Market Wrap-Up for Nov. 29 – Have Faith, A Pullback Will Come Again

The S&P 500 is looking to extend weekly gains for the eighth straight week – the first streak of this length in an already bullish 2013. Day after day, investors and traders continue pushing stocks higher and higher to record numbers. While this yearly rally is good for investors already in the markets–they have continued to see gains in their brokerage accounts–frustration persists for those who are still waiting for substantial pullbacks in order to initiate positions.

Though it can be frustrating and hard to be patient when all you see is the continual rise of stocks, in the end this patience should pay off. It’s not necessarily all about what you buy that matters; when you buy is also a key factor in ensuring long-term wealth building. I’m not suggesting that you time the markets to buy at the bottom and sell at the top, but wait for an opportune time to put money into new investments. Have faith, a pullback will come.

Knowing When to Pull the Trigger

If you asked investors in the beginning of May if they were

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now

Canadian stocks rose, following the third weekly drop for the benchmark index, as a nine-month high in the price of crude boosted oil and gas producers and existing home sales rose in May.

Calfrac Well Services Ltd. and Bankers Petroleum Ltd. (BNK) added at least 4.4 percent to pace gains among energy shares. Talisman Energy (TLM) Inc. increased 1.7 percent after Lundin Petroleum AB began drilling in a field co-owned by the two companies in the North Sea. B2Gold Corp. jumped the most in six weeks, ahead of its inclusion in an index of gold mining stocks. Rogers Communications Inc. rallied 1.3 percent after an analyst with Canaccord Genuity Inc. raised his rating for the stock.

The Standard & Poor��/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) rose 101.54 points, or 0.8 percent, to 12,288.90 at 4 p.m. in Toronto. The gauge slipped 1.5 percent last week and has lost 1.2 percent this year, making it the third-worst performing index among developed markets in the world, ahead of Austria and Hong Kong.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Linn Energy LLC (LINE)

Linn Energy, LLC (LINN Energy) is an independent oil and natural gas company. The Company�� properties are located in the United States, primarily in the Mid-Continent, the Permian Basin, Michigan, California and the Williston Basin. Mid-Continent Deep includes the Texas Panhandle Deep Granite Wash formation and deep formations in Oklahoma and Kansas. Mid-Continent Shallow includes the Texas Panhandle Brown Dolomite formation and shallow formations in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois. Permian Basin includes areas in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Michigan includes the Antrim Shale formation in the northern part of the state. California includes the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. Williston Basin includes the Bakken formation in North Dakota. On December 15, 2011, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located primarily in the Granite Wash of Texas and Oklahoma from Plains Exploration & Production Company (Plains).

On November 1, 2011, and November 18, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On June 1, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties in the Cleveland play, located in the Texas Panhandle, from Panther Energy Company, LLC and Red Willow Mid-Continent, LLC (collectively Panther). On May 2, 2011, and May 11, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin. On April 1, 2011, and April 5, 2011, the Company completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On March 31, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin from an affiliate of Concho Resources Inc. (Concho). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed other smaller acquisitions of oil and natural gas properties located in its various operating regions. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 7,759 or 69% of its 11,230 gross productiv! e wells.

Mid-Continent Deep

The Mid-Continent Deep region includes properties in the Deep Granite Wash formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths ranging from 10,000 feet to 16,000 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma and Kansas, which produce at depths of more than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Deep proved reserves represented approximately 47% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 49% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 285 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Mid-Continent Shallow

The Mid-Continent Shallow region includes properties producing from the Brown Dolomite formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths of approximately 3,200 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois, which produce at depths of less than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Shallow proved reserves represented approximately 20% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 70% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 665 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Permian Basin

The Permian Basin is an oil and natural gas basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico and produce at depths ranging from 2,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Permian Basin proved reserves represented approximately 16% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 56% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Michigan

The Michigan region includes properties producing from the Antrim Shale formation in the northern ! part of t! he state, which produces at depths ranging from 600 feet to 2,200 feet. Michigan proved reserves represented approximately 9% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 90% were classified as proved developed reserves.

