russell 2000 (NYSEMKT: IWM  ) and SPDR S&P MidCap 400 (NYSEMKT: MDY  ) showed that there wasn't shelter available in small- and mid-cap stocks. International stocks often help protect against losses, but massive capital flight from emerging markets socked popular ETFs Vanguard Emerging Market (NYSEMKT: VWO  ) and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: EEM  ) for single-day percentage losses that were nearly double the Dow's decline. Even developed markets suffered more than the U.S., as iShares MSCI EAFE (NYSEMKT: EFA  ) posted losses 50% greater than the U.S. market's.

• [By BENZINGA]

  So, for those who pay attention to such things, imagine the excitement coming into Monday's session as the DJIA was flirting with 16,000, the S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) was closing in on 1,800, the NASDAQ (NYSE: QQQ) was flirting with 4,000 (something it hasn't done in at least a decade) and while, considerably less important, the S&P Midcap (NYSE: MDY) was just above 1,300. In short, if a big, round number is important, then four of them must be monumental, right?

Top Income Stocks To Own Right Now: Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV (VLRS)

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV (Volaris Aviation Holding Company) is a Mexico-based company principally engaged in the airline passenger transportation industry. The Company is a law-cost carrier airline. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV offers direct, point-to-point flights. The Company serves through secondary, lower cost airports and provides a single class of service. The Company utilizes such aircraft as the Airbus A319 and A320 families, among others. The Company has such subsidiaries as Comercializadora Volaris SA de CV, Servicios Corporativos Volaris SA de CV, Concesionaria Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAPI de CV, Deutsche Bank Mexico SA Trust 1484, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  When most American investors think of discount airline stocks, they probably think of relatively large capped Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV)�or sort of small cap�JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) rather than�small cap Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV (NYSE: VLRS) which owns Volaris���a discount airline serving the�Mexican market. However, any investor who has read Benjamin Graham�� Intelligent Investor might want to remember his sage advice about avoiding airline stocks���mainly because airlines were such a new and unproven sector that had yet to make money. But could Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV actually be an airline stock worth owning?

Hot Communications Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: Solar Thin Films Inc (SLTZ)

Solar Thin Films, Inc. is engaged in the business of designing, manufacturing and installation of thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic manufacturing equipment. The equipment is used in plants that produce photovoltaic thin-film a-Si solar panels or modules. The Company operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraft Elektronikai Zrt (Kraft). Kraft is engaged in the design, development, manufacture, and installation of a-Si photovoltaic manufacturing equipment. The primary buyers of photovoltaic thin-film manufacturing equipment are businesses, as well as investment partnerships, engaged in the production of photovoltaic thin-film modules. In May 2010, the Company acquired Atlantis Solar LLC. In May 2013, Solar Thin Films Inc acquired Quality Resource Technologies Inc. In October 2013, Solar Thin Films Inc announced the sale of all of its ownership stake of Hungarian subsidiary, Kraft, R.t. (Kraft), to GJR Collectibles LLC.

Kraft has been providing equipment that is incorporated into a single manufacturing line capable of manufacturing a-Si solar modules that produce approximately 5megawatt (MW) of solar power annually. The Company focuses, directly and through joint ventures or alliances with other companies or governmental agencies, to sell equipment for and participate financially in solar power facilities using thin film a-Si solar modules or metallurgical and other crystalline solar modules as the power source to provide electricity to municipalities, businesses and consumers.

The Company competes with Applied Materials and Oerlikon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Alliance Creative Group Inc (OTCMKTS: ACGX), Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Inc (OTCMKTS: DJRT), Inscor Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA) and Solar Thin Films Inc (OTCMKTS: SLTZ) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and it should come as no surprise that two out of four of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions ��which tend to benefit traders. However, two out of four of these stocks also have pretty good financials for being small cap OTC stocks and that might make them attractive to investors with a long term time horizon. So which of these stocks might make traders some profits in the short term and investors some profits over the longer term? Here is a closer look to help you decide:

Top Income Stocks To Own Right Now: Coca Cola Femsa S.A.B. de C.V. (KOF)

Coca Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. produces, markets, and distributes Coca-Cola trademark beverages and brands. It offers colas under Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, and Coca-Cola Zero brands; flavored sparkling beverages under Aquarius Fresh, Chinotto, Crush, Fanta, Fresca, Frescolita, Hit, Kuat, Lift, Mundet, Quatro, Simba, and Sprite brands; water under Alpina, Brisa, Ciel, Crystal, Kin, Manantial, and Nevada brands; Aquarius, a flavored water; Hi-C, a juice-based beverage; and Powerade, an isotonic, as well as ready to drink tea products under Nestea and Matte Leao brands. The company also sells and distributes the Kaiser beer brand. It operates in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Mexico, Mexico. Coca-Cola FEMSA S.A.B de C.V. operates as a subsidiary of Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Put another tick in the acquisition column for Coca-Cola FEMSA (NYSE: KOF  ) . The Mexico-based company, which says it is the largest bottler of Coca-Cola products on the planet, has signed a deal to acquire Brazilian peer Companhia Fluminense de Refrigerantes. The price is $448 million in cash.

Top Income Stocks To Own Right Now: Baltic Trading Limited (BALT)

Baltic Trading Limited engages in shipping business in the dry bulk industry spot market worldwide. The company operates a fleet of dry bulk ships that transport iron ore, coal, grain, steel products, and other dry bulk cargoes. Its fleet consists of 2 Capesize vessels, 4 Supramax vessels, and 3 Handysize vessels with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 672,000 deadweight tons. The company charters its vessels to trading houses, including commodities traders, as well as producers and government-owned entities. Baltic Trading Limited was founded in 2009 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Baltic Trading (BALT) got slammed by 17% last week as the Baltic Dry Index continued its decline. The global recovery is going to have fits and starts and the sector will be quite volatile. Baltic Trading works in the spot market for cargo like iron ore, coal, grain, and steel products so the stock price will likely jump around with the BDI reading.

