Abercrombie (ANF) Isn't Pulling In the Cool Crowd

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In 2015

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) just isn't pulling in the cool crowd like it used to. The clothing retailer, which typically markets to teenagers, reported its seventh straight quarter of falling same-store sales. For the quarter, comparable-store sales fell 14%, down 14% in the U.S. and 15% internationally. August and September marked the weakest months of the quarter.

The embattled retailer, well-known for its half-clad, all-American models, is trying to draw consumers back to its stores, even if it means expanding its definition of an ideal target market. During an analyst meeting earlier in this month, executives said they will expand the sizes and fits of its clothing by spring in an attempt to attract increased sales. The company came under fire earlier this year when comments Jefferies made in 2006 that the brand only wanted to "market to cool, good-looking people" resurfaced. Currently, the store offers women's sizes no bigger than a large.

The company, which pre-announced figures earlier in the month, reported adjusted net income of 52 cents a share, excluding one-time charges related to its restructuring plans for lingerie stores Gilly Hicks. The figure was  7 cents lower than analysts surveyed by Yahoo! Finance had expected.

Including one-time items, the New Albany, Ohio-based business recorded a net loss of $15.6 million, compared with net income of $84 million in the year-ago quarter. Total revenue of $1.03 billion, 12% lower than a year ago, was $30 million less than what analysts expected.  "Our results for the third quarter reflect weakness in top-line performance, which we expect to continue in the fourth quarter. However, we continue to work hard to offset these conditions and are aggressively pursuing initiatives we believe will improve the sales trend as we go forward," said CEO Mike Jefferies in a statement. In premarket trading, shares had fallen 2.5% to $34.12. Year to date, the stock has plunged 27.1%. TheStreet Ratings team rates Abercrombie & Fitch as a Hold with a ratings score of C+. The team has this to say about its recommendation: "We rate Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed -- some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its reasonable valuation levels, expanding profit margins and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including unimpressive growth in net income, weak operating cash flow and feeble growth in the company's earnings per share." You can view the full analysis from the report here: ANF Ratings Report

Will LinkedIn’s new ‘Intro’ feature attract h…

SEATTLE -- LinkedIn's new Intro functionality, launched by CEO Jeff Weiner earlier this week, is intended to make the business networking service more mobile friendly.

But it also runs the risk of making LinkedIn more attractive to hackers. At least that's the early reaction from two prominent security analysts.

James Lyne, Global Head of Security Research for anti-malware company Sophos, says in a blog posting that LinkedIn has "put up a big sign advertising to cyber criminals, nation states and others 'hack here, we've got loads of juicy data'. "

Intro ties into Apple's iOS native e-mail application. It is designed to re-configure your e-mail to proxy through LinkedIn servers. This redirection enables LinkedIn to insert a banner that appears to be integrated with the application natively. LinkedIn, in effect, has become a man-in-the-middle of your e-mail flow; its servers sit between you and your actual e-mail provider.

From a security and privacy standpoint, this introduces fresh opportunities for bad guys, says Carl Livitt, Senior Security Researcher at security consultancy Bishop Fox. Livitt and Lyne are among the first security experts to react strongly to Intro.

Julie Inouye, LinkedIn's corporate communications director, says the company has taken extensive security and privacy precautions.

"We take the privacy and security of our members' data very seriously and have taken a thoughtful approach to ensure we've put the right security precautions in place for the LinkedIn Intro product," Inouye told CyberTruth.

Inouye points out that security precautions include: isolating the Intro environment as a separate high security segment from the rest of LinkedIn systems; hardening parts of its infrastructure related to delivering the service; retaining an outside vendor to review the code dealing with transmission of credentials and handling email content; ensuring that credentials and e-mail content are never stored unencrypted; and continuously monitoring the! Intro platform for security and availability issues.

Even so, in a CyberTruth interview, Bishop Fox's Livitt drilled down on his concerns:

CT: So what do you believe to be the core security issue introduced by Intro?

Livitt: You can bet your last dollar that enterprising hackers and spammers will view Intro as a potential goldmine. Intro supports some of the biggest names in email: Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL. And it's all centralized. Further, in most cases LinkedIn is not actually issuing new passwords for their email servers – they simply 'pass through' your real credentials to your real email provider.

Imagine if someone were to compromise the Intro platform. They would gain access to the usernames and passwords of at least every Yahoo! and AOL user; Gmail users would not be affected in the same way because of OAuth. There is also a rather pervasive concern that LinkedIn has a poor security track record and there is corresponding concern about the design, implementation, and due diligence that has gone into creating the Intro service.

Then there's the human side. Is it okay to hand over all of your emails to someone in exchange for convenience? Is it acceptable for a third-party to have the stated aim of modifying your emails? Is it ok to accept 3rd iPhone configuration profiles as part of a free service?

CT: What market forces do you think drove LinkedIn to try this?

Livitt: I can only speculate. The ability to mine e-mails for information about users so that advertising can be targeted more effectively. The persistent branding of all e-mails with LinkedIn's service to embed themselves into the psyche of users. The ability to intercept and act upon the corporate communications of a large user base would be a business intelligence coup . . . Maybe we should have seen this coming after LinkedIn bought Rapportive.

CT: Anybody else doing anything similar to this?

Hot P! erforming! Stocks To Watch Right Now

Livitt: Some of the big MDM (mobile device management) providers employ techniques similar to what Intro is doing, but they have mature solutions. MDMs like AirWatch, Goodand Fiberlink provide enterprise solutions for companies to manage the security of mobile devices by pushing security configuration profiles to iPhones and Androids. This gives them capabilities to manage apps and remotely wipe the phone. This is exactly the means by which LinkedIn is now pushing a new e-mail profile to iPhones. I know of no other social networking providers who do this. Facebook does ask for your e-mail credentials in order to collect your contacts, but none of your e-mail passes through their systems.

CT: Have you contacted them about this?

Livitt: We haven't heard anything from LinkedIn, nor have we actively pursued dialogue with them. That said, the risks introduced by their applications are by design. This isn't a security vulnerability that can be patched.

CT: Anything else?

Livitt: This will be an interesting social experiment – how many people do you think will actually hand over their e-mails to LinkedIn in exchange for the convenience of having LinkedIn embedded into their e-mail client? I have no idea, but it will be fascinating to find out.

Will Recent Headlines Hurt Pfizer Stock?

With shares of Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) trading around $29, is PFE an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Pfizer is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells medicines for people and animals worldwide. The company manages its operations through five segments: Primary Care, Specialty Care and Oncology, Established Products and Emerging Markets, Animal Health and Consumer Healthcare, and Nutrition. Pfizer's main products are human and animal biologic and small molecule medicines, as well as vaccines, nutritional products, consumer healthcare products, and products for the prevention and treatment of diseases in livestock and companion animals.

Pfizer on Monday said one of its experimental drugs had failed to meet its goals in two late-stage studies among patients who had received prior treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease. Although Pfizer continues to test the drug, called dacomitinib, in another Phase III study, hopes for its success have now largely faded, according to ISI Group analyst Mark Schoenebaum. ”We believe consensus expectations (for the drug) will be close to zero given today’s readout” of unsuccessful trial results, Schoenebaum said in a research note.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Mixed

Pfizer stock has been trending higher in the last couple of years. However, the stock is currently pulling back and may need time to stabilize. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Pfizer is trading between its rising key averages which signal neutral price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Pfizer options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Pfizer options	22.24%	96%	94%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a very significant amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
February Options	Average	Average
March Options	Average	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call and put buyers or sellers, all neutral over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a very significant amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Mixed Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Pfizer’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Pfizer look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1	2012 Q4
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	-9.30%	360.50%	58.33%	358.00%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	-2.39%	-7.12%	-9.30%	-6.65%
Earnings Reaction	1.67%	0.44%	-4.46%	3.20%

Pfizer has seen increasing earnings and decreasing revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have had mixed feelings about Pfizer’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Average Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Pfizer stock done relative to its peers, Merck (NYSE:MRK), Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), and sector?

	Pfizer	Merck	Novartis	Sanofi	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	-2.74%	6.55%	-2.13%	-8.33%	-2.66%

Pfizer has been an average relative performer, year-to-date.