California

The California region consists of the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. California proved reserves represented approximately 6% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 93% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Williston Basin

The Williston Basin is one of the premier oil basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in North Dakota and produce at depths ranging from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Williston Basin proved reserves represented approximately 2% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 48% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Resource players like SandRidge and Oasis aren't the only energy companies aggressively spending to grow. E&P MLP's like BreitBurn Energy Partners (NASDAQ: BBEP  ) and LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) are also getting into the capital spending act. As you could see in the earlier chart, LINN spends the greatest portion of its cash flow to grow its production. Not only that but LINN is in the process of closing its deal for Berry Petroleum which is a resource player that has been spending heavily to grow production. One of the reasons LINN, as well as BreitBurn, has been investing heavily is to grow oil production in order to offset the effect of lower natural gas prices on margins.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Similarly, in the Permian Basin of West Texas, where Apache is currently the second-largest producer, it has managed to sharply boost estimated ultimate recoveries by drilling deeper laterals and employing a greater number of frac stages. Other companies, such as Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD  ) and LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) , have seen similar success in the Permian by employing secondary oil recovery techniques.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Investors in LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) have been rattled lately as bears have been bashing the company's units. To top it off, those units were hit again last week as rumors began to surface that the complex deal with its affiliate LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO  ) to buy�Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY  ) was being delayed. The big concern is that the deal might fall apart, which would be a major blow to the company.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: OriginOil Inc (OOIL)

OriginOil, Inc., incorporated on June 1, 2007, is a technology company. The Company is primarily involved in research and development activities, and sales of pilot and demonstration equipment. The Company has developed an energy production process for harvesting algae and cleaning up oil and gas water. To develop the energy and ancillary markets, the Company sells smaller-scale equipment, such as the Algae Appliance. The Company�� process, CLEAN-FRAC, represents a generation of water treatment that is chemical free. The Company's water cleanup technology, Electro Water Separation (EWS), is a chemical-free process that extracts organic contaminants from large quantities of water. Its products include EWS Algae, EWS Algae A4, EWS Algae A60, EWS Algae A200, EWS Petro P160, and EWS Aqua Q60.

The Company intends to embed its technology into larger systems through licensing and joint ventures. The Company is in the process of pursuing secondary licensing opportunities outside of energy, including aquaculture. EWS Algae A4 is an entry-level algae harvester designed to make it easier and faster for producers and researchers to try and buy the Company's harvesting technology. EWS Algae A60 is a pilot scale algae harvester providing a low energy, chemical-free, continuous flow wet harvest system to dewater and concentrate the microalgae. EWS Petro Model 160 is designed to remove organics, such as crude oil, and suspended solids and bacteria from process water, such as produced or frac flowback water at a continuous flow rate of one barrel per minute or 160 liters per minute in continuous, chemical free operation. EWS Aqua Q60 is a commercial fish farming pond water treatment system, designed to clean pond water of ammonia, bacteria and aquatic animal pathogens in a continuous loop.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, OOIL�has shed (-3.12%) down -0.01 at $.31 with 95,929 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:04PM�EDT October 15, 2013).

  OriginOil, Inc. previously reported it has signed its first pay-per-barrel agreement with Industrial Systems, Inc. (ISI) for a water treatment system integrating OriginOil�� process as the first stage of treatment.

  Delta, Colorado-based ISI has agreed that it will operate the Model P160 as part of its overall frac flowback water cleanup service, and pay OriginOil a fee for each barrel processed.

Top High Tech Companies To Invest In 2014: PROS Holdings Inc.(PRO)