The 3 Biggest Risk Factors for a Stroke

Often referred to as "the silent killer," stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S., behind only heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year, and nearly 130,000 died from their stroke in 2010.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The danger inherent in strokes, which is rapid loss of brain function derived from a blockage of blood flow to the brain, is that many of the symptoms are often ignored or dismissed until it's too late. These symptoms can include headache, sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, paralysis or numbness in your face, arms, or legs, trouble walking, and trouble speaking or comprehending speech. Worse yet, it takes but a few minutes, depending on the type and severity of the stroke, to cause permanent brain damage, making time of the essence when recognizing these symptoms. 

As we've done in recent months by examining the risk factors and treatments associated with the most common types of cancer and diabetes, I propose to more closely examine the three biggest risk factors that can cause a stroke, discuss what treatment options exist, if any, to help mitigate that risk, and as always, discuss what investment potential these top treatments may have for your portfolio.

According to the CDC, there are three big factors that can lead to stroke:

Medical conditions. Behavioral factors. Hereditary factors. 

Medical conditions
Listed by the CDC are six common medical conditions that have been shown to increase stroke risk. The good news is that, in most cases, treatments and lifestyle changes are available that will improve these conditions and thus lower your chance of having a stroke.

Hypertension: Also known as high blood pressure, hypertension can be brought on by a number of factors, including smoking, unhealthy eating habits, obesity, and even stress. In cases where stress mitigation, exercise, and healthier food aren't enough, a commonly prescribed treatment that might be called upon is Novartis' (NYSE: NVS  ) Diovan. Although Diovan is no longer under patent protection, no generic biosimilar has made it to market as of yet, leaving the door open for continued sale. Revenue totaled north of $900 million last year alone.  High cholesterol: High cholesterol can cause fatty deposits known as plaque to build up in your blood vessels, potentially leading to high blood pressure and/or a blockage, and thus increasing your chance of a stroke. Diet and exercise can mitigate some of these concerns, but high cholesterol can also be a hereditary condition that runs in the family. In those cases, and in cases of high cholesterol where lifestyle changes aren't enough, the most commonly prescribed drug in history, Pfizer's Lipitor, may be called upon. Before it went into generic form, Lipitor had an astounding $131 billion in lifetime sales.  Heart disease: With heart disease you have a wide range of potential complications, ranging from fatty deposits based on your diet and exercise habits that can clog blood vessels, to genetic factors like heart valve defects and enlarged heart chambers that can put you at an increased risk for stroke. For patients suffering from genetic types of heart disease, corrective surgery is often needed to correct the problem and allay stroke risks. Diabetes: Diabetes comes in two forms: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is purely based on genetic factors, while type 2, the considerably more common type, accounting for 90% of all cases, develops over one's lifetime and can be exacerbated by poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking, to name a few factors. It's a risk factor for stroke because high blood sugar is often linked with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Perhaps the most exciting new medication on the market, at least in the U.S., is Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ  ) SGLT2 inhibitor, Invokana. This new class of type 2 diabetes drug works in the kidneys by allowing people to get rid of excess glucose in their urine while also providing the added side effect of weight loss.  Being overweight or obese: Being overweight or obese carries with it a propensity for high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and an increased risk of getting type 2 diabetes. For many people, a lifestyle change involving diet and exercise can reduce their weight, but the recent approval of two chronic-weight-management pills, Belviq from Arena Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARNA  ) and Qsymia from VIVUS (NASDAQ: VVUS  ) , as adjuvant therapies could help even more. It remains to be seen which anti-obesity drug will come out on top, but VIVUS' Qsymia demonstrated the better weight-loss totals in trials relative to Belviq, while Belviq had the better safety profile compared with Qsymia.  Previous stroke or TIA: This might go without saying, but patients who have had a previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, or TIA, also known as a mini-stroke, are at more risk of having another stroke. People who have had a TIA are nine times as likely to have a stroke than people who've not had a TIA previously, according to Bay Area Medical Information.

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Behavioral factors
The CDC refers to them as behaviors -- I refer to them as lifestyle choices. According to the CDC, there are three behaviors people exhibit that put them at greater risk of developing some of the aforementioned medical conditions.

Tobacco use: Cigarette smoking has been shown to be a damager of blood vessels and a dangerous risk factor for non-smokers via secondhand smoke. A study presented in 2011 at the Canadian Stroke Congress showed that smokers were more than twice as likely as non-smokers to have a stroke, and that on average smokers had their strokes a full decade before non-smokers. One way officials are looking to counteract this trend is by increasing awareness regarding the dangers of smoking. For instance, the CDC spent $54 million last year on graphic multimedia advertising to dissuade young smokers. We've seen this awareness begin to translate over to tobacco companies, including Altria (NYSE: MO  ) , which has reduced its workforce by 15% amid falling cigarette volumes and stagnant sales for its premium Marlboro brand.  Alcohol use: Excessive alcohol use has the potential to raise your blood pressure and potentially even your cholesterol, thus increasing your chance of having a stroke. As is usually the case, moderation is the key to ensuring that alcohol use doesn't turn into abuse. Physical inactivity: There's no miracle that can fully prevent a stroke if you aren't able to exercise. People who are physically inactive are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure or high cholesterol, getting type 2 diabetes, and becoming overweight or obese. Exercise may not be the entire solution to the problem, but it certainly improves your chances of preventing a stroke.

Hereditary factors
Just as we witnessed with certain cases of cancer and diabetes, sometimes genetic factors predetermine you to have an increased chance of having a stroke.

Family history of stroke: Unsurprisingly, both having had a stroke previously and having had a history of stroke in your family put you at a greater risk of having a stroke. According to a 2003 study conducted in Utah on stroke victims, 86% of all strokes occurred within just an 11% subset of families. These families would certainly appear to benefit from taking preventative lifestyle measures such as proper diet and exercise, as well as regular screenings to monitor cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Age and sex: Another factor unlikely to surprise you is that your risk for having a stroke increases as you get older. What is noteworthy is that men are considerably more likely to have a stroke than women, according to data from the National Institutes of Health. While everyone should be eating right and exercising, this is all the more reason for our aging baby boomer population to stay active. Ethnicity: The final factor to determine stroke risk is race. Statistics have shown that Hispanics, African Americans, and American Indian/Alaska Natives have a considerably higher propensity to have a stroke than other ethnicities.

The takeaway
I believe the first important takeaway here is that a vast majority of these medical and behavioral conditions can be mitigated through simple lifestyle changes. This doesn't mean a life spent running 50 miles a day and eating nothing but turnips, but a proper diet and consistent exercise could go a long way to preventing high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure all in one fell swoop.

Also, understanding whether you're at risk and paying attention to the symptoms associated with stroke are crucial to treating a stroke should you have one.

A final aspect we've uncovered is that the treatment options available are greatly improving. We've had diabetes treatments available for decades, but only recently had J&J's Invokana been approved by the FDA. Invokana is opening up a swath of new potential treatments for diabetes sufferers that could increase weight loss while improving glycemic balance and reducing hypertension. Similarly, Belviq and Qsymia offer chronically obese patients a boost to assist them in their efforts to lose weight where diet and exercise alone haven't been as successful as they desired in the past.

Obamacare will undoubtedly have far-reaching effects, even when it comes to preventative health care as it relates to stroke. The Motley Fool's new free report "Everything You Need to Know About Obamacare" lets you know how your health insurance, your taxes, and your portfolio will be affected. Click here to read more. 

Top US Companies To Buy Right Now

Top US Companies To Buy Right Now: Jabil Circuit Inc.(JBL)

Jabil Circuit, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides electronic manufacturing services and solutions worldwide. The company offers electronics and mechanical design, production, product management, and after-market services to companies in the aerospace, automotive, computing, consumer, defense, industrial, instrumentation, medical, networking, peripherals, solar, storage, and telecommunications industries. Its services comprise integrated design and engineering; component selection, sourcing, and procurement; automated assembly; design and implementation of product testing; parallel global production; enclosure services; and systems assembly, direct-order fulfillment, and configure-to-order services. The company also provides set-top boxes, mobility products, and display products, as well as peripheral products, such as printers and point of sale terminals; and aftermarket services consisting of warranty and repair services. Jabil Circuit, Inc. was founded in 196 6 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell and Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); p]

  Jabil Circuit Inc.(JBL) said it swung to a loss in the fiscal second quarter as the contract electronics manufacturer reported a decline in revenue and significant restructuring costs. Shares rose 1.9% to $18.61 premarket.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  In other after-hours trading, shares of Jabil Circuit Inc. (JBL)  rose 2.7% to $18.75 on moderate volume.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-us-companies-to-buy-right-now.html

Entrepreneurship sprouts among older ex-execs

It's never too late. More older ex-execs are starting their own businesses.

(Money Magazine) Dream of capping off your career with a startup venture? Join the crowd.

Last year 5.5% of jobless managers and executives launched a business, up 31% from 2012 and the highest level since 2009, says outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.

Confidence in the economy and access to individual health insurance via Obamacare help fuel the trend, says CEO John Challenger.

Age has its advantages. People 45 and older started 48% of firms in one Kauffman Foundation study, but ran 64% of firms surviving four years.

That's likely because older entrepreneurs often have more experience, contacts, and financial resources, says Kauffman researcher Dane Stangler.

To keep costs low, he suggests taking advantage of the` explosion in freelance help available online; clearinghouses oDesk and eLance, which are merging, list 8 million professionals, up from 900,000 in 2009.

  Ex-cons in charge at this tech startup

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Buy Right Now

You can use crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, he adds, not just to raise money, but also to gauge demand for your product or service.

Delamaide: SEC catching minnows, not sharks

WASHINGTON — Few fishermen would take as much pride displaying the catch of a minnow as the Securities and Exchange Commission did last month when a federal judge imposed an $825,000 fine on a Goldman Sachs junior executive for misleading customers about a dubious investment.

A good six years after wildly speculative trading by Wall Street banks delivered hundreds of millions in bonuses to top executives while bringing the global financial system to its knees and billions in losses to investors, the best the SEC can manage against these big banks and their executives is this single judgment of a bit player who was only 28 at the time.

Fabrice Tourre, who styled himself "Fabulous Fab" in an e-mail, may well have misled investors, but he has long been seen as a fall guy for widespread abuse by executives at Goldman and other Wall Street firms who are much more highly placed.

And yet Andrew Ceresney, chief of enforcement at the SEC, congratulated himself and his agency for this court victory. "The ruling reflects the SEC's intent of pursuing meaningful sanctions to punish individuals responsible for misconduct and deter others from violating the federal securities laws," he said in a statement last month.

Another SEC lawyer was much less congratulatory in remarks he made at his retirement party later in the month.

The SEC has become "an agency that polices the broken windows on the street level and rarely goes to the penthouse floors," James Kidney said at his goodbye party, according to a report by Bloomberg News, drawing applause from the 70-some people in attendance. "On the rare occasions when enforcement does go to the penthouse, good manners are paramount. Tough enforcement, risky enforcement, is subject to extensive negotiation and weakening."

The union representing SEC employees has since posted Kidney's retirement speech online. The trial lawyer said his bosses at the agency were "tentative and fearful" and were more concerned about getting high-paying jobs af! ter they left the SEC than tackling tough cases against top executives.

Goldman Sachs did pay a settlement of $550 million last year for misinforming investors on that same synthetic security that Tourre was brought to trial for. But no other executives, including Tourre's supervisors, were charged or fined. SEC enforcers, Kidney said at his retirement party, are "at most a tollbooth on the bankster turnpike."

A separate report in American Lawyer last week provided more details about the internal struggle at the SEC to hold higher-ups at Goldman personally accountable.

The publication sued under the Freedom of Information Act for transcripts of an investigation by former SEC inspector general David Kotz into the agency's handling of the Goldman Sachs case.

Lawyer Kidney was speaking out then, too, according to the American Lawyer report by Susan Beck.

"My experience in this case still bothers me a lot," Kidney said during 80 minutes of sworn testimony in the summer of 2010. "We take extraordinary inferences and apply them to common little people," he said. "It still bothers me that we had a lot more than inference here, and we didn't do anything with it."

Kidney felt there was enough indication of involvement by Tourre's supervisor, Goldman managing director Jonathan Egol, to warrant interrogation, though other SEC lawyers working on the case felt it was not sufficient. When, at Kidney's insistence, Egol was questioned, there was no follow up.

For the record, both Bloomberg reporter Robert Schmidt and American Lawyer's Beck harvested the usual "no comment" from spokesmen for the SEC and Goldman regarding Kidney's remarks.

The American Lawyer report notes that nearly a dozen other collateralized debt obligations similar to the one Tourre was found guilty of civil fraud for were never subject to SEC allegations or settlement.

At issue with all the CDOs was the fact that the hedge fund Paulson & Co. helped Goldman construct these synthetic securit! ies and t! hen sold them short in the confidence they would implode — which they did, reaping the hedge fund a handsome profit at the expense of the investors Goldman sold the securities to.

It's easy to understand why Kidney might be upset by all this.

The SEC chief enforcement officer at the time, Robert Khuzami, who was general counsel at Deutsche Bank before taking the SEC post, is now a partner at the corporate law giant Kirkland & Ellis.

Khuzami, like his successor Ceresney, would regularly trot out a blizzard of statistics about enforcement actions undertaken and disgorgements of profits and penalties levied, all to preserve the appearance that the SEC is a tough cop on the job.

Top 10 Internet Companies To Invest In Right Now

In his retirement speech, Kidney criticized the use of misleading statistics to tout its enforcement efforts. "It is a cancer," he said of the practice. "It should be changed."

The SEC is spending too much time "picking on the little guys," he said. For the big fish on Wall Street, however, "we are a cost, not a serious expense." His conclusion: "The system is broken."

Darrell Delamaide has reported on business and economics from New York, Paris, Berlin and Washington for Dow Jones news service, Barron's, Institutional Investor and Bloomberg News service, among others. He is the author of four books, including the financial thriller Gold.

Beef prices hit record high

  Soaring prices make it hard to be a foodie NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Hitting the grocery store is getting more costly.

Beef prices are at a record high, and the cost of other staples, such as milk, butter, eggs, fruit and vegetables are climbing. With a severe drought ravaging farms across most of California, prices are at risk of shooting significantly higher this year.

The price of a pound of ground beef has hit $3.55 a pound, a record high even when adjusted for inflation, according to government readings for February. That's up 56% since 2010. The average for round steak is at $5.28, among the highest prices seen in the last 20 years.

And it's gotten worse lately. In February, beef posted the biggest month-over-month price increase in more than a decade thanks to bad weather.

Growing demand for U.S. beef from overseas markets like Asia is a big factor driving up prices, said Ricky Volpe, economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"These record high beef prices are here to stay," said Volpe. "It'll be a long time until supplies will be more in line with demand once again."

Most of California is suffering from extreme drought conditions, according to the USDA. And California is a major producer of milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables.

"Those prices haven't gotten bad yet, but the drought is a real wild card," said Volpe. "These commodities all have the potential to be significantly impacted by it."

Restaurant chains are trying to hold the line on prices. Mark Allison, senior vice president of culinary operations at Chanticleer Holdings (HOTR), which operates the American Roadside Burger chain, said his chain raised prices about 12%, even though their beef costs are up even more than that.

"We were able to lock in supply of beef," he said "But if beef prices rise further we'll have to raise prices again."

5 Best US Stocks To Invest In 2014

5 Best US Stocks To Invest In 2014: Heritage-Crystal Clean Inc.(HCCI)

Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. provides industrial and hazardous waste services to small and mid-sized customers in the United States. Its services comprise parts cleaning, containerized waste management, used oil collection and re-refining, and vacuum truck services. The company provides its parts cleaning services by offering parts cleaning equipment and chemicals to remove oil and grease, and other contaminants from engine parts and machine parts requiring cleaning. It also offers containerized waste management services by collecting drums, pails, boxes, and other containers of hazardous and non-hazardous waste materials from its customers. The company provides its vacuum truck services for the removal of mixtures of oil, water, and sediment from wastewater pretreatment devices. In addition, Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. provides bulk used oil collection services; and customer visit and accumulated oil removal services. As of December 31, 2011, the company operated 94 used oil collection trucks. Its customers include businesses involved in vehicle maintenance operations, such as car dealerships, automotive repair shops, and trucking firms, as well as small manufacturers comprising metal product fabricators and printers. The company operates a network of 67 branch facilities. Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Elgin, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Heritage-Crystal Clean (Nasdaq: HCCI  ) reported earnings on May 2. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 23 (Q1), Heritage-Crystal Clean missed estimates on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

• [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 Heritage-Crystal Clean (Nasdaq: HCCI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Heritage-Crystal Clean (Nasdaq: HCCI  ) .

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-us-stocks-to-invest-in-2014.html

Is the Gaming Sell-Off a Reason to Panic?

Gaming stocks have been hammered over the past month along with other high-growth parts of the market. But while the market was selling off, gaming companies continued to rake in money, particularly in Macau.

Macau's gaming revenue was up 40.3% in February and 13.1% in March, showing no signs of slowing down in 2014. So, is now the time to panic or double down on gaming stocks?

LVS Total Return Price data by YCharts.

Growth is there but value isn't
Gaming stocks fall into a similar category with tech stocks in today's market. Over the past year or two the stocks have risen in part because of growing multiples, which have combined with growing revenue and profits to give investors outstanding returns.

