Last week's consumer confidence number came in weaker than expected, but surprisingly it is causing little effect on the U.S. dollar or the recent rally in precious metals���neither the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: GLD ) nor the iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV ) reacted much to the news. While the headline consumer confidence number fell, the short-term outlook was quite positive; one-year inflation expectations also rose, likely explaining why precious metals held strong.
In the video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses why the report had little immediate influence on metals, and what the longer-term effects might be given the current environment.
Understanding macroeconomic reports can go a long way to explaining the behavior of precious metals. Gold has outshined the stock market with strong returns since 2000, but more recently has given way to big declines. The Motley Fool's new free report, "The Best Way to Play Gold Right Now," dissects the recent volatility and provides a guide for gold investing. Click here to read the full report today!
Best Industrial Conglomerate Companies To Own For 2015: Centor Energy Inc (CNTO)
Centor Energy Inc, formerly Centor, Inc., incorporated on February 16, 2011, is an exploration-stage company. The Company is engaged in the business of mineral exploration.
On November 26, 2012, the Company entered into a purchase agreement with Bullnet Gold Resources Limited. As of May 31, 2013, the Company had not generated revenues. As of May 31, 2013, the Company had no mining operations.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
Well, that answers that question. Questerre Energy Corp. (TSE:QEC) and Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSE:CPG) likely knew they had some shale-oil mining neighbors in the Bakken Shale neighborhood in Saskatchewan, Canada, but they hadn't seen much of that competition. That's about to change soon. Adequately funded and eager to begin laying its final mining plans, Centor Energy Inc. (OTCBB:CNTO) is going to officially own 55% of a 21,000 acre shale oil property that's anywhere from just a few miles away to just a few meters away from and Crescent Point Energy's and Questerre Energy's operations in one of the oil-richest known areas in the Bakken formation. And to be clear, it's not like Centor Energy is just getting the ball rolling; the planning for this project has been underway for months. Once the property-acquisition deal is inked in mid-February, CNTO will likely finish up its feasibility study and begin the approval process for its facility later in the year. That's pretty quick, but as was noted, a great deal of the legwork has already been done.
- [By James E. Brumley]
What do Questerre Energy Corp. (TSE:QEC) and Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSE:CPG) know about oil in Saskatchewan that Centor Energy Inc. (OTCBB:CNTO) doesn't? Absolutely nothing. All three companies know there's oil in the southern part of the Canadian province, and they know exactly how to go get it. The only difference between QEC, CPG, and CNTO is, Questerre Energy and Crescent Point Energy are further along the development of their operations there than Centor Energy.
- [By James E. Brumley]
Quick, what do Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK), Centor Energy Inc. (OTCBB:CNTO), and Total SA (NYSE:TOT) have in common? If you said "they're all energy companies" then technically you're right. It's not necessarily the meaningful answer that we were looking for, however. No, the more significant commonalty between TOT, CHK, and CNTO right now could be that (1) 20 years ago, nobody thought they'd be having any real success doing something they're all three now involved in.... shale mining. Yet, reality is reality. While Chesapeake Energy is best known as a natural gas play, its heavy fiscal lifting is actually being done by its oil shale mining efforts in Eagle Ford, Texas. Total SA is more of a tradition integrated oil and gas company, but it too has found success - and profits - in the shale business. What's that got to do with Centor Energy? Centor is simply following a well-proven oil shale lead. It's just doing so in a newly-proven region of the world that's rich in the resource.
Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU)
Vanguard Utilities ETF is an exchange-traded class of shares issued by Vanguard Utilities Index Fund (the Fund). The Fund employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) United States Investable Market Utilities Index (the Index), an index made up of stocks of large, medium-size and small United States companies in the utilities sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).
This GICS sector is made up of electric, gas and water utility companies, as well as companies that operate as independent producers and/or distributors of power. The sector includes both nuclear and non-nuclear facilities. The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Stavros]
In early August, Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSE: VPU), iShares US Utilities (NYSE: IDU), and Fidelity MSCI Utilities Index ETF (NYSE: FUTY) added almost $250 million in new assets combined, more than enough to offset outflows from Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NSDQ: XLU).
- [By Bruce Vanderveen]
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU) is similar to XLU. It has the same top ten holdings, but has a more diverse base, with smaller utilities included.
Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Fox Factory Holding Corp (FOXF)
Fox Factory Holding Corp incorporated on December 28, 2007, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of suspension products used primarily on mountain bikes, side-by-side vehicles, or side-by-sides, on-road vehicles with off-road capabilities, off-road vehicles and trucks, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, specialty vehicles and applications, and motorcycles. The Company designs and markets its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEM��) in its markets, and to consumers through the aftermarket channel.
The Company offers upper mid-end and high-end front fork and rear suspension products designed for cross-country, trail, all-mountain, free-ride and downhill riding in its mountain bike product category. It also offers ride-height adjustable seat post product. Its remote adjustable seat pos allows to adjust his or her seat position for uphill, rolling trail or downhill riding without having to stop the mountain bike to adjust the seat. Its mountain bike products are sold in three series: evolution series, performance series and factory series.
In its powered vehicle product category, the Company offers high-end suspension products for side-by-sides, on-road vehicles with off-road capabilities, off-road vehicles and trucks, ATVs, snowmobiles, specialty vehicles and applications, and motorcycles. Products for these vehicles are designed for trail riding, racing and performance. It products in the powered vehicle category range from two inch aluminum bolt-on shocks to its patented position sensitive internal bypass shocks. The Company sells its mountain bike suspension products to more than 150 domestic and international bike OEMs. It sells its suspension products for the powered vehicles industry to OEMs
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Fox Factory Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FOXF) saw its quiet period end: started as Outperform with a $23 price target at Baird, started as Overweight with a $21 price target at Piper Jaffray and started as Buy with a $23 price target at SunTrust. Shares are down about 0.5% at $18.05 as the implied upside is not that stellar for recent IPO coverage.
Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: WH Smith PLC (SMWH)
WH Smith PLC is a United Kingdom-based retail company. The Company has two businesses divisions: Travel and High Street. The Company's Travel division sells a range of newspapers, magazines, books and impulse products for people on the move and a broader convenience range in hospitals and workplaces. The Company's High Street sells a wide range of stationery, books, newspapers, magazines and impulse products, as well as a small range of entertainment products.The Company�� subsidiaries include WH Smith PLC, WH Smith Retail Holdings Limited, WH Smith High Street Holdings Limited, WH Smith Travel Holdings Limited, WH Smith High Street Limited, WH Smith Travel Limited and WH Smith Hospitals Holdings Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sofia Horta e Costa]
Hays Plc (HAS) climbed 2.2 percent after the recruitment company said quarterly fees increased in its European markets. WH Smith Plc (SMWH) jumped the most in six months after raising its final dividend and saying it plans to repurchase an additional 50 million pounds ($80 million) of shares. Melrose Industries Plc (MRO) added 1.8 percent after KKR & Co. said it will pay about $1 billion for two of its U.S. industrial-products companies.
Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Aastrom Biosciences Inc.(ASTM)
Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, engages in developing autologous cell therapies for the treatment of severe and chronic cardiovascular diseases. The company?s autologous expanded cellular therapy technology uses single-pass perfusion to produce human cell products for clinical use. Its clinical development programs include CLI program, which is in phase IIb clinical development for the treatment of serious and advanced stage of peripheral arterial diseases; and DCM development program, which is in Phase II for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The company also has two ongoing U.S. Phase II trials investigating surgical and catheter-based delivery for its product in the treatment of DCM. Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
With just a quick glance, Aastrom Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTM) doesn't look like any less of a disaster today than it did a week ago, a month ago, or even a year ago. But, the longer you look at ASTM, the more it seems it may have already hit its ultimate bottom, and is now biding its time to start the rebound.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
Another under-$10 biopharmaceutical player that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Aastrom Biosciences (ASTM), which is a regenerative medicine company focused on the development of cell therapies to repair or regenerate damaged or diseased tissues. This stock has trended modestly lower over the last three months, with shares off by 4.9%.
If you take a look at the chart for Aastrom Biosciences, you'll notice that this stock just recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $3.16 to $3.14 a share over the last month and change. Following that bottom, shares of ASTM have started to spike higher and move back above its 50-day moving average of $3.58 a share. That move is quickly pushing shares of ASTM within range of triggering a big breakout trade.
Market players should now look for long-biased trades in ASTM if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $4.50 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 140,540 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ASTM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.25 to $6.80 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ASTM a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-zone from last August that started at $12 a share.
Traders can look to buy ASTM off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $3.58 a share. One can also buy ASTM off strength once it starts to clear $4.50 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By John Udovich]
At the end of this week,�congressional scrutiny was weighting down large cap biotech Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD) and dragging down much of the biotech sector, but there was still good news surrounding small cap biotech stocks like Endocyte, Inc (NASDAQ: ECYT), Aastrom Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: ASTM)�and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) plus there were more biotech IPOs which debuted:
Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: WebMD Health Corp (WBMD)
WebMD Health Corp. provides health information services to consumers, physicians and other healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through its public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-focused publications in the United States. The company?s public portals enable consumers to obtain health and wellness information, including information on specific diseases or conditions; check symptoms; locate physicians; store individual healthcare information; receive periodic e-newsletters on topics of individual interest; and participate in online communities with peers and experts. Its public portals for physicians and healthcare professionals provide access to clinical reference sources; stay abreast of the latest clinical information; learn about new treatment options; earn continuing medical education credit; and communicate with peers. The company also provides mobile health information applications for use by consumers and physicians. In addit ion, WebMD Health Corp. offers e-detailing promotion and physician recruitment services, content syndication and distribution, and information services, as well as print services, including the advertisements in WebMD the Magazine, a consumer magazine distributed to physician office waiting rooms. The public portals? sponsors and advertisers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and consumer products companies. The company?s private portals enable employers and health plans to provide their employees and members with access to personalized health and benefit information and decision support technology that helps them to make more informed benefit, treatment, and provider decisions. Further, it offers telephonic health coaching services on a per participant basis across an employee or plan population for clients of its private portals. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Keith Speights]
Surprise, surprise
A great year got even better for health-information provider WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD ) . The company reported first-quarter results this week that surprised the market with higher revenue and net income than were expected. Shares were up nearly 17% for the week. - [By Roberto Pedone]
WebMD Health (WBMD) provides health information services to consumers, physicians and other health care professionals, employers and health plans through its public and private online portals and health-focused publications. This stock closed up 1.6% at $33.70 in Wednesday's trading session.
Wednesday's Volume: 1.32 million
Three-Month Average Volume: 690,686
Volume % Change: 170%From a technical perspective, WBMD spiked modestly higher here with strong upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $25.18 to its recent high of $35.28. During that move, shares of WBMD have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of WBMD within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if WBMD manages to clear its 52-week high at $35.28 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in WBMD as long as it's trending above $32 or $31 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $35.28 with volume that's near or above 690,686 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then WBMD will set up to enter new 52-time-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $40 to $43.
- [By Keith Speights]
Turnaround turns heads
WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD ) attracted plenty of investor attention on Friday, with a sneak peek at its second-quarter results. Shares soared 26% on the surprisingly good news from the online health information provider. - [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of medical website operator WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD ) soared 27% today after the company's preliminary quarterly results and outlook easily topped Wall Street expectations. �
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