PROS Holdings, Inc. provides pricing and margin optimization software worldwide. It offers PROS Pricing Solution Suite, a set of integrated software products that enables enterprises to apply pricing and margin optimization science to determine, analyze, and execute optimal pricing strategies through the aggregation and analysis of enterprise application data, transactional data, and market information. The PROS Pricing Solution Suite consists of Scientific Analytics to gain insight into pricing performance; Price Optimizer to institute control of pricing policies; and Deal Optimizer to provide guidelines, additional context, and information to sales force. Its products also include PROS Revenue Management Solution Suite, a suite of industry specific revenue management software products for the enterprises in travel target markets. The PROS Revenue Management Solution Suite comprises PROS Analytics to identify hidden revenue leaks and opportunities, PROS Revenue Management product to manage passenger demand with leg- or segment-based revenue optimization, PROS O&D products to manage passenger demand with passenger name record or PNR based revenue optimization, PROS Real-Time Dynamic Pricing product to determine the optimal prices, PROS Group Revenue Management product to manage group request and booking revenues, PROS Network Revenue Planning product to deliver network-oriented fare class segmentation, PROS Cruise Pricing and Revenue Optimization for customers to understand consumers price sensitivities and track competitor behavior, PROS Hotel Revenue Optimization product that helps customers to enhance pricing decision. In addition, the company provides pricing and implementation professional, and ongoing support and maintenance services. It serves customers in the manufacturing, distribution, services, hotel and cruise, and airline industries primarily through its direct sales force. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Worthington Energy Inc (WGAS.PK)

Worthington Energy, Inc. (Worthington), formerly Paxton Energy, Inc., incorporated July 30, 2004, is an oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in Texas and in the Gulf of Mexico. Worthington�� assets in Texas consist of a minority working interest in limited production and drilling prospects in the Cooke Ranch area of La Salle County, Texas, and Jefferson County, Texas, all operated by Bayshore Exploration L.L.C. (Bayshore). The Company�� assets in the Gulf of Mexico consist of a leasehold working interests in certain oil and gas leases located offshore from Louisiana, upon which no drilling or production has commenced as of December 31, 2011, and a 10.35% interest in the recently drilled I-1 well and a 2% royalty interest in 14,400 acres in the Mustang Island Tract 818. On March 27, 2012, it acquired certain assets from Black Cat Exploration & Production, LLC.

In Texas, the Company has working interests ranging from 4% to 31.75% (ne t revenue interests ranging from 3% to 23.8125%) in the various wells. In the Gulf of Mexico it has a 70% leasehold working interest, with a net revenue interest of 51.975%, of certain oil and gas leases in the Vermillion 179 tract and 10.35% interest in the recently drilled I-1 well and a 2% royalty interest in 14,400 acres in the Mustang Island Tract 818. As of December 31, 2011, it had one producing well that generated average total monthly net revenue.

The Mustang Island 818-L Field, located in the Kleberg County waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is a field re-habilitation project targeting bypassed or only partially produced gas-condensate. Total production from the wells within the seismic coverage was 125.6 billion cubic feet. In January 2011, the Hercules Offshore 205 jack-up rig was contracted to re-enter the I-Well on the Mustang License Area. The oil and gas leases are located in the VM 179, which is in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico offshore fr om Louisiana. VM 179 is at 85 inches water depth approxima! te! ly 46 miles offshore Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Total Nigeria PLC (TOTAL)

Total Nigeria PLC is a Nigeria-based company engaged in the marketing of petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas. The Company operates in three business lines, namely White Products (Retail and General Trade), Lubricants & Special Products, and Aviation fuels. The Company�� products portfolio includes fuels, lubricants, gas, insecticides, car-care products and bitumen. (Nigeria) PLC operates through a network of 500 retail outlets, five LPG bottling plants and three lubricant blending plants. Total (Nigeria) PLC�� major shareholder is Total SA.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: HRT Participacoes em Petroleo SA (HRTPY)

HRT Participacoes em Petroleo SA, formerly BN 16 Participacoes Ltda, is a Brazil-based holding company engaged in the oil and gas industry. The Company is primarily involved in the exploration and production (E&P) of oil and natural gas in Brazil and Namibia. Through its subsidiaries, it is active in the geophysical and geological research, exploration, development, production, import, export and sale of oil and natural gas, as well as in the provision of air logistics services in transporting people and equipment related to oil and gas activities in the exploratory campaign in the Solimoes Basin. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had seven subsidiaries, including Integrated Petroleum Expertise Company Servicos em Petroleo Ltda (IPEX), HRT O&G Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo Ltda, HRT Netherlands BV, HRT America Inc, HRT Africa, HRT Canada Inc and Air Amazonia Servicos Aereos Ltda.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Abraxas Petroleum Corp (AXAS)

Abraxas Petroleum Corporation is an independent energy company primarily engaged in the acquisition, exploitation, development and production of oil and gas in the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� estimated net proved reserves were 29.0 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBoe), (including reserves attributable to its 34.7% equity interest in the proved reserves of Blue Eagle), of which 53% were classified as proved developed, 54% were oil and natural gas liquids (NGL��) and 94% by PV-10 were operated. Its daily net production during the year ended December 31, 2011, was 3,484 barrels of oil equivalent per day, of which 45% was oil or liquids. Its oil and gas assets are located in four operating regions in the United States, the Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent, Permian Basin and onshore Gulf Coast, and in the province of Alberta, Canada.

The Company�� properties in the Rocky Mountain region are located in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana and in the Green River, Powder River and Unita Basins of Wyoming and Utah. In this region, its wells produce oil and gas from various reservoirs, including the Niobrara, Turner, Bakken and Three Forks formations. Well depths range from 7,000 feet down to 14,000 feet. The Company�� properties in the Mid-Continent region are primarily located in the Arkoma Basin and principally produce gas from the Hartshorne coals at 3,000 feet. Its properties in the Permian Basin region are primarily located in two sub-basins, the Delaware Basin and the Eastern Shelf. In the Delaware Basin, its wells are located in Pecos, Reeves, and Ward Counties, Texas and produce oil and gas from multiple stacked formations from the Bell Canyon at 5,000 feet down to the Ellenburger at 16,000 feet.

In the Eastern Shelf, its wells are principally located in Coke, Scurry, Midland, Mitchell and Nolan Counties, Texas and produce oil and gas from the Strawn Reef formation at 5,000 to 7,500 feet and oil from the shallower Clea! rfork formation at depths ranging from 2,300 to 3,300 feet. The Company�� properties in the onshore Gulf Coast region are located along the Edwards trend in DeWitt and Lavaca Counties, Texas and in the Portilla field in San Patricio County, Texas. In the Edwards trend, its wells produce gas from the Edwards formation at a depth of 14,000 feet and in the Portilla field, its wells produce oil and gas from the Frio sands and the deeper Vicksburg from depths of approximately 7,000 to 9,000 feet. In addition, the Company also owns a 34.7% equity interest in a joint venture targeting the Eagle Ford in South Texas. Its properties in the province of Alberta, Canada are located in the Pekisko fairway and the Nordegg/Tomahawk area of Central Alberta.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company leased approximately 20,835 net acres, primarily in counties located on the Nesson Anticline and in areas west, including Rough Rider and Lewis & Clark in North Dakota and in Sheridan County, Montana, which are prospective for the Bakken and Three Forks formations. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company drilled two operated wells and participated in an additional 19 gross (1.0 net) non-operated wells. In July 2011, Abraxas purchased a used Oilwell 2000 horsepower diesel electric drilling rig. In August 2010, the Company formed a joint venture, Blue Eagle, with Rock Oil to develop its acreage in the Eagle Ford Shale play. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a 34.7% interest in Blue Eagle. During 2011, Blue Eagle drilled, completed or participated in three gross (2.4 net) wells and added approximately 3,800 net acres to its holdings, principally in McMullen County, Texas.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company leased a total of approximately 20,720 gross (17,800 net) acres in the southern Powder River Basin, of which 17,800 gross (15,700 net) acres were located in the Brooks Draw field of Converse and Niobrara Counties, Wyoming. In addition, it owns approximately 2,100 net acres in sout! hern Camp! bell County, Wyoming which are held by production and are near the Crossbow field operated by EOG Resources, Inc. and other recent horizontal activity. As of December 31, 2011, the Company leased 6,880 net acres in western Alberta. In 2011, it drilled or completed six gross (6 net) wells in the Twining area. In the emerging southern Alberta Basin Bakken play of Toole and Glacier Counties, Montana, the Company leased approximately 10,000 gross/net acres under long-term leases or direct mineral ownership. As of December 31, 2011, it leased approximately 5,600 gross/net acres in Nolan County, Texas. In 2011, the Company drilled three wells in the Spires Ranch offsetting the prolific Nena Lucia field.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Friday
  The market is typically quiet on Friday, but that's certainly not the case during earnings season. Abraxas Petroleum (NASDAQ: AXAS  ) checks in with its latest quarterly results on Friday morning. The San Antonio-based crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company is expected to post breakeven results.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Penn Virginia has gained 6.9% to $7.15 at 11:56 p.m. today, while Sanchez Energy (SN) has advanced 5.2% to $29.10, Abraxas Petroleum (AXAS) has risen 2.4% to $2.97 and Gulfport Energy (GPOR) is up 1.3% at $67.31.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  With steam coal prices continuing to be weak due to the inroads made by natural gas, Natural Resource Partners (NYSE: NRP  ) has decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. It announced Monday it is buying producing�oil and gas�properties located in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana from�Abraxas Petroleum (NASDAQ: AXAS  ) for $35.3 million in cash.

Best Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Northgate Minerals Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in exploring, developing, processing, and mining gold and copper deposits in Canada and Australia. Its principal producing assets include 100% interests in the Fosterville and Stawell Gold mines in Victoria, Australia; and the Kemess South mine located in north-central British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Northgate Exploration Limited and changed its name to Northgate Minerals Corporation in May 2004. Northgate Minerals Corporation was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Why People Shop on Thanksgiving Day

PORTLAND, Ore. (TheStreet) -- Now that we've finally arrived at Thanksgiving, can we place some sort of moratorium on complaining about the holiday shopping that happens on Thanksgiving night?

We've already gone into the hypocrisy of wailing about the commercialism of Thanksgiving shopping while watching floats and balloons paid for by toy companies, retailers and and movie studios parade down Sixth Avenue with Santa Claus in tow. If you watch the Macy's (M) Thanksgiving Day Parade, you tacitly agree with Macy's position that the holiday shopping season starts once the corpulent red-suited sleigh driver hits Herald Square. That puts Thanksgiving Day shopping at Target (TGT), Wal-Mart (WMT), Kohls (KSS), Sears (SHLD) and elsewhere on the table right next to the can-shaped cranberry sauce and that larded Midwest casserole dish monstrosity crowding the turkey.

We've also delved into the audacity of Americans who yell about the erosion of family holiday tradition with volume usually reserved shouting at the screen during 12 consecutive hours of the National Football League's Thanksgiving coverage. Remind us again how lengthy video reviews and a href="http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/64201620/">even lengthier explanations of the intricacies of the game to your football-illiterate relatives are time-honored Thanksgiving traditions.

The fact is that in the United States, a nation of 320 million people, it's statistically impossible for everybody to spend the holiday the same way. During my earliest days in this industry, I spent most of my Thanksgiving holidays behind the screen of a copy desk at various New Jersey and New York newspapers getting the ad-heavy Black Friday edition ready for the presses. While serving as assistant news editor at one of those papers, my colleague and I put together Thanksgiving potluck dinners, with everyone bringing a dish. From homemade empanadas to store-bought cookies, it was a huge spread that was about the best we could ask for with the restaurants closed and family dinners miles away. In 2013, those newsroom dinners don't seem nearly so unorthodox. A CareerBuilder survey found that roughly 14% of U.S. workers plan to spend Thanksgiving at work. The retail workers manning the Thanksgiving sales account for 29% of that total, but 36% of leisure and hospitality workers will also be on the clock. Meanwhile, 23% of health care workers will be on hand in case someone chokes on a bone or burns themselves on a biscuit pan. It gets tougher by geography, as roughly a third of workers in both Atlanta and Denver will spend Thanksgiving with their coworkers. Even if you have the day off, that's no guarantee you'll spend it with family. When family members live huge distances away and aren't exactly jet-setting members of frequent flyer clubs, they sometimes have to pick their holidays carefully. Though 43.4 million people told AAA they plan to travel 50 miles or more this thanksgiving, that's down 1.5% from last year's 44 million. Of those making the trip, only 67% are doing so to be with family and only 56% are in it for Thanksgiving dinner.

Know what 44% of AAA's Thanksgiving travelers are looking forward to? Shopping. And why shouldn't they? According to a Google survey, 30% of U.S. consumers began their holiday shopping before Halloween. That's roughly the number that an NPD Group survey said would start shopping before Thanksgiving, while the National Retail Federation found that 53.8% of its surveyed consumers had started shopping by Nov. 12.

There's a strong chance that some of those Thanksgiving workers, turkey-averse travelers and people just staying at home will continue their shopping on Thanksgiving day. According to the NRF, 62% of consumers say they plan to shop on Thanksgiving weekend. Of those more than 140 million shoppers, 33 million (23%) say they'll hit the Thanksgiving sales.

That means even a whole bunch of people who'll spend Thanksgiving at a table full of family will spend Thanksgiving night dragging some of that family out to the local strip mall. A Pew Research Center survey from 2010 found that 89% of Americans planned dinner with family on Thanksgiving, but a survey this year by coupon site RetailMeNot finds that about 20% of those Americans will still go shopping just to give their family a holiday activity. Did we mention the 12 hours of football?

That same survey finds that even if consumers don't hop out to the stores, there's a chance that they'll use the family's mid-dinner nap or an especially deep lull in dinner conversation to shop online. According to NPD, more than 30% of Thanksgiving shoppers took the online route in 2011, while the RetailMeNot survey finds 64% will browse online this Thanksgiving. Another 37% say they will use mobile apps to shop during the holiday, presumably while holding their smartphones under the table and pretending their aunt's story about her life-altering summer trip to Spokane has their undivided attention. Times and traditions change. Before 1966, it wasn't a given that the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions were going to take up a huge chunk of television time. Thanksgiving attendance varies as families shrink, grow or move around. Thanksgiving itself may not be so important to families who'd rather have their loved ones save their miles for the winter holidays or to those whose families don't exactly fit the idyllic image of Norman Rockwell's Freedom From Want. If sitting at the table with your family is what you'd like to do with your family, go for it. Just don't labor under the narrow-minded delusion that every other American feels the same way. At workplaces, movie theaters and, yes, shopping centers this Thanksgiving, there are millions of others marking the day as they choose. It may not be your idea of a grand tradition, but maybe it's theirs. -- Written by Jason Notte in Portland, Ore. >To contact the writer of this article, click here: Jason Notte. >To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/notteham. >To submit a news tip, send an email to: tips@thestreet.com. RELATED STORIES: >>Here's Your Thanksgiving Playlist >>Why The NFL Deserves A Thanksgiving Scolding >>10 Real Stars Of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Jason Notte is a reporter for TheStreet. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Esquire.com, Time Out New York, the Boston Herald, the Boston Phoenix, the Metro newspaper and the Colorado Springs Independent. He previously served as the political and global affairs editor for Metro U.S., layout editor for Boston Now, assistant news editor for the Herald News of West Paterson, N.J., editor of Go Out! Magazine in Hoboken, N.J., and copy editor and lifestyle editor at the Jersey Journal in Jersey City, N.J.

Buffett dishes on Detroit sports, newspapers

Influential investor Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, was expected to make a rare visit to Detroit on Monday on behalf of Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses initiative, whose advisory board he co-chairs. But when the Free Press was granted exclusive phone time Monday with the Oracle of Omaha, we couldn't resist chatting him up on a few other subjects.

Question: How often do you get to Detroit? And what's with you mixing it up with Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions?

Answer: I've not been there for a long time. Ndamukong Suh tried to get me to stay over Thanksgiving for the football game. Two weeks ago, I arm-wrestled him (at a mentorship event in Nebraska), and after toying with him for a few minutes, I pinned him. I made him sign a release before we did it, that if I hurt him, he would not sue me.

STORY: Warren Buffett brings small business cash to Mich.

Q: Other thoughts on Detroit, aside from it being a swell place for Goldman's small-business program?

A: My hero when I was a kid was Hank Greenberg. When I was 9 years old, I went to my first baseball game, which was 1939, and I read all about the 1938 season (when Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers was baseball's first unanimous MVP selection), so I can tell you about him hitting his 58 home runs.

Incidentally, I love (Quicken Loans Chairman) Dan Gilbert. I've gotten to know him pretty well, and he is a one-man outreach, or whatever you want to call it, publicity man for Detroit — and he's good. What he's done with Quicken is incredible. ... He's gained market share year after year in that business, and that means hiring more people.

Q: How are you feeling about the newspaper business these days?

A: We bought four good-sized newspapers this year, in Tulsa, Atlantic City, Greensboro and Roanoke — so we have 28 or 29 dailies. Our papers are doing OK. They're in midsized cities. I think it's tougher, frankly, when you get into really big metropolitan areas. ... I think a newspaper has to be p! rimary as a news source to a community. And I think it's very tough in a New York City or a Los Angeles. It's a lot easier in a Tulsa, Okla., or a Greensboro, N.C. We have been focused on those kind of papers, and we will buy more.

The one thing I can guarantee you is we will not cut the news hole. The idea of selling less and less for more and more is not a winning system. I love newspapers. I read five every day.

Q: Berkshire Hathaway owns nearly 3% of General Motors. How are you feeling about GM and the auto industry?

A: I'm delighted we have it, but it was a decision that was made by (portfolio manager) Ted Weschler to buy that.

If you go back to March 6 or something like that in 2009, I was on CNBC, and that was the day before the Dow hit a low, and I got asked about whether the government ought to move in and and give help to the auto companies, and I'm glad to say I called that one right.

It was huge, the way they came back. It's amazing, all three of them. When you think of the ripple effect with the suppliers and everything else, it would have been a disaster if the government hadn't come in. You've got to give credit to the industry for ... making the most of it.

Best Safest Stocks To Own Right Now

Conservative investors prefer debt instruments not only because they safeguard the capital invested but also for the regular income flows they provide. Bonds bring a great deal of stability to an equity-heavy portfolio while providing dividends more frequently than individual bonds. U.S government bonds funds usually invest in Treasury bills, notes and securities issued by government agencies. They are considered to be the safest in the bond fund category and are ideal options for the risk-averse investor.

Below we will share with you 5 top rated government bond mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) as we expect these mutual funds to outperform their peers in the future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all government bond funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

ProFunds Rising Rates Opportunity (RRPSX) seeks returns on a daily basis which is 1.25 times the inverse of that of the daily returns of the 30-Year U.S. Treasury Bond. The fund invests in derivatives which taken together provide such returns. The government bond mutual returned 6.38% over the last one year period.

Best Safest Stocks To Own Right Now: Under Armour Inc.(UA)

Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Under Armour�(UA) has gained 0.2% to $78.65 in pre-open trading after being downgraded to Neutral from Positive at Susquehanna.

  Potash Corp.�(POT) has gained 1.9% to $33.10 on speculation that a spat between Belarus and Uralkali may be close to getting resolved.

• [By Steve Symington]

  Hold onto your hats, folks! Performance apparel specialist Under Armour� (NYSE: UA  ) is all set to announce second-quarter earnings on July 25 before the market opens.

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Competition
  Though Nike does boast impressive gross margins compared to its footwear competitors, three of them, Adidas, Puma, and Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) , are large enough to cause some disruption in some of Nike's markets.

• [By Cole Campbell]

  Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) has performed tremendously in the stock market since it first went public in 2005, and it looks to sustain its rapid rate of growth over the coming years. With a market cap that is roughly one-tenth of its rival Nike's, Under Armour has plenty of room to grow and increase its market share in the athletic apparel and footwear market. The company continues to innovate by introducing new products and materials, such as its recent "Alter Ego" line of shirts that have sold extremely well.

Best Safest Stocks To Own Right Now: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Own For 2014: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses. The company?s Exploration and Production segment involves in the exploration, production, development, and production of oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas in Brazil. This segment supplies its products to the refineries in Brazil, as well as sells surplus petroleum and byproducts in domestic and foreign markets. Its Supply segment engages in the refining, logistics, transportation, and trade of oil and oil products; export of ethanol; and extraction and processing of schist, as well as holds interests in companies of the petrochemical sector in Brazil. The Gas and Energy segment involves in the transportation and trade of natural gas produced in or imported into Brazil; transportation and trade of LNG; and generation and trade of electric power. In addition, the segment has interests in natural gas transportation and d istribution companies; and thermoelectric power stations in Brazil, as well engages in fertilizer business. The Distribution segment distributes oil products, ethanol, and compressed natural gas in Brazil. The International segment involves in the exploration and production of oil and gas, as well as in supplying, gas and energy, and distribution operations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Further, the company involves in biofuel production business. Petroleo Brasileiro was founded in 1953 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy]

  There have been some mixed signals coming from Brazil's largest oil company, Petrobras (NYSE: PBR  ) . The company has been able to pick up its production numbers lately thanks to some of its idle rigs coming back on line. Also, the company seems to be lining itself up well to expand operations into the pre-salt layer, which will be auctioned off for the first time in October. The problem, though, is that the company will need to add to its already large debt load to make it happen.

Best Safest Stocks To Own Right Now: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Fluor Corporation (FLR) is one of the world�� leading heavy construction and engineering firms. I don’t want to imply that this is a bad company because it is actually a very good one. However, Fluor has divisions including Oil & Gas, Industrial Infrastructure, Government, Global Services and Power. Virtually all of them are seeing limited spending as a result of the global slowdown and reduced government spending around the world. The stock is up more than 23% this year, but earnings are actually down on flat revenues. Analysts have been lowering their estimates for the rest of this year as well as 2014, and the stock is currently rated as a by Portfolio Grader. When the economy recovers, I expect will see this company’s fundamentals improve substantially … but until that happens investors should avoid the stock.

• [By CRWE]

  Fluor Corporation�� (NYSE:FLR) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, David Seaton, and Chief Financial Officer, Biggs Porter, will give a presentation to investors at the Credit Suisse 2012 Engineering & Construction Conference in New York on Thursday, June 7 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Hot Clean Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now

Here are today's top news headlines from�Fool.com. Check back throughout the day as this list is updated, and follow us on Twitter at�TMFBreaking.

Delta Air Lines Initiates Dividend, Stock Buyback Plan

Apache Strikes Oil in Egypt

GE Unveils 1.7 MW Wind Turbine; NextEra Orders 59

Microsoft Names New CFO

Google Fiber Picks Another City

Activists: Disney Can't Trademark Holidays

Starbucks to Triple Products for GMCR's Keurig

Obama to Launch Jobs Tour

SeaChange CFO to Resign

House to Vote to Prioritize U.S. Debt Payments

Google Translate Adds 5 Languages

Cyprus Keeps Limits on Money Flows

NV Energy Keeps Quarterly Dividend at $0.19

Oil Below $96 per Barrel on Jobs, Stronger Dollar

Tesla Model S Outscores Every Car in Consumer Reports Testing

Facebook, Chicago Firm Settle Suit

Engility to Participate in $400 Million USAID Clean Energy Project

Nokia's Asha 501 Smartphone Shipping Next Month

Hot Clean Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Wind Hydrogen Ltd(WHN.AX)

WHL Energy Limited, together with its subsidiary SEYCO Energy Pty Ltd, holds interests in a petroleum exploration asset in the Republic of the Seychelles, renewable energy projects and prospects in Europe, and onshore oil and gas producing and exploration holdings in the United States. It primarily holds 96% interest in 35 oil and gas exploration blocks covering 20,700 square kilometres off the southern coast of the Seychelles. The company also holds a patent for hydrogen-based technology that is complementary to wind power generation. The company was formerly known as Wind Hydrogen Limited and changed its name to WHL Energy Limited in June 2008. WHL Energy Limited was founded in 1994 and is based in West Perth, Australia.

Hot Clean Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc.(ALSK)

Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. provides integrated communications services primarily in Alaska. The company operates in two segments, Wireline and Wireless. The Wireline segment offers voice, broadband data, internet access, long distance, and other communications products and services; local exchange network and network connectivity solