Best European Stocks To Invest In 2014

September 9, 2013: U.S. markets opened higher on Monday morning following a good report on consumer sentiment in the eurozone and a booming report on China�� trade surplus. Japan�� second-quarter GDP growth was revised up to 0.9%, which was expected. The rise in China�� trade surplus really gave U.S. markets the shot they needed to get off to a strong start this morning.

Asian and Latin American markets closed higher today, while European markets closed mixed.

WTI crude oil closed down 0.9% at $119.52 a barrel and Brent crude trades down 2.3% at $113.42 as traders mull over a possible end to the tension over Syria�� chemical arsenal.

Tuesday�� calendar includes the following data releases and events (all times Eastern):

7:30 a.m. – National Federation of Independent Business optimism index 10:00 a.m. – Job openings and labor turnover survey (JOLTS) 11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction 1:00 p.m. – 3-year note auction

Here are the closing bell levels for Monday:

5 Best Machinery Stocks For 2015: STMicroelectronics N.V.(STM)

STMicroelectronics N.V., an independent semiconductor company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of a range of semiconductor integrated circuits and discrete devices. Its products include discrete and standard commodity components, application-specific integrated circuits, custom devices and semi-custom devices, and application-specific standard products for analog, digital, and mixed-signal applications. The company also offers subsystems and modules for the telecommunications, automotive, and industrial markets comprising mobile phone accessories, battery chargers, ISDN power supplies, and in-vehicle equipment for electronic toll payment, as well as provides Smartcard products. Its products are used in various microelectronic applications consisting of automotive products, computer peripherals, telecommunications systems, consumer products, industrial automation, and control systems. The company sells its products through distributors and ret ailers. STMicroelectronics N.V. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By FinanceGuru]

  Could this be the real deal this time? There's no denying that InvenSense has pretty solid technology, particularly as Samsung -- which typically uses the best components it can find -- has so extensively used InvenSense's products. That said, the iPhone 5s used the following MEMS components:

  Three-axis accelerometer from Bosch Sensortech Three-axis gyroscope from STMicroelectronics (STM) Three-axis electronic compass from AKM

  For InvenSense to displace Bosch (which managed to wrestle away the accelerometer socket from STMicroelectronics) and/or STMicroelectronics over at Apple, it is going to have to present a pretty compelling value proposition. Whether it can do so only the tear-downs will tell, but it is surprising -- particularly given how compelling InvenSense's products seem to be -- that the company hasn't won an iPhone socket to date.

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2014: Fresenius Medical Care Corporation (FMS)

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, a dialysis company, provides products and services for patients with chronic kidney diseases. As of May 12, 2011, it provided dialysis care services to 216,942 patients through its network of 2,769 dialysis clinics primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa. The company also develops and manufactures various dialysis products, including hemodialysis machines, dialyzers, hemofilters, dialysis fluid filters, tubing systems, fistula needles, dialysis related equipment, acute hemodialysis machines, plasma filters, acute tubing systems and cassettes, catheters, and related disposable products for chronic hemodialysis, acute therapy, home therapy, and therapeutic apheresis, as well as dialysis drugs. In addition, it provides laboratory services. Fresenius Medical sells its products through distributors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louie Grint]

  Still unaffected
  First, Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS  ) is the No. 1 global provider of dialysis equipment. It enjoys leading market share of almost 33% in its home country.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Dialysis provider DaVita Healthcare Partners (DVA) soared almost 8.9% to close at $61.55 after the market learned that Medicare funding cuts would come in lower than expected. Rival Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) rose 7.2% on the same news.

• [By Charles Carlson, CEO and Portfolio Manager, Horizon Investment Services]

  For investors looking for growth but also income, I especially like three health-care related stocks��resenius Medical (FMS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), and Smith & Nephew (SNN).

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2014: British American Tobacco Industries p.l.c.(BTI)

British American Tobacco p.l.c., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of tobacco products. The company offers cigars, cigarettes, smokeless snus, roll-your-own, and pipe tobacco products under the Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Rothmans, Peter Stuyvesant, Benson & Hedges, and State Express 555 brand names. It has operations in the Asia-Pacific, the Americas, eastern and western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. British American Tobacco p.l.c. operates independently of Remgro Ltd. as of November 03, 2008.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alan Oscroft]

  British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS  ) (NYSEMKT: BTI  )
  Thursday will also bring us a first-quarter update from British American Tobacco, and yet again we're seeing a share price rise that has started to tail off. The price hit a 52-week peak of 3,640 pence on March 12 (the same day the FTSE 100 reached a five-year high of 6,534) but has since slipped back to 3,502 pence.

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2014: TotalFinaElf S.A.(TOT)

TOTAL S.A., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated oil and gas company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemicals. The Upstream segment engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It also involves in the transportation, trade, and marketing of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as in LNG re-gasification and natural gas storage operations. In addition, this segment engages in the shipping and trade of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); power generation from gas-fired power plants, nuclear, or renewable energies; production, trade, and marketing of coal, as well as in solar power systems and technology operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had combined proved reserves of 10,695 Mboe of oil and gas. The Downstream segment involves in refining, marketing, trading, and shipping crude oil and petroleum products. It also produces a range of specialty products, s uch as lubricants, LPG, jet fuel, special fluids, bitumen, marine fuels, and petrochemical feedstock. This segment holds interests in 24 refineries located in Europe, the United States, the French West Indies, Africa, and China, as well as operates a network of 17,490 service stations. The Chemicals segment produces base chemicals, including petrochemicals and fertilizers, as well as engages in rubber processing, resins, adhesives, and electroplating activities. TOTAL S.A. was founded in 1924 and is based in Paris, France.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  For instance, Total SA (NYSE: TOT  ) recently threw in the towel on its Voyageur�Upgrader project, a 200,000-barrels-a-day facility that was designed to "upgrade" bitumen into crude oil. It sold its 49% stake in Voyageur to its joint venture partner, Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU  ) , for $500 million, arguing that the project was "no longer justified from a strategic and economic" standpoint. Not long after, Suncor also decided to abandon the project, for which it took a C$1.5 billion write-down.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Some companies -- overwhelmed by the oil thefts, spills, and vandalism that have become commonplace in Nigeria -- have retrenched from their operations in the country, either partially or entirely. For instance, in November, French oil major Total (NYSE: TOT  ) agreed to sell a 20% stake in an offshore Nigerian oil field to Chinese oil giant China Petrochemical (NYSE: SHI  ) , also known as Sinopec, for roughly $2.5 billion. Shortly thereafter, in December, ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) backed out of its operations in the country, selling its Nigeria unit to Toronto-listed Oando Energy Resources for about $1.79 billion in cash. �