Conclusion

Pfizer discovers and develops medicines for people and animals around the world. The company said one of its experimental drugs had failed to meet its goals in two late-stage studies. The stock has been trending higher in recent years, but is currently pulling back. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been increasing while revenues have been decreasing, which has produced mixed feelings among investors about recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Pfizer has been an average year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Pfizer does next.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks inched downward Wednesday, with action quiet as most other Asian markets were closed for the Christmas holiday. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) eased 0.1% to 15,874.40, with the Topix 0.2% lower, failing to get a bump from gains in Wall Street's abbreviated session Tuesday. Shares of Softbank Corp. (JP:9984) (SFTBF) slipped 0.3%, showing little reaction to an article in the Nikkei Asian Review saying that previously reported plans by the firm to buy T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) through its newly acquired Sprint (S) unit would value the transaction at more than 2 trillion yen ($19 billion) and would take place as early as next spring. Seven & I Holdings Co. (JP:3382) (SVNDF) , operators of the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain, rose 0.5% as a separate Nikkei report said it planned to pay about 楼5 billion yen to purchase nearly half of Bals, which runs home-and-kitchen-furnishings retailer Francfranc. On the upside, Renesas Electronics Corp. (JP:6723) (RNECY) rallied 5.3% after suffering a sizeable drop in the previous session.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Horsehead Holding Corp.(ZINC)

Horsehead Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty zinc and zinc-based products in North America. The company?s products include PW zinc metal, which is used to provide a protective coating to various fabricated products, including pipe and guard rails, heat exchangers, and telecommunications towers, as well as for the production of brass; and SSHG zinc metal that is used as feed for the manufacture of high-purity zinc powder and zinc alloys. It also offers zinc oxide for the production of tire and rubber products, chemicals, ceramics, plastics, paints, lubricating oils, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the company recycles electric arc furnace dust, a hazardous waste generated by steel mini-mills. Further, it provides special zinc powders, which are used in general chemical and metallurgical applications, as well as in friction applications, such as brake linings for automobiles; battery grade zinc powders that are used in alkaline, me rcuric oxide, silver oxide, and zinc-air batteries; and copper-based powders, including brass, bronze, and nickel-silver powders, which are used in various applications comprising brazing, infiltrating, and powdered metallurgical hardware, such as lock bodies, valves, and gears. Additionally, the company offers short-line railroad service for the movement of materials. It primarily serves galvanizers and brass producers; alkaline battery industries; and manufacturers of tire and rubber products, lubricating oils, chemicals, paints, ceramics, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Costain Grp(COST.L)

Costain Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of consultancy, engineering, construction and operations, and maintenance services in Spain. The company operates in four segments: Environment, Infrastructure, Energy and Process, and Land Development. The Environment segment offers engineering solutions in water, waste, education, and retail sectors. The Infrastructure segment provides engineering solutions for various infrastructure providers, such as highways, rail, and airports markets. The Energy and Process segment offers consultancy, engineering, project delivery, and asset support services for power, nuclear process, and hydrocarbons and chemicals. The Land Development segment is involved in the land and marina development activities. The company was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Maidenhead, the United Kingdom.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: AXT Inc(AXTI)

AXT, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes compound and single element semiconductor substrates for use in wireless communications, lighting display applications, fiber optic communications, and solar cell. It offers semi-insulating substrates made from gallium arsenide, which are used in power amplifiers and radio frequency integrated circuits of wireless handsets, direct broadcast televisions, high-performance transistors, and satellite communications applications. The company also provides semi-conducting substrates made from gallium arsenide that are used for applications in light emitting diodes, lasers, and optical couplers; substrates made from indium phosphide used in broadband and fiber optic communications; and substrates made from germanium used in satellite and terrestrial solar cells, and for optical applications. It manufactures its semiconductor substrates using its proprietary vertical gradient freeze technol ogy. In addition, the company, through its joint venture agreements, manufactures and sells gallium, arsenic, germanium, germanium dioxide, paralytic boron nitride crucibles, and boron oxide. AXT, Inc. sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through independent sales representatives in France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as American Xtal Technology, Inc. and changed its name to AXT, Inc. in July 2000. AXT, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Fremont, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  SciClone (NASDAQ: SCLN  ) has a new man leading its finance team. The company announced that it hired Wilson Cheung to be its new CFO. Cheung is a longtime executive who most recently served as chief compliance officer, Asia Pacific, at digital marketing agency Velti, following a stint as that company's CFO. Before that, he was CFO and corporate secretary at AXT (NASDAQ: AXTI  ) and served in various managerial positions in firms such as KPMG and Yahoo!

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Reliance Industries Ltd (RELIANCE)

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is a conglomerate with business in the energy and materials value chain. The Company operates in three segments: petrochemicals, refining and oil & gas. The petrochemicals segment includes production and marketing operations of petrochemical products which include, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, poly butadiene rubber, polyester yarn, polyester fibre, purified terephthalic acid, paraxylene, ethylene glycol, olefins, aromatics, linear alkyl benzene, butadiene, acrylonitrile, caustic soda and polyethylene terephthalate. The refining segment includes production and marketing operations of the petroleum products. The oil and gas segment includes exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. Its others segment includes textile, retail business, special economic zone (SEZ) development and telecom / broadband business.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Equinix Inc.(EQIX)

Equinix, Inc. provides data center services for the protection and connection of information assets to enterprises, financial service companies, and content and network service providers worldwide. It connects businesses with partners and customers through a platform of high performance data centers, containing dynamic ecosystems and the broadest choice of networks. The company operates International Business Exchange (IBX) centers, or IBX data centers, across 38 markets in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Equinix offers data center services, including premium data center co-location; interconnection and exchange services; network connectivity; business continuity; and outsourced IT infrastructure services. The company connects approximately 4,000 enterprises, cloud, digital content, and financial companies, including 680 network service providers to help them grow their businesses, improve application performance, and protect their vita l digital assets. It markets its products and services through direct sales force and channel marketing program. Equinix was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Redwood City, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paulo Santos]

  Using Equinix (EQIX) and Rackspace Hosting (RAX) as comparables, I was pumped up. CONE was projecting $135 million in EBITDA for 2013 (at the midpoint of guidance). On a $445 million market capitalization with $277.7 million in net debt, it traded at an EV/EBITDA of just 5.4 times. Compare that to EQIX at 13 times or RAX at 15 times. This was a bargain and growing revenues at a 18% clip year-on-year, too, above EQIX's 10% or RAX's 15%.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Equinix, Inc. (EQIX) is a leading Internet exchange service provider, serving communications, content and enterprise customers in state-of-the-art data centers. Equinix also offers interconnection services to customers seeking to connect directly with other Equinix customers. We believe that this "tethering" of customers in a network neutral environment creates important competitive barriers that distinguish Equinix from other data center business models. Last year, management indicated its intention to convert the company to a REIT. Shares were pressured this quarter, as the market grew concerned about the company's ability to make this REIT conversion. In addition, REIT shares themselves were under pressure on concerns that rising interest rates would depress their relative valuations in the stock market. We believe that Equinix remains an attractive investment, whether or not a REIT conversion eventually occurs.

• [By Steve Sears]

  New stocks in what Goldman calls the “Hedge Fund VIP list,”�include Actavis (ACT), Baidu (BIDU), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Crown Castle International (CCI), Entergy Louisiana (ELB), �Equinix (EQIX), Facebook (FB), Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), W.R. Grace (GRA), MetLife (MET), Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC), Micron (MU), Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Time Warner (TWX).

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: China Unicom (CHU)

China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited (Unicom), incorporated on February 8, 2000, is an integrated telecommunications operator in China providing mobile voice and value-added, fixed-line voice and fixed-line broadband, data communications and other telecommunications services to its customers. The Company operates in two business segments consisting of mobile services and fixed-line services. The Company is engaged in global system for mobile communications (GSM) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) cellular business in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, the provision of fixedline voice, broadband and other Internet-related services, information and communications technology services, business and data communications services, and other related telecommunication value-added businesses. As of 30 June 2011, Unicom Group held 57.81% of the shares in the Company through China United Network Communications Limited (A Share Company), China Unicom (BVI) Limited and China Netcom Group Corporation (BVI) Limited, and Telefonica Internacional S.A.U. held 9.01% of the shares in the Company.