You can see below that Melco Crown (NASDAQ: MPEL  ) has seen the sharpest multiple rise but Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN  ) are up significantly from July 2012 lows.

LVS EV to EBITDA (TTM) data by YCharts.

While I'd like to be buying at a lower enterprise value/EBITDA multiple, I don't think there's reason to panic.

First, all three of these companies have new Macau resorts coming on line in the next two years, and Melco Crown has a resort in the Philippines as well. That will provide growth avenues for each company as they expand available tables (assuming Melco Crown gets tables at Studio City).

Macau is also still growing at a rapid rate of between 10% and 20% annually, which will likely continue unless the Chinese economy tanks. The advantage for these operators is that additional gaming revenue will be leveraged to the bottom line because they've more than covered operating and depreciation costs. So, EBITDA and net income will rise faster than revenue in 2014 and beyond.

Keep an eye on the growth sell-off
Gaming stocks aren't the only stocks that are selling off, and it's more of a broad sell-off than any critical flaw with these companies. Multiples are still high, so if you're looking for value it may be worth waiting to jump in, but as a shareholder of Wynn I'm not panicking. There are simply too many positives for gaming stocks right now to overlook the long-term opportunity.

3 stocks poised to be multibaggers
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Why InterCloud (ICLD) Stock Is Climbing Today

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Networks infrastructure provider InterCloud (ICLD) is moving higher on news it has been hired for two major design contracts for small cell deployment.

By early afternoon, shares had climbed 3.8% to $6.06.

The company said its first contract is with a national distributed-antenna and small cell hardwire vendor.

In a statement, InterCloud said it would "provide comprehensive professional small cell deployment and managed services to support their client's network in a major U.S. Theme Park." The second contract is with an original equipment manufacturer to "provide communications design services for a major northeast metropolitan city's transit system." The deals have a combined contract value of over $600,000. Must Read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Growth Stocks STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more. TheStreet Ratings team rates INTERCLOUD SYSTEMS INC as a Sell with a ratings score of D. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate INTERCLOUD SYSTEMS INC (ICLD) a SELL. This is driven by a few notable weaknesses, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its poor profit margins and generally high debt management risk." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: The gross profit margin for INTERCLOUD SYSTEMS INC is currently lower than what is desirable, coming in at 34.03%. It has decreased from the same quarter the previous year. Along with this, the net profit margin of 9.06% significantly trails the industry average. Even though the current debt-to-equity ratio is 1.28, it is still below the industry average, suggesting that this level of debt is acceptable within the IT Services industry. Despite the fact that ICLD's debt-to-equity ratio is mixed in its results, the company's quick ratio of 0.57 is low and demonstrates weak liquidity. The company's current return on equity greatly increased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of significant strength within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the IT Services industry and the overall market, INTERCLOUD SYSTEMS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500. This stock's share value has moved by only 33.31% over the past year. Naturally, the overall market trend is bound to be a significant factor. However, in one sense, the stock's sharp decline last year is a positive for future investors, making it cheaper (in proportion to its earnings over the past year) than most other stocks in its industry. But due to other concerns, we feel the stock is still not a good buy right now. INTERCLOUD SYSTEMS INC has shown improvement in its earnings for its most recently reported quarter when compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past year. During the past fiscal year, INTERCLOUD SYSTEMS INC turned its bottom line around by earning $5.00 versus -$35.00 in the prior year. You can view the full analysis from the report here: ICLD Ratings Report STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Stock quotes in this article: ICLD 

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, 3-D printing and production technologist Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Stratasys, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Stratasys facts

�

�

Headquarters (founded)

Eden Prairie, Minn. (1989)

Market Cap

$3.0 billion

Industry

Computer hardware

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Aussie/New Zealand (AR)

Antero Resources Corporation operates as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company. The company focuses on the acquisition, development, and production of unconventional oil and liquids-rich natural gas properties primarily in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It was formerly known as Antero Resources Appalachian Corporation and changed its name to Antero Resources Corporation in June 2013. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Denver, Colorado with district offices in Mount Clare, West Virginia; and Marietta, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Supply, meanwhile, is constrained by the fact that, even at the current elevated price, few gas projects outside of the bountiful Marcellus shale can compete with the returns available in crude oil. Our favorite Marcellus drillers are Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) and Antero Resources (AR).

• [By Robert Rapier]

  In February,�Antero Resources�(NYSE: AR) filed an S-1 with the SEC for the initial public offering of an MLP comprised of its midstream assets.�The filing�indicated that Antero Resources Midstream LLC would be converted into a limited partnership named Antero Midstream Partners LP with a valuation of up to $500 million. Assets include a network of natural gas gathering pipelines and compressor stations that collects raw natural gas from Antero’s operations in the Marcellus and Utica shales. Also included: two independent water distribution systems used for well completions in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: CNH Global N.V. (CNH)

CNH Global N.V. manufactures, markets, and distributes a line of agricultural and construction equipment and parts worldwide. It operates in three segments: Agricultural Equipment, Construction Equipment, and Financial Services. The Agricultural Equipment segment provides tractors, combine harvesters, hay and forage equipment, seeding and planting equipment, tillage equipment, and sprayers, as well as cotton picker packagers, and sugar cane and grape harvesters primarily under the Case IH and New Holland brands. The Construction Equipment segment offers heavy construction equipment, such as crawler and wheeled excavators, wheel loaders, graders, dozers, and articulated haul trucks; and light construction equipment, including backhoe loaders, skid steer and tracked loaders, mini and midi excavators, compact wheel loaders, and telehandlers primarily under the Case and New Holland Construction brands. This segment serves construction companies, municipalities, local governmen ts, rental fleet owners, quarrying and aggregate mining companies, waste management companies, forestry-related concerns, contractors, residential builders, utilities, road construction companies, landscapers, logistics companies, and farmers. The Financial Services segment provides financial products and services, including retail financing for the purchase or lease of the company�s and other manufacturers� new and used products; and facilitates the sale of insurance products and other financing programs to retail customers. This segment also offers wholesale financing to its dealers and rental equipment operators, as well as financing options to dealers to finance working capital, real estate, and other fixed assets and maintenance equipment. CNH Global N.V. sells and distributes its products through dealers and distributors in approximately 170 countries. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. CNH Global N.V. is a subsidiary of Fiat Netherlands Holding N.V.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Kubota isn't the only company aggressively challenging Deere. AGCO (NYSE: AGCO  ) has made aggressive expansion efforts in Africa, working with specialty agricultural lender Rabobank to try to help farmers on the continent buy more farming equipment. Moreover, both AGCO and CNH Global (NYSE: CNH  ) have made emerging markets like Latin America a high priority, reaping benefits from the more rapidly expanding economies among Latin American nations. Deere has targeted Latin America as well, but it hasn't been as aggressive with its international efforts as its peers. Deere's stock price has reflected its lack of initiative in expanding globally:

• [By Mike the PhD]

  Historically the stock prices of Deere (DE) and other agricultural equipment firms and retailers like Case-New Holland (CNH), Titan Machinery (TITN), AGCO (AGCO), Tractor Supply (TSCO), Valmont (VAL), and Lindsay (LNN) have tended to closely track the price of corn. When corn prices go up, farmers tend to make more money, and they spend that money on new equipment from Deere and other firms. This relationship is especially strong for Deere and Corn, but it holds true for all of the stocks above to some extent. (Correlation coefficients between all of the stock prices above and corn are statistically significant to at least the 5% level, see my blog here for more details.)

• [By vaninaegea]

  In august, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) published the mid-year review for the agricultural sector. Their findings point to a slowdown for the industry, highlighting a 9.5% decline on exports through the first half of 2013. Also, late soybean planting in the USA is expected to compound the industry�� slowdown. So, what are the prospects for AGCO (AGCO), CNH Global (CNH), and Deere & Co. (DE) under such conditions?

Top Industrial Disributor Companies To Own In Right Now: Adcorp Holdings Ltd (ADR)

Adcorp Holdings Limited (Adcorp) is an investment holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries and associates, is engaged in providing, recruitment, human capital management and training services and business process outsourcing. It is organized into three operating divisions: group central costs, traditional resourcing business and new generation business. The group central costs division includes the items of income and expenditure related to Adcorp Holdings Limited, Group marketing, corporate social investment, shared services and the central head office. The traditional resourcing business includes blue-collar flexible resourcing services (including nursing), white-collar flexible-resourcing services, independent contracting and permanent recruitment services. In October 2013, Adcorp Holdings Ltd acquired Labour Solutions Australia. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Symbol Company Price Market Cap($Mil) Yield SNP China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (ADR) $94.64 $88,459 4.5% YZC Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. (ADR) $14.28 $7,258 5.5% ZNH China Southern Airlines Limited (ADR) $21.34 $4,512 6.2% SFUN SouFun Holdings Limited (ADR) $13.96 $1,083 7.1% GA Giant Interactive Group Inc (ADR) $4.76 $1,167 5.9% CYOU Changyou.com Limited(ADR) $22.49 $1,213 32.6%
  Try the All-in-One Screener to find the companies that may meet your criteria. Define your customized screen and bring it up with just one click next time. This is the link.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Invacare Corporation (IVC)

Invacare Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes medical equipment and supplies for non-acute care environment, including the home health care, retail, and extended care markets worldwide. The company offers mobility and seating products, including power wheelchairs, custom manual wheelchairs, personal mobility products, and seating and positioning products; lifestyle products, such as manual wheelchairs, personal care products, homecare beds, pressure relieving mattresses, and patient transport products; and respiratory therapy products comprising non-delivery oxygen, stationary oxygen concentrators, and aerosol products and oxygen accessories. It also provides assistance in the collection of outstanding co-pays, rental capabilities, software, and technology to streamline efficiencies, repair services, and replacement parts. In addition, the company distributes medical supplies, including ostomy, incontinence, diabetic, enteral, wound care, and urology products , as well as home medical equipment, including lifestyle products. Further, it manufactures and markets healthcare furnishings comprising beds, case goods, and patient handling equipment for the long-term care markets; specialty clinical recliners for dialysis and oncology clinics; and other home medical equipment and accessory products. Additionally, the company offers home medical equipment for rent. It serves home health care and medical equipment providers, distributors, and government locations through its sales force, telesales associates, and various organizations of independent manufacturers� representatives and distributors. Invacare Corporation was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Invacare (IVC) designs, manufactures and distributes a line of health care products for the non-acute care environment, including the home health care, retail and extended care markets. This stock closed up 2.3% at $16.73 in Monday's trading session.

  Monday's Volume: 218,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 143,188
  
  Volume % Change: 75%

  From a technical perspective, IVC jumped higher here right above some near-term support at $16 with above-average volume. This move briefly pushed shares of IVC into breakout territory, since the stock flirted with some past resistance at $16.81. This move is also close to pushing shares of IVC above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading price action, that has seen IVC trade between $14.92 on the downside and $16.81 on the upside.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in IVC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $15.75 and then once it sustains a move or close above Monday's high of $16.84 with volume that's near or above 143,188 shares. If we get that move soon, then IVC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $18.24 to $19.15.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: SWS Group Inc.(SWS)

SWS Group, Inc., a diversified financial services holding company, provides a range of investment and commercial banking, and related financial services to individual, corporate, and institutional investors, as well as broker/dealers, governmental entities, and financial intermediaries in the United States. It operates in four segments: Clearing, Retail, Institutional, and Banking. The Clearing segment provides clearing and execution services for general securities broker/dealers, bank affiliated firms, and firms specializing in high volume trading. The Retail segment offers retail securities products and services, such as equities, mutual funds, and fixed income products; insurance products; and managed accounts. The Institutional segment provides securities lending, investment banking and public finance, fixed income sales and trading, proprietary trading, and agency execution services to institutional customers. The Banking segment offers various banking products and se rvices, including certificates of deposit, money market accounts, interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, federal home loan bank advances, federal funds purchased, and non interest-bearing demand accounts, as well as one to four family residential loans and construction loans, lot and land development loans, commercial real estate loans, multi family loans, commercial loans, and consumer loans. SWS Group, Inc. was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Hilltop Holdings Inc.(HTH) offered to buy the rest of SWS Group Inc.(SWS) that it doesn’t already own, valuing the financial-services company at about $231 million. Hilltop, a regional banking and insurance company, offered $7 a share, a 16% premium over Thursday’s close. SWS surged 19% to $7.20 premarket,�topping the offer price.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  SWS Group (SWS) also catches my eye at the current valuation. The Dallas-based company is in the brokerage, investment banking and banking business in the Southwest. They struggled with losses at the banking subsidiary and eventually had to find a capital infusion. They ended up borrowing $100 million from noted investors Gerald Ford and Robert Bass. The core brokerage and investment banking business are well positioned and should do well over the next few years. I wouldn�� be shocked if this firm was eventually sold off, with Mr. Ford keeping the banking assets and selling the brokerage and I-Bank units to a larger firm. With the stock trading at just 65% of book value, the long-term potential is very high for this stock.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation(BKBK)

Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation operates as the holding company for Britton & Koontz Bank, National Association that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Adams and Warren Counties, Mississippi, and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as well as in the adjoining counties and parishes in Mississippi and Louisiana. The company offers various deposit products, including personal and commercial checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, non-interest bearing deposits, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; real estate construction, residential, and other loans; installment loans; consumer loans; and overdrafts. In addition, the company provides automated clearinghouse services; safe deposit box facilities; brokerage services; automated teller machines; cash management services, including remote deposit, money transfer, direct de posit payroll, and sweep accounts; VISA credit cards; and letters of credit. As of May 17, 2011, it operated three full service offices in Natchez, two in Vicksburg, Mississippi; three in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and a loan production office in Central, Louisiana. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Natchez, Mississippi.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  HBCP recently announced a deal to buy Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation (BKBK) in a deal that will add eight branches and more than $300 million of assets to the bank. It also gains access to the Mississippi marketplace and increases Home Bancorp’s deposit base in Baton Rouge.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Gamestop Corporation (GME)

GameStop Corp. operates as a retailer of video game products and personal computer (PC) entertainment software. It sells new and used video game hardware; video game software; used video game products; and video game accessories, which primarily consist of controllers, memory cards, and other add-ons, as well as strategy guides and trading cards. The company also offers PC entertainment and other software across various genres, including sports, action, strategy, adventure/role playing, and simulation, as well as products that relate to the digital category comprising network point cards, prepaid digital and online timecards, and digitally downloadable software. GameStop Corp. sells its products through stores, as well as through its electronic commerce Web sites, including gamestop.com, ebgames.com.au, gamestop.ca, gamestop.it, gamestop.es, gamestop.ie, gamestop.de, and micromania.fr. As of July 12, 2011, its retail network and family of brands included 6,573 company-oper ated stores in 17 countries worldwide. The company also publishes Game Informer, a video game magazine in the United States; and operates the online video gaming Web sites kongregate.com and joltonline.com. GameStop Corp. was founded in 1994 and is based in Grapevine, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Quickel]

  Owning GameStop (GME) is, essentially, a bet that it has the business model, financial strength, and management savvy, to continue the underlying growth that took it from $16 in mid-2012 to a November 2013 peak of $58.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: The Hackett Group Inc.(HCKT)

The Hackett Group, Inc. operates as a strategic advisory and technology consulting firm primarily in the United States and western Europe. The company offers executive advisory programs, benchmarking, business transformation, and technology consulting services, as well as shared services, offshoring, and outsourcing advice. Its executive advisory programs consists of advisor inquiry, an inquiry service used by clients for access to fact-based advice on proven approaches and methods to increase the effectiveness of selling, general, and administrative processes (SG&A); best practice research, a research that provides insights into the proven approaches in use at organizations; peer interaction program comprising member-led Webcasts, annual Best Practice Conferences, annual Member Forums, membership performance surveys, and client-submitted content; and best practice intelligence center, an online, searchable repository of practices, performance metrics, conference presentat ions, and associated research. The company?s bench marking services conduct studies in the areas of SG&A, finance, human resources, information technology, procurement, enterprise performance management, shared service centers, and working capital management. These services are used by clients to establish priorities, generate organizational consensus, align compensation to establish performance goals, and develop the required business case for business and technology investments. Its business transformation programs help clients to develop coordinated strategy for achieving performance improvements across the enterprise; and Hackett Technology Solutions help clients choose and deploy the software applications that meet their needs and objectives. The company was formerly known as Answerthink, Inc. and changed its name to The Hackett Group, Inc. in January 2008. The Hackett Group, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ValueArtifex]

  One such situation currently in the process of unfolding this month is a Dutch Tender by The Hackett Group (HCKT). I will briefly discuss the underlying business, what exactly a Dutch Auction (or in this case, a Tender) is, what options investors have when approaching this situation and how it could play out.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Oncothyreon Inc .(ONTY)

Oncothyreon Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer. Its primary product candidate, Stimuvax is in two phase III clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. The company is also developing PX-866, a small molecule that is in phase II trials for various cancer indications. In addition, it engages in the preclinical development of ONT-10, a cancer vaccine; and ONT-701, a pan-inhibitor of the B-cell lymphoma-2 family of anti-apoptotic proteins. The company operates primarily in the United States and Canada. Oncothyreon Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ant贸nio Costa]

  Oncothyreon Inc (NASDAQ: ONTY) is firming just above key support at $1.78 and a triangle has taken shape over the last few weeks. The stock is starting to show signs of accumulation with high upside days and low downside days. This stock is poised for a move and I suspect that it will explode to the upside. In addition, Inside trading has been very active over the last month. They are buying now after pausing years.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  On paper, Oncothyreon Inc. (NASDAQ:ONTY) doesn't look like a particularly compelling investment. The pre-revenue biotech company is poised to keep booking sizable losses as it continues to work on its lung cancer drug tecemotide (formerly Stimuvax), which has rejected by the FDA last year but is still being reworked for a slightly different illness than was being targeted initially. And, with no other Phase 3 drug in its pipeline, traders may be rightfully wondering if there's any real catalyst for ONTY in the foreseeable future.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 biopharmaceutical player that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Oncothyreon (ONTY), which develops and markets synthetic vaccines and small molecules that treat cancer patients. This stock hasn't done much so far in 2013, with shares down modestly by 3.9%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Oncothyreon, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways inside of a consolidation chart pattern for the last month and change, with shares moving between $1.63 on the downside and $1.95 on the upside. Shares of ONTY have been finding some buying interest of late right above its 50-day moving average of $1.73 a share. This stock is now starting to push within range of triggering a big breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ONTY if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.93 to $1.95 a share and then once it takes out more resistance at $1.98 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 action of 689,364 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ONTY will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 200-day moving average of $2.12 a share to $2.70 a share.

  Traders can look to buy ONTY off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day at $1.73 a share or around more support at $1.63 a share. One can also buy ONTY off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By EP Vantage]

  Although the subgroup on which this decision is based was large, many will still consider this a risky basis for further study. Some investors thought it was a risk worth taking: shares in Oncothyreon (ONTY), which licensed the drug to Merck and saw its valuation more than halve on news of the Start failure, were trading 22% higher this morning at $2.19; Merck KGaA stock was little changed. But, in the meantime, tecemotide will struggle to shake off the stain of past failure.

Top High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: China Recycling Energy Corporation(CREG)

China Recycling Energy Corporation provides energy saving and recycling products and services in the People's Republic of China. The company engages in the design, sale, installation, lease, and operation of top gas recovery turbine systems (TRT) and other renewable energy products. It also builds cement low temperature heat power generator (CHPG) and waste gas power generator (WGPG) systems. The company, through a joint venture, Inner Mongolia Erdos TCH Energy Saving Development Co., Ltd, with Erdos Metallurgy Co., Ltd., recycles waste heat from Erdos Metallurgy Co.?s metal refining plants to generate power and steam. China Recycling Energy Corporation offers its products and services to enterprises in the iron and steel, cement, coking, and metallurgy industries. The company was formerly known as China Digital Wireless, Inc. and changed its name to China Recycling Energy Corporation in March 2007. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Xi An City, the People?s R epublic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is China Recycling Energy (CREG), which engages in the recycling energy business, providing energy savings and recycling products and services. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up a whopping 166%.

  If you take a look at the chart for China Recycling Energy, you'll notice that this stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $1.67 to $1.66 a share. Following that bottom, shares of CREG have started to uptrend strong and move back above its 50-day moving average. That uptrend has now pushed shares of CREG within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in CREG if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.80 to $2.85 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 action of 95,671 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CREG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to $4 a share.

  Traders can look to buy CREG off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $2.32 a share, or near more support at $2 a share. One can also buy CREG off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Tax Q&A: I moved. Must I file a state return?

As the April 15 tax deadline fast approaches, you probably have questions. Fortunately, we have answers. Every day until April 15, members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have agreed to answer selected tax questions from USA TODAY readers. Submit your questions to jwaggoner@usatoday.com.

Q. In 2013, I lived in Hawaii until the end of April, and then I moved to Washington state. I received a paycheck and an unemployment check while still living in Hawaii, but do I need to file a state return with Hawaii since I lived in Washington the majority of the year? Washington doesn't require a state tax return, so I'm assuming it is not necessary to file here. Obviously I'll be filing a federal return regardless.

A. Aloha!

State tax rules can trip up taxpayers, since they vary so much from state to state. This reader is wise to double check his/her tax obligations for Hawaii and Washington, as should other taxpayers who moved from one state to another during 2013.

Best Valued Stocks To Own For 2014

In this case, the individual has to file a Hawaii return (Form N-15 for NONRESIDENT and PART-YEAR RESIDENT status) to report the income earned in Hawaii. The resident return is Form N-11.

The presumption is that the taxpayer is a non-resident filer for Hawaii reporting purposes because he/she lived in Hawaii for less than 200 days.

NEED HELP: Get all the latest tax news and advice

It is correct that the state of Washington does not have a personal income tax, but other taxes apply to business owners. Visit the Washington State Department of Revenue website for details.

Rodney M. Harano, managing partner, CW Associates, CPAs, Honolulu

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Why US Ecology Is Poised to Keep Poppin'

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, hazardous waste disposal specialist US Ecology (NASDAQ: ECOL  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at US Ecology and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

US Ecology facts

Headquarters (founded)	Boise, Idaho (1952)
Market Cap	$501.8 million
Industry	Environmental and facilities services
Trailing-12-Month Revenue	$179.0 million
Management	President/COO Jeffrey Feeler CFO Eric Gerratt
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years)	19.6%
Cash/Debt	$4.5 million / $41.0 million
Dividend Yield	2.7%
Competitors	Clean Harbors Valhi Waste Management

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 97% of the 519 members who have rated US Ecology believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just last week, one of those Fools, TMFrank, succinctly summed up the US Ecology bull case for our community: "Strong regional competitive advantage, huge amounts of operating leverage and a rebounding construction/manufacturing sector should help this company grow."

If you want market-thumping returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Of course, despite a strong five-star rating, US Ecology may not be your top choice.

We've found another stock we are incredibly excited about -- excited enough to dub it "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." We have compiled a special free report for investors to uncover this stock today. The report is 100% free, but it won't be here forever, so click here to access it now.