Mobile Business

Unicom�� mobile business consists of GSM and third generation (3G) mobile business. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had a total of 167.43 million mobile subscribers. As of December 31, 2010, its total number of mobile subscribers included 167.43 million. Unicom operates the 3G business based on the WCDMA technology nationwide in China. As of December 31, 2010, the total number of its 3G subscribers included 14.06 million, and had 1.35 million wireless data card subscribers, 2.41 million mobile television (TV) subscribers and over seven million mobile reading subscribers. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the total 3G voice usage was 55.47 billion minutes and the average data usage per subscriber per month was 178M. GSM mobile business primarily consists of GSM voice business and value-added business.

The Company�� mobile ! voice business enables its subscribers to make and receive phone calls with a mobile handset at any point within the coverage area of its mobile telecommunications networks. Its mobile voice business includes local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, inter-provincial roaming and international roaming. As of December 31, 2010, the Company�� total number of GSM mobile subscribers was 153.37 million. Unicom offers a range of GSM value-added services nationwide, including short message service (SMS), Cool Ringtone (a personalized ring-back tone service), mobile Internet and other wireless information services. During 2010, a total of 78.31 billion SMSs were transmitted by its GSM mobile subscribers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had a total number of 67.26 million subscribers to its Cool Ringtone service. In addition, as of December 31, 2010, it had a total number of 55.81 million mobile Internet subscribers.

Fixed-Line Business

Unicom is a fixed-line broadband and communications operator in northern China. The Company offers a range of fixed-line services nationwide in China, including fixed-line broadband services and data communications services; fixed-line voice services, include local and long distance fixed-line voice services and value-added services, and other services. The Company is a provider of fixed-line broadband services in its fixed-line northern service region. Unicom is a provider of data communications services in its fixed-line northern service region. It offers managed data products, such as those based on digital data networks (DDN), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and Internet protocol-virtual private network (IP-VPN). The Company also offers leased line products, including domestic and international leased circuits. Its customers for these services include government entities, large financial institutions and other domestic and multinational businesses, Internet service prov! iders and! other telecommunications operators.

As of December 31, 2010, the Company had established business cooperation relationships with more than 160 overseas operators to provide various international data communications products and services, such as international voice and data services. During 2010, it continued to offer full-scale data communications services to international operators and domestic and international corporate customers. The Company�� fixed-line voice services consist of local voice, domestic long distance, international long distance, value-added, interconnection and personal handyphone system (PHS) services. In addition to fixed-line telephone voice services, it offers a range of value-added services on its fixed-line networks. The Company�� fixed-line, value-added services include Personalized Ring and caller identification services. Personalized Ring services enable its fixed-line subscribers to personalize the ring-back tone for incoming calls. As of December 31, 2010, the number of its Personalized Ring subscribers reached 23.79 million.

Interconnection and Roaming Arrangements

The Company earns interconnection fees for terminating or transiting calls that originate from other domestic telecommunications operators��networks and pay interconnection fees to other operators for calls originating from its networks that are terminated on their networks. It earns and pays such fees in respect of mobile calls, local and domestic and international long distance calls and Internet services, except for the interconnection by fixed-line subscribers calling its mobile subscribers in the same region where no interconnection fee will be charged.

The Company provides roaming services, which allow its subscribers to access its mobile services while they are physically outside of their registered service area or in the coverage areas of other mobile networks in other countries and regions with which it has roaming arrangements. As of April 30! , 2011, U! nicom had roaming arrangements for GSM international voice and SMS services with 242 operators in 521 countries and regions; GPRS international inbound data services with 179 operators in 400 countries and regions and for international GPRS outbound data services with 164 operators in 357 countries and regions, and 3G services with 104 WCDMA operators in 245 countries and regions.

Mobile Networks

The Company�� mobile network consists of cell sites, which are physical locations, each equipped with a base station that houses transmitters, receivers and other equipment used to communicate through radio channels with subscribers��mobile handsets within the range of a cell; base station controllers, which connect to, and control, the base stations, and mobile switching centers, which control the base station controllers and the routing of telephone calls. Its mobile network also consists of a transmission network, which links the mobile switching centers, base station controllers, base stations and the public switched telephone network. It has deployed GSM and WCDMA mobile networks. The Company�� GSM mobile network mainly operates at 900 megahertz. It has also deployed GSM technology that operates at 1,800 megahertz in metropolitan areas to supplement the capacity of its existing mobile network. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had approximately 329,000 GSM base stations.

The Company competes with China Mobile and China Telecom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Young]

  I've been writing about the VNO development for awhile now, as it's really quite exciting with the potential to instantly triple the number of telecoms service providers in the market from the current three to a new field of 8-9 operators. Equally important, most of those new operators, which would lease network capacity from the existing three telcos, are private sector firms. That means they should be much more nimble and innovative than the current monopoly of three big state-run companies, China Mobile, China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA).

• [By WWW.MARKETWATCH.COM]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks inched lower early Friday, with mainland Chinese banks and energy shares among the weak spots. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) lost 0.1% to 22,824.44, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index down 0.4%, even as the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) rose 0.1%. Concerns about the fiscal health of the top mainland lenders loomed again over the shares, with Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988) (BACHY) down 0.9%, Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) 1.3% lower, and China Construction Bank Corp. (HK:939) (CICHF) off 0.7%. In the energy sector, Cnooc Ltd. (HK:883) (CEO) gave up 0.9% after posting a 17% gain in third-quarter revenue but not reporting its profit for the period. Its peers also lost ground, as China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (HK:386) (SNP) and PetroChina Co. (HK:857) (PTR) fell 1% apiece. On the upside, China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. (HK:762) (CHU) added 1.6% after announcing a gain of more than 50% for its quarterly profit compared to a year earlier. Rival China Mobile Ltd. (HK:941

• [By David Goldman]

  Until now, Apple had sold the iPhone there through China Mobile's much-smaller competitors, China Unicom (CHU)and China Telecom (CHA), which have about 425 million subscribers between them.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Super Group Ltd. (S10.SI)

Super Group Ltd, an investment holding company, engages in manufacture and distribution of beverages and food products. Its products include instant coffee mixes, soluble coffee powder, instant cereal, instant soymilk, instant tea-mixes, instant cup noodles, canned drinks, and non-dairy creamers. It also manufactures and distributes botanical herbal extracts; and provides vending machine services. Super Group Ltd offers its products under the brand names of Super, Caf茅 Nova, Super Power, Owl, Y茅 Y茅, Coffee King, Gold Eagle, Negresco, Eagle King, Superkids�, and Liang Bao primarily in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the People�s Republic of China. The company, formerly known as Super Coffeemix Manufacturing Ltd, was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Tennant Company(TNC)

Tennant Company engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing cleaning solutions worldwide. The company offers floor maintenance and outdoor cleaning equipment; chemical-free cleaning technologies; and specialty surface coatings and related products for protecting, repairing, and upgrading floors. Its products are used to clean and coat surfaces in factories, office buildings, parking lots and streets, airports, hospitals, schools, warehouses, shopping centers, and other retail environments. The company also provides parts, consumables, and service maintenance and repair; business solutions, such as pay-for-use offerings, and rental and leasing programs; and cleaning technologies that enhance the performance of its cleaning equipment. In addition, it offers Green Machine 500ze, an electric vacuum street sweeper to clean crowded urban areas. The company serves building service contract cleaners, end-user businesses, healthcare facilities, and schools, as well as local, state, and federal governments through its direct sales and service organization, and authorized distributors. Tennant Company was founded in 1870 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Tennant (NYSE: TNC  ) reported earnings on April 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Tennant missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Hot Asian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Shiloh Industries Inc.(SHLO)

Shiloh Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells first operation blanks, engineered welded blanks, stampings, and modular assemblies for the automotive, heavy truck, and other industrial markets. The company offers blanks for use in structural and exterior steel components, such as support brackets, frame sides, fenders, hoods and doors; and stampings primarily for use as components in mufflers, seat frames, structural rails, window lifts, heat shields, vehicle brakes, and other structural body components. It builds modular assemblies, including components in the structural and powertrain systems of vehicles. The company also designs, engineers, and sells precision tools and dies, and welding and assembly equipment to original equipment manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and other industrial customers. In addition, it offers a range of intermediate steel processing services, such as oiling, leveling, cutting-to-length, multi-blanking, slitt ing, edge trimming of hot and cold-rolled steel coils, and inventory control services for automotive and steel industry customers. The company supplies its products to automotive manufacturers and automotive suppliers, as well as to manufacturers in the lawn and garden, and heavy duty truck and trailer industries. Shiloh Industries was founded in 1950 and is based in Valley City, Ohio. Shiloh Industries, Inc. is a subsidiary of MTD Holdings Inc.

U.S. Bancorp Beats Q4 EPS Views; Posts Record High FY Earnings (UBS)

U.S. Bancorp (USB) announced its Q4 and full year earnings before the opening bell on Wednesday, posting quarterly earnings results that came in slightly above what analysts were expecting.

USB’s Earnings in Brief

U.S. Bancorp reported net income for the fourth quarter of $1.456 billion, or 76 cents per diluted share, which was up from last year’s Q4 earnings of $1.42 billion, or 72 cents per share. The company’s EPS results came in 1 cent higher than analysts’ estimates of 75 cents. For the full year, USB reported a record high for EPS, which came in at $3.

CEO Commentary

Richard K. Davis, USB’s chairman, president and CEO, had the following comments about the companies earnings results: "Today U.S. Bancorp reported record earnings for full year 2013 of $5.8 billion, or $3.00 per diluted common share. The 2013 results included top-tier returns on average assets and average common equity of 1.65 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, and an efficiency ratio of 52.4 percent. I am particularly proud to have achieved these results during a year marked by slow economic growth, a significant pullback in mortgage activity and continued regulatory and legislative change and uncertainty. Our results clearly demonstrate the benefits we derive from our diverse mix of businesses and conservative risk profile.”

Best Performing Companies To Watch For 2014

No Change to Dividend

USB did not make any mention of a dividend change in its earnings release, which was to be expected as the company most recently raised its quarterly dividend from 20 cents to 23 cents this past June. UBS will most likely be declaring its next dividend in March.

Stock Performance

USB stock was in active in pre-market trading. YTD, the company’s stock is up 4.24%.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014

The following video is from Monday's Investor Beat, in which host Chris Hill and analysts Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger dissect the hardest-hitting investing stories of the day.

Earnings season officially kicks off as Dow component Alcoa reports earnings after Monday's market close. In our lead story on Investor Beat, Jason and Matt discuss their outlook for the newest batch of quarterly reports and why they're keeping a close eye on Amazon.com and Home Depot.

Also, our analysts take a look at a new all-time high for Starbucks, Facebook's new search engine, Intel's stumble after a lowered earnings outlook, and one investment firm raising Dell stock, by supporting founder Michael Dell's efforts to take the company private. Those stories, plus two stocks Matt and Jason will be watching closely as earnings season rolls on.

It's incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged among the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: USA Mobility Inc.(USMO)

USA Mobility, Inc. provides wireless communications solutions to the healthcare, government, enterprise, and emergency response sectors in the United States. The company provides one-way and two-way messaging services. One-way messaging consists of numeric and alphanumeric messaging services. The numeric messaging services enable subscribers to receive messages that are composed entirely of numbers, such as a phone number. The alphanumeric messages may include numbers and letters which enable subscribers to receive text messages. Its two-way messaging services enable subscribers to send and receive messages to and from other wireless messaging devices, including pagers, personal digital assistants and personal computers. USA Mobility also offers voice mail, personalized greeting, message storage and retrieval, and equipment loss and/or maintenance protection to its one-way and two-way messaging subscribers. In addition, the company provides mobile voice and data services t hrough third party providers, which include BlackBerry devices and global positioning system location applications. Further, it offers machine to machine telemetry solutions for various applications that include asset tracking, utility meter reading, and other remote device monitoring applications. USA Mobility serves businesses, professionals, management personnel, medical personnel, field sales personnel and service forces, members of the construction industry and construction trades, real estate brokers and developers, sales and service organizations, specialty trade organizations, manufacturing organizations, and government agencies. The company is based in Springfield, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  
  USA Mobility Inc. (USMO): Reduced

  Up 26% over 12 months, USA Mobility has a market cap of $307.81 million; its shares were traded at around $14.22 with a P/E ratio of 13.10. The dividend yield of USMO is 3.52%.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: Top Image Systems Ltd.(TISA)

Top Image Systems Ltd. provides enterprise solutions for managing and validating content entering organizations from various sources. It develops and markets automated data capture solutions for managing and validating content gathered from customers, trading partners, and employees. The company?s solutions deliver digital content to the applications that drive an enterprise by using technologies, such as wireless communications, servers, form processing, and information recognition systems. It offers eFLOW Unified Content Platform that provides the common architectural infrastructure for its solutions. The company also provides Smart, an automated classification solution, which is the eFLOW plug-in for unstructured content providing single point of entry for information entering the organization; and Freedom, the eFLOW plug-in for semi-structured content that enables customers to identify and capture critical data from semi-structured documents, such as invoices, purchase orders, shipping notes, and checks. In addition, it offers Integra, the eFLOW plug-in for structured content, which provides a solution for data capture, validation, and delivery from structured predefined forms; eFLOW Ability, an integrated module interfacing with SAP systems for automated parking, approval, and posting of invoices and other document within SAP systems; and eFLOW Invoice Reader, an invoice capture and approval solution, which could be deployed and integrated in enterprise accounting environment, such as SAP, Oracle, and other financial systems. Top Image Systems Ltd. sells its products through a network of value-added distributors, systems integrators, original equipment manufacturers, and partners in approximately 40 countries worldwide. It has strategic partnership with SQN Banking Systems (SQN) to incorporate SQN's fraud detection solutions with its eFLOW Banking Platform in the Asia Pacific market. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered i n Ramat Gan, Israel.

Best Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2014: Convergys Corporation (CVG)

Convergys Corporation provides relationship management solutions in North America and internationally. Its Customer Management segment offers agent-assisted, self-service, and intelligent technology care solutions, including customer service, customer retention, sales, technical support, social interaction, collections management, back office, business-to-business, customer experience applied analytics, and intelligent interaction solutions for communications, financial services, technology, retail, healthcare, and government markets. This segment also provides premise-based and hosted automated self-care and technology solutions; speech recognition solutions; and license, professional, consulting and maintenance, and software support services. Convergys Corporation was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Convergys (NYSE: CVG) was also up, gaining 12.44 percent to $23.46 after the company announced its plans to acquire Stream Global Services for $820 million in cash. Convergys also reaffirmed its outlook for 2013.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Convergys (CVG) �shares surged 20% to $25 on light volume after the customer management firm announced it will acquire Stream Global Services Inc. for a total enterprise value of $820 million in cash. The acquisition should add about 35 cents a share to Convergys earnings excluding one-time costs, the company said.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: Sunedison Inc (SUNE.N)

SunEdison Inc, formerly MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., incorporated on October 1, 1984, is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of silicon wafers. The Company is a developer and seller of photovoltaic energy solutions. Through Solar Materials and Solar Energy (SunEdison), it is a developer of solar energy projects. The Company operates in two segments: semiconductor materials and solar energy. The Company�� Solar Energy segment includes the operations of its old Solar Materials segment, as well as its SunEdison business. In the Semiconductor Materials, the Company offers wafers with a variety of features. The Company�� wafers vary in size, surface features, composition, purity levels, crystal properties and electrical properties.

Semiconductor Materials

The Company�� monocrystalline wafers for use in semiconductor applications range in size from 100 millimeter to 300 millimeter and are round in shape for semiconductor cust omers because of the nature of their processing equipment. Its wafers are used as the starting material for the manufacture of various types of semiconductor devices, including microprocessor, memory, logic and power devices. In turn, these semiconductor devices are used in computers, cellular phones and other mobile electronic devices, automobiles and other consumer and industrial products. Its monocrystalline wafers for semiconductor applications include four general categories of wafers: prime, epitaxial, test/monitor and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.

The Company�� prime wafer is a polished, pure wafer with an ultraflat and ultraclean surface. The Company�� epitaxial (epi), wafers consist of a thin silicon layer grown on the polished surface of the wafer. Typically, the epitaxial layer has different electrical properties from the underlying wafer. This provides customers with isolation between circuit elements than a polished wafer. Its AEGIS product is des igned for certain specialized applications requiring high ! re! sistivity epitaxial wafers and its MDZ product feature. The AEGIS wafer includes a thin epitaxial layer grown on a standard starting wafer. The AEGIS wafer�� thin epitaxial layer eliminates harmful defects on the surface of the wafer, thereby allowing device manufacturers to increase yields. The Company supplies test/monitor wafers to its customers for use in testing semiconductor fabrication lines and processes. An SOI wafer is a different starting material for the chip making process.

Solar Energy

The Company�� Solar Energy segment provides solar energy services that integrate the design, installation, financing, monitoring, operations and maintenance portions of the downstream solar market to provide a solar energy service to its customers. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison interconnected over 675 solar power systems representing 989 megawatt of solar energy generating capacity. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison had 73 megawatt of projects under construction and 2.6 gigawatts in pipeline. In support of its downstream solar business, its Solar Energy segment manufactures polysilicon, silicon wafers and solar modules. Additionally, its Solar Energy segment will sell solar modules to third parties in the event the opportunity aligns with itsinternal needs. It provides its downstream customers with a way to purchase renewable energy by delivering solar power under long-term power purchase arrangements with customers or feed-in tariff arrangements with government entities and utilities. Its SunEdison business is dependent upon government subsidies, including United States federal incentive tax credits, state-sponsored energy credits and foreign feed-in tariffs. The Company�� solar wafers are used as the starting material for crystalline solar cells.

The Company competes with Shin-Etsu Handotai, SUMCO, Siltronic and LG Siltron, SunPower Corporation, First Solar, Inc., Enerparc, Sharp Corporation (Recu rrent Energy), Phoenix Solar, BELECTRIC, JUWI Solar Gmb! h, an! d ! Solar C! ity.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: Sunedison Inc (SUNE)

SunEdison Inc, formerly MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., incorporated on October 1, 1984, is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of silicon wafers. The Company is a developer and seller of photovoltaic energy solutions. Through Solar Materials and Solar Energy (SunEdison), it is a developer of solar energy projects. The Company operates in two segments: semiconductor materials and solar energy. The Company�� Solar Energy segment includes the operations of its old Solar Materials segment, as well as its SunEdison business. In the Semiconductor Materials, the Company offers wafers with a variety of features. The Company�� wafers vary in size, surface features, composition, purity levels, crystal properties and electrical properties.

Semiconductor Materials

The Company�� monocrystalline wafers for use in semiconductor applications range in size from 100 millimeter to 300 millimeter and are round in shape for semiconductor customers because of the nature of their processing equipment. Its wafers are used as the starting material for the manufacture of various types of semiconductor devices, including microprocessor, memory, logic and power devices. In turn, these semiconductor devices are used in computers, cellular phones and other mobile electronic devices, automobiles and other consumer and industrial products. Its monocrystalline wafers for semiconductor applications include four general categories of wafers: prime, epitaxial, test/monitor and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.

The Company�� prime wafer is a polished, pure wafer with an ultraflat and ultraclean surface. The Company�� epitaxial (epi), wafers consist of a thin silicon layer grown on the polished surface of the wafer. Typically, the epitaxial layer has different electrical properties from the underlying wafer. This provides customers with isolation between circuit elements than a polished wafer. Its AEGIS product is designed for certain specialized applications requiring high resis! tivity epitaxial wafers and its MDZ product feature. The AEGIS wafer includes a thin epitaxial layer grown on a standard starting wafer. The AEGIS wafer�� thin epitaxial layer eliminates harmful defects on the surface of the wafer, thereby allowing device manufacturers to increase yields. The Company supplies test/monitor wafers to its customers for use in testing semiconductor fabrication lines and processes. An SOI wafer is a different starting material for the chip making process.

Solar Energy

The Company�� Solar Energy segment provides solar energy services that integrate the design, installation, financing, monitoring, operations and maintenance portions of the downstream solar market to provide a solar energy service to its customers. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison interconnected over 675 solar power systems representing 989 megawatt of solar energy generating capacity. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison had 73 megawatt of projects under construction and 2.6 gigawatts in pipeline. In support of its downstream solar business, its Solar Energy segment manufactures polysilicon, silicon wafers and solar modules. Additionally, its Solar Energy segment will sell solar modules to third parties in the event the opportunity aligns with itsinternal needs. It provides its downstream customers with a way to purchase renewable energy by delivering solar power under long-term power purchase arrangements with customers or feed-in tariff arrangements with government entities and utilities. Its SunEdison business is dependent upon government subsidies, including United States federal incentive tax credits, state-sponsored energy credits and foreign feed-in tariffs. The Company�� solar wafers are used as the starting material for crystalline solar cells.

The Company competes with Shin-Etsu Handotai, SUMCO, Siltronic and LG Siltron, SunPower Corporation, First Solar, Inc., Enerparc, Sharp Corporation (Recurrent Energy), Phoenix Solar, BELECTRIC, JUWI Solar Gmbh, and S! olar City! .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Another possible target is the solar energy division of SunEdison Inc. (NYSE: SUNE). The company said last week that it would be spinning off its semiconductor business into a separate company next year. In the second quarter of this year the semiconductor segment provided about 60% of SunEdison�� total revenues of $401.3 million. But the company�� solar business has historically provided most of the revenues and could be both a target as operating losses in the solar energy segment continue.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE) was also down, falling 11.18 percent to $11.36 after it lowered its fourth quarter and fiscal year guidance before the open Thursday.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  SunEdison Inc.(SUNE) said unit volumes in its semiconductor business are expected to be below prior expectations for the fourth quarter, due to continued market weakness, while pricing remains about flat. The chip and solar technology company also said it has decided to keep additional solar projects on its balance sheet in the fourth quarter rather than sell them, in order to retain more long-term project value. Shares slid 8.1% to $11.75 premarket.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: VirnetX Holding Corp(VHC)

VirnetX Holding Corporation engages in developing and commercializing software and technology solutions for securing real-time communications over the Internet. Its software and technology solutions, which include secure domain name registry and GABRIEL Connection Technology, facilitate secure communications and create a secure environment for real-time communication applications, such as instant messaging, voice over Internet protocol, smart phones, eReaders, and video conferencing. The company focuses on commercializing its technology to original equipment manufacturers within the IP-telephony, mobility, fixed-mobile convergence, and unified communications markets. VirnetX Holding Corporation was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One unexpected positive piece of news for Cisco came in March, when it won a court battle against VirnetX (NYSEMKT: VHC  ) . A jury finding that Cisco hadn't infringed on any VirnetX patents potentially saved Cisco hundreds of millions of dollars in damages or settlement payments, despite the fact that most analysts had expected VirnetX to win as it had in previous cases with similar facts. VirnetX still has remedies to pursue, but the news puts Cisco in a strong position going forward.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: Natcore Technology Inc (NXT.V)

Natcore Technology Inc. engages in the research of a thin-film growth technology enabling room-temperature growth of various silicon oxides on silicon wafers in a liquid phase deposition (LPD) process. Its LPD technology enables a range of commercial applications in the fields of solar energy, optics, green technology and energy, medical, electronics, science and research, and hardware/utility. Natcore Technology Inc. is headquartered in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Best Tech Companies To Watch For 2014: PHAZAR CORP(ANTP)

PHAZAR CORP, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of antennas, wireless mesh network solutions, guyed and self supported towers, support structures, masts, and communication accessories worldwide. Its products include military mesh radio wireless networking systems, ground to air collinear antennas, instrument landing antennas and towers, fixed system multi-port antenna arrays, tactical quick erect antennas and masts, shipboard antenna tilting devices, surveillance antennas, antenna rotators, positioners and controls, and high power broadcast baluns. The company also offers commercial products, such as panel, sector, omnidirectional, and distributed antenna systems; antennas for the cellular and wireless markets, paging and yagi antennas, guyed towers and self supported towers, and commercial mesh radio systems. It primarily serves the United States government, military and civil agencies, the United States government prime contractor s, and commercial clients. The company was founded in 1972 and is based in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Why Orbitz Shares Tumbled

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW  ) were losing altitude today, falling by as much as 24% after the company released third-quarter earnings this morning.

So what: The always-volatile online travel merchant said earnings per share fell to $0.11 from $0.14 a year ago, missing estimates of $0.13 as SG&A and marketing costs increased. Revenue jumped 11% in the quarter to $220.9 million, matching expectations, but investors were turned off by lower full-year revenue guidance. The company now expects just $840 million in sales versus the consensus of $849 million. There were some bright spots for Orbitz. While air-ticketing revenue fell 4%, the hotel side of the business improved as room nights booked grew 22% and sales from hotel and vacation packages jumped 50%. Stand-alone hotel sales are now the company's No. 1 segment.

Now what: Orbitz shares have fluctuated from $2.08 to $13.26, so it's probably not worth losing sleep over today's double-digit drop. Investors should be more concerned that the company does little to differentiate itself from competitors such as Expedia or priceline.com, making it a bit player in what's largely a commodity industry. Orbitz's increased investments in hotels may pay off, but it's hard to see how the company can find a way to separate from the herd.

Don't get mad, get even
Millions of Americans have waited on the sidelines since the market meltdown in 2008 and 2009, too scared to invest and put their money at further risk. Yet those who've stayed out of the market have missed out on huge gains and put their financial futures in jeopardy. In our brand-new special report, "Your Essential Guide to Start Investing Today," The Motley Fool's personal finance experts show you why investing is so important and what you need to do to get started. Click here to get your copy today -- it's absolutely free.

5 Steps to become a Smart Investor

1. Have an investment objective in place: All individuals have unique sets of needs like providing for children education/marriage, buying a car/house or traveling abroad, among others. Individuals must prioritise their goals and develop portfolios dedicated for achieving the same. Investing in an ad hoc manner could mean that investors fail to achieve their stated objectives. For example, if building a corpus for children's higher education, then make an investment plan to achieve the same and invest in line with the plan in a disciplined manner.

Define and set clear goals, happy go lucky attitude may not always work for you.

2. Recognise the risk profile and adhere to it: Investors should be clearly aware of their risk profile while making any investment decision. Broadly speaking the ability to take on risk reduces as one ages. Thus, it should be understood that each individual has a unique risk profile and recognising the same should be the first step. For example, two individuals with similar age profiles, but with disparate risk profiles is not an uncommon scenario. Investors need to invest in investment avenues in line with their ability to take on risk. Hence, a risk-taking investor is likely to invest mainly in instruments like equities and equity mutual funds. On the other hand, risk-averse investors should hold a portfolio dominated by assured return instruments like fixed deposits and small savings schemes.

Remember the age old proverb, 'Live within your means'; do not go overboard and invest in asset classes whose risk profile does not match with yours.

3. Don't ignore asset allocation: Asset allocation is a crucial exercise to follow while investing . Investing a large portion of the portfolio in the same asset class can prove to be a risky proposition. Diversifying your investments across asset classes like equities, fixed income instruments, gold and real estate among others is important. A well-diversified portfolio helps investors diversify their risk across various asset classes so that volatility in any one asset class does not put the entire portfolio at risk.

Do not keep 'all your eggs in one basket', remember diversification is the key.

4. Track your investments: Making investments to achieve one's investment objective or goal does not bring an end to the investment process; it is rather the beginning of the journey to wealth creation. Investing is an ongoing process; investors need to continuously monitor the performance of their investments. This will ensure that they are updated with respect to their portfolios. It also gives them an opportunity to make necessary alterations to their portfolio in case some investments have failed to deliver.

Remember being alert about the performance of your investments goes a long way in making smart decisions.

5. Select the right investment advisor: This is a very crucial decision to make as there are dearths of investment advisors who are self-centric and do not keep investors interests' in the forefront while carrying out their advisory services. Every investment avenue needs to be well-researched before making an investment. But, there are only a few investors who actually research the avenues they wish to invest in; this is mainly because they either don't have the time or the expertise to do so. Hence, the service of an unbiased and a professional advisor is imperative. Half the battle is won when investors are guided by such advisors as the investment decisions are made on the basis of solid research and keeping the interests' of the investor at the forefront.

PersonalFN is a Mumbai based Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research Firm.

5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Delafield, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- There isn't a day that goes by on Wall Street when certain stocks trading for $10 a share or less don't experience massive spikes higher. Traders savvy enough to follow the low-priced names and trade them with discipline and sound risk management are banking ridiculous coin on a regular basis.

>>5 Active Trades for a Quiet Month

Just take a look at some of the hot movers in the under-$10 complex from Thursday, including Zoom Technologies (ZOOM), which is skyrocketing higher by 23%; Mandalay Digital Group (MNDL), which is soaring higher by 13%; Codexis (CDXS), which is ripping higher by 9%; and Lucas Energy (LEI), which is spiking higher by 8.5%. You don't even have to catch the entire move in lower-priced stocks such as these to make outsized returns when trading.

One low-priced stock that recently skyrocketed higher after I featured it was pharmaceutical retailer and distributor China Jo Jo Drugstores (CJJD), which I highlighted in Jan. 10's "5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar" at $1.13 per share. I mentioned in that piece that shares of China Jo Jo Drugstores had been uptrending over the last month and change, with the stock moving higher from its low of 65 cents per share to its recent high of $1.18 a share. That uptrend was quickly pushing shares of CJJD within range of triggering a big breakout trade above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.18 a share to some past overhead resistance levels at $1.21 to $1.32 a share.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

Guess what happened? Shares of China Jo Jo Drugstores didn't wait long to trigger that breakout, since the stock exploded higher on the same day my article hit the wires. This stock tagged an intraday high on January 10 of $1.90 a share and the volume during that trading session was 2.25 million shares versus its three-month average volume of 147,687 shares. That represents a monster gain of close to 70% in just one trading session for anyone who bought the stock has volume started to pour in and anticipated the breakout. Shares of CJJD might be ready to breakout again if the stock can take out some near-term overhead resistance at $1.50 with strong upside volume.

>>XXX

Low-priced stocks are something that I tweet about on a regular basis. I frequently flag high-probability setups, breakout candidates and low-priced stocks that are acting technically bullish. I like to hunt for low-priced stocks that are showing bullish price and volume trends, since that increases the probability of those stocks heading higher. These setups often produce monster moves higher in very short time frames.

I'm not as eager to recommend investing long-term in stocks that trade less than $10 a share because these names can be very speculative, and the odds for picking the long-term winners aren't great. But I definitely love to trade stocks that are priced below $10. I like to view them as a trading vehicle with lots of volatility and lots of upside when the trade is timed right.

>>Should You Invest in the Government's 5 Favorite Stocks?

When I trade under-$10 names, I do it almost entirely based off of the charts and technical analysis. I also like to find under-$10 names with a catalyst, but that's secondary to the chart and volume patterns.

With that in mind, here's a look at several under-$10 stocks that look poised to potentially trade higher from current levels.

Altair Nanotechnologies

One under-$10 technology player that's starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Altair Nanotechnologies (ALTI), which develops, manufactures and sells nano lithium titanate batteries and energy storage systems primarily in the U.S. and China. This stock has been on fire over the last six months, with shares up a whopping 128%.

>>4 Tech Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

5 Best Undervalued Stocks To Watch For 2014

If you take a look at the chart for Altair Nanotechnologies, you'll notice that this stock has started to flirt with a near-term breakout trade today, after shares briefly traded above some resistance at $5.20 a share. That spike is starting to push shares of ALTI within range of triggering an even bigger breakout trade above some key near-term and past overhead resistance levels.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ALTI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $5.60 a share and then once it clears some past overhead resistance at $6.19 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 66,298 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ALTI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $7.50 to its 52-week high at $8 a share.

Traders can look to buy ALTI off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.73 a share or just below its 50-day moving average of $4.53 a share. One can also buy ALTI off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

JA Solar

Another under-$10 solar player that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is JA Solar (JASO), which through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, production, marketing and sale of solar power products based on crystalline silicon technologies. This stock has trended modestly higher over the last six months, with shares moving up by 11%.

>>5 Big Tech Stocks to Sell Now

If you take a look at the chart for JA Solar, you'll notice that this stock has started to spike higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $9.85 share with solid upside volume. Volume so far in Thursday's trading session has hit 2.12 million shares, which is just below its three-month average action of 2.57 million shares. This spike is starting to move shares of JASO within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

Market players should now look for long-biased trades in JASO if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $10.66 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.57 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then JASO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $12 to its 52-week high at $12.80 a share. Any high-volume move above $12.80 to $12.85 will then give JASO a chance to tag $15 a share.

Traders can look to buy JASO off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits around some key near-term support at $8.94 a share. One can also buy JASO off strength once it starts to clear $10.66 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Dehaier Medical Systems

One under-$10 health care player that's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Dehaier Medical Systems (DHRM), which, through its subsidiaries, develops and distributes medical devices and sleep respiratory and oxygen therapy products in the People's Republic of China. This stock has been red hot over the last six months, with shares up a whopping 141%.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

If you take a look at the chart for Dehaier Medical Systems, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong over the last three months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $2 a share to its recent high of $4.80 a share. During that uptrend, shares of DHRM have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of DHRM within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in DHRM if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $4.80 a share to its 52-week high a $4.85 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 104,479 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then DHRM will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $6.50 to $7 a share.

Traders can look to buy DHRM off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits just below some key near-term support levels at $4.25 a share or around its 50-day moving average at $3.95 a share. One can also buy DHRM off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Oxygen Biotherapeutics

Another under-$10 stock that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Oxygen Biotherapeutics (OXBT), a development-stage company, engages in developing biotechnology products that deliver oxygen to target tissues in the body primarily in the U.S. This stock has been in play with the bulls over the last six months, with shares up huge by 127%.

>>2 Biotech Stocks Spiking on Unusual Volume

If you take a look at the chart for Oxygen Biotherapeutics you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong over the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $4.20 to its recent high of $8.58 a share. During that uptrend, shares OXBT have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of OXBT within range of triggering a big breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance levels.

Market players should now look for long-biased trades in OXBT if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $7.25 to $8.58 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 147,898 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then OXBT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $11.40 to $13 a share.

Traders can look to buy OXBT off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits just below its 50-day moving average of $5.79 a share. One can also buy OXBT off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Unilife

One final under-$10 healthcare player that's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Unilife (UNIS), which designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes injectable drug delivery systems in the U.S. and internationally. This stock has been trending strong over the last six months, with shares up sharply by 49%.

If you take a look at the chart for Unilife, you'll notice that this stock has broken out here and taken out some near-term overhead resistance at $4.71 a share with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of UNIS within range of triggering an even bigger breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in UNIS if it manages to break out above its 52-week high at $5.10 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.87 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then UNIS will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $6 to $7 a share.

Traders can look to buy UNIS off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $4.25 a share or around its 50-day moving average of $4.01 a share. One can also buy UNIS off strength once it starts to take out $5.10 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

To see more hot under-$10 equities, check out the Stocks Under $10 Setting Up to Explode portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Stomp the S&P in 2014

>>4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

>>The Case for a Correction in Stocks

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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

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

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

Regulators Urged to Tweak Volker Rule CLO Provision

NEW YORK (The Deal)--One day after federal regulators changed a provision in the Volcker Rule responding to concerns by community banks, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday urged U.S. government agencies to make another change to the more than 900 page measure that was approved by five agencies in December.

At a House Financial Services Committee hearing, top Democrats and Republicans urged regulators to revise a provision that hurts the ability of banks - big and small - to issue so-called Collateralized Loan Obligations, a form of loan that is made to businesses that are not considered investment grade. A number of high profile companies access the CLO market, including Sears Roebuck, SuperValu ( (SVU)), J.C. Penney ( (JCP)) and Rite Aid ( (RAD)).

Under the Volcker Rule, CLO debt securities are treated as if they are equity securities, thereby making them ineligible to be held by banks. As a result, without any exemptions, over the next 18 months banks will have to divest or restructure up to 
$70 billion of CLO notes. Community bank executives have been telling regulators and lawmakers that CLOs are not systemically risky investments.

While most CLOs are held by the largest financial institutions, small banks have somewhere between $300 million and 
$1 billion in CLOs and, according to Elliot Ganz, the general counsel of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association, they will have to take a $30 million hit or more because of the change. "That will be less money available to lend to their communities," said Ganz. Roughly 21 banks with assets of less than $25 billion own CLO securities. "If the price of CLO debt securities were to drop by only 10%, banks holding CLO debt securities would face potential cumulative losses of up to $7 billion, which losses would be driven solely by imposition of the rule." Rep. Maxine Waters, the ranking Democrat on the panel, asked one witness whether he was "willing to work with us to address" concerns with CLOs. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R.-Texas, the chairman of the panel, also raised concerns about the CLOs. However, regulatory observers argued that while Democrats might be willing to exempt community banks from the CLO restriction, Republicans are seeking to provide an exemption for all banks, including the largest ones. A Senate bill introduced by Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, allows banks to keep their investments in CLOs as long as they were issued prior to Dec. 10, 2013. This raised the ire of Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association CEO Ken Bentsen, who told The Deal that bifurcating the industry would be "nonsensical," adding that the CLO market is an important commercial funding market and to bifurcate it based on the size of an institution would hurt access to the loans. "Do you not want large banks to make loans?" he asked.

Stock quotes in this article: SVU, JCP, RAD 

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now

The bipartisan comments come after regulators late Tuesday, responding to small-bank complaints and a lawsuit launched by the American Bankers Association in December, revised a section of the Volcker Rule by providing a clearer means for financial institutions to keep Collateralized Debt Obligations that are backed by trust preferred securities. This was a big win for community banks, who otherwise would have had to almost immediately marked the assets to market value, producing an immediate hit to earnings. Charles Funk, CEO of $1.7 billion bank MidWestOne Financial Group in Iowa City, said his bank would have had to take a $1 million hit to earnings. Funk added that community banks overall would had to experience losses of at least $600 million.

Republican lawmakers also brought up concerns raised in a letter Hensarling sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday that the Volcker Rule violates the law because the agency didn't conduct an economic analysis as is required by federal law in a statute known as the "administrative procedures act" or APA.

"What is the cumulative economic impact of all of these rules together going to be on the U.S. economy and individual Americans?" asked Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J. "Well, similar to the Volcker rule, no one really knows, especially the regulators who continue to thumb their nose up at the law and neglect to perform the appropriate economic analysis."

SIFMA's Bentsen told The Deal he would have liked to see regulators conduct a robust economic analysis before finalizing the Volcker Rule. However, he noted that three of the five regulators, the banking prudential regulators, that participated in writing the Volcker Rule are exempted from conducting cost-benefit analysis of rules. However, he said SIFMA has "no plans" to file a lawsuit claiming that the regulators violated the APA because they didn't conduct an adequate cost-benefit analysis. Some other groups may file such a lawsuit, however. Hensarling and Garret cited a 2011 D.C. appeals court decision that rejected an SEC proxy access rule for failing to conduct an economic analysis to back up the regulation. The SEC was one of five agencies to approve the Volcker Rule and any legal challenges by banks are likely to end up at the same court referenced by Hensarling and Garrett in their letter. However, it is unclear whether the court will make a similar finding. The three-judge panel that rejected the SEC rule in 2011 was made up of Republican-appointed judges, and a recent move by Senate Democrats on Capitol Hill has made it easier for President Barack Obama to install nominees who are more likely to support the Volcker Rule.

Stock quotes in this article: SVU, JCP, RAD 

Tuesday’s ETF Chart To Watch: XRT Stuck At Resistance ...

Hot Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2014

Stocks kicked off the trading week with a minor loss as profit-taking pressures permeated the scene due to a number of looming uncertainties in the days ahead. For starters, earnings season is still in action and worrisome outlooks from bellwethers may set a volatile tone on Wall Street. Furthermore, investors have their eyes and ears set on the FOMC commentary expected to take place on Wednesday, while July's monthly employment data will be the center of attention on Friday . 

Our ETF to watch for today is the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF , which will look to overcome a key resistance level as investors digest the latest consumer sentiment data. Analysts are expecting for July's consumer confidence figure to come in at 81.1, marking a slight deterioration from last month's reading of 81.4.

Chart AnalysisConsider XRT's one-year daily performance chart below. This sector ETF has enjoyed a stellar run-up along a fairly predictable support line since rebounding off the 200-day simple moving average (yellow line) at the very end of 2012; notice how XRT has managed to rebound off its 50-day simple moving average (blue line) on several occasions over the past year. What's also noteworthy is that this ETF has a tendency of correcting lower after grinding along a resistance level for an extended period of time; also notice how each pullback in 2013 has been followed by a fairly predictable rebound off the 50-day SMA .

Click to EnlargeWith XRT failing to summit the $81.50 level (red line) for more than two weeks now, we feel that a pullback may be right around the corner; we would advise conservative investors from taking a short position here despite the attractive profit potential because XRT remains in a very strong, long-term uptrend .

OutlookIf the latest confidence data disappoints, XRT should trade lower; in terms of downside, ! this ETF has immediate support along the $80 level followed by major support around $75 a share. On the other hand, if confidence data beats expectations, XRT may receive the much-needed catalyst to propel it past resistance; in terms of upside, this ETF has no clear-cut resistance level in sight besides the previous high at $81.55 a share. As always, investors of all experience levels are advised to use stop-loss orders and practice disciplined profit-taking techniques.

Follow me on Twitter @SBojinov

Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.

This Real Estate Opportunity Killed My Business... But It Could Make You 30% Gains

In search of a second income after graduating from college, I started a small real estate publication that worked with local real estate agents to help promote their home listings. 

By broad standards, my venture could be labeled a success: On a startup cost of just $20, it had a 15-year run without needing another dime to keep it solvent. Although it certainly didn't make me wealthy, it was self-sustaining and provided me with enough extra cash to drive nice cars and purchase several decent home properties.

 

Then, the cash cow began to die. I was selling less in marketing and advertising services. By 2005, there wasn't enough money coming in to keep the doors open. The combination of the Internet, the housing bubble, and a consolidation of regional real estate shops had squashed the need for my little company. The market had spoken, and my business was finished.

One of the main catalysts for my company was the fragmented nature of the real estate business: It was mostly mom-and-pop shops with several regional chains mixed into the wide variety of offices dedicated to selling residential real estate. 

Other than the often bug-filled and severely lacking multiple listing services, there was no way for real estate agents to differentiate themselves and promote their home listings outside of their company network. My company offered an inexpensive and effective method of intra-real estate office marketing. Other than the Internet, which was slow to catch on with the often middle-age and older real estate agents, consolidation of real estate sales offices hurt my business much more than even the market crash. However, at the same time, this consolidation provides a great way for investors to profit.

Arguably the most successful of these real estate company consolidation firms is Madison, N.J.-based Realogy (NYSE: RLGY).

Given the recent rebound in the real estate market, I think it's an ideal time to invest in this growing company. Realogy is the world's leading franchisor of real estate brokerages. The company's franchise members operate 13,500 offices and employ nearly 250,000 sales associates in more than 100 countries. The company owns household names such as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Century 21 Real Estate, Coldwell Banker, Coldwell Banker Commercial, ERA Real Estate, Sotheby's International Realty and NRT, not to mention related businesses such as relocation service company Cactus Corp. and Title Resource Group, a settlement services and title company. 

Realogy posted impressive second-quarter 2013 results with net revenue of more than $1.5 billion representing a 17% increase from the same period last year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was up 27%, to nearly $280 million. In addition, the $330 million retirement of high-cost debt and the $492 million refinancing of 11.5% debt with $500 million of nearly 3.4% debt will continue to help the company's bottom line. Realogy expects year-over-year improvement of 17% to 19% in third-quarter home sale transaction volume. 

Considering that real estate firms earn commission from selling other people's property, real estate may be the perfect business: no inventory or commissioned salespeople, but unlimited upside. Combine this potential with the upward swing in the real estate market, and it equals a great opportunity to invest in Realogy.

Risks to Consider: Things are looking positive in the real estate sector. But there is no guarantee the positive trend will continue. The real estate market is tightly tied to the economy as a whole. Any further issues with the macroeconomic picture could negatively affect this stock. Always use stops, diversification and position size wisely when investing.

Action to Take --> Taking a look at the technical picture, the price has been in a choppy channel between $46 and $52 on the daily chart. Buying now in between $46 and $47 should allow you to get in at the bottom part of the current range. My 12-month target is $60. Stops at $42.50 will allow for more potential consolidation prior to the next upswing.

P.S. -- Part of investing is finding little-known stocks like Realogy that offer huge upside... That's why we've recently put together a special report on 17 little-known "spin-off" companies. Because of the way they were formed, these companies have beat the market 7-to-1 in the past decade and raised dividends as much as 600%, yet most investors don't understand them at all. To get the names and tickers of some of these stocks immediately, click here.

UnitedHealth Scores on Earnings to Carry the Dow to Another Record

We're at new record highs across the market as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) both hit new intraday highs in today's earnings-fueled rise. The Dow's up more than 80 points as of 2:20 p.m. EDT, with UnitedHealth's (NYSE: UNH  ) jump giving a big boost to the index and countering the losses of a few other blue-chip stocks that couldn't beat the Street's earnings estimates. Let's catch up on the earnings stories making waves on the Dow today.

UnitedHealth lifts the Dow
UnitedHealth has dominated the board today, with shares gaining 6.8%. The company easily beat earnings estimates with net income that grew by more than 7% and sales that rocketed 12% higher. UnitedHealth was already the largest publicly traded health insurer before this most recent quarter, but the company has still managed to accelerate the growth in its membership -- a pivotal factor in an industry where bigger is better.

The firm's purchase of Brazilian health insurer Amil Participacoes for nearly $5 billion last year injected a jolt of adrenaline into UnitedHealth's international membership by bringing in almost 5 million new members. Additionally, the company's partnership with the Department of Defense to manage military family insurance -- which the Pentagon says UnitedHealth has handled poorly -- helped bring in another 3 million members for the quarter.

Like the rest of the industry, UnitedHealth will face a great deal of change next year as Obamacare comes into effect. However, between its overseas profile and its size, this may be the best-placed firm to handle the change. UnitedHealth's leadership expressed "strongly positive" sentiments about future growth despite health care reform, and the company raised the low end of its full-year 2013 earnings forecast as well.

UnitedHealth has outshined two other Dow components that just delivered their quarterly results. Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC  ) shares have fallen 3.7% today to lead the Dow lower after the company revealed that its earnings fell 29% in  the most recent quarter. The release also marked Intel's fourth straight quarter of sales contraction, largely brought on by the continued demise of the PC market. The semiconductor maker's PC chip sales fell 7.5% -- a troubling sign, given Intel's reliance on PC chip sales for the bulk of its revenue.

Intel cut back its full-year outlook as well. The company has looked to pivot away from the PC market recently with its forays into Internet television as well as mobile, the latter of which it finally broke into with a deal with major mobile-maker Samsung. If Intel can carve out a niche in mobile, it will go a long way toward reassuring investors that the fall in PC sales can be overcome. It'll be a long process, however: As with any stock, the big picture is what counts. Don't expect Intel to turn around rapidly.

American Express (NYSE: AXP  ) shares are also on a downswing after the company's earnings report, with the stock falling 3.2%. Despite growing consumer confidence in the U.S. -- a trend that helped the company's earnings rise 4.9% to beat Wall Street expectations -- American Express' sales growth of 3.5% failed to best analyst projections.

Unlike Intel's miss, however, this earnings whiff isn't cause for concern. Investors have fretted over a European regulatory proposal that could cap credit card and debit card fees, but AmEx attempted to delay the damage today by saying that the proposed cap wouldn't affect traditional cards issued by the company. In the long term, AmEx looks to be on solid ground despite the concerns over Europe and the revenue miss. So long as the U.S. economy keeps rising and consumers feel confident about its direction, this company won't be missing analyst estimates for long.

The international edge
UnitedHealth's overseas expansion helped its big boom today, but is international exposure the way to go for investors? Global economies are slowly recovering from the recession, but there's no need to search around the world for stocks: Investing internationally is as easy as finding the U.S.' best companies. The Motley Fool's free report "3 American Companies Set to Dominate the World" shows you how. Click here to get your free copy before it's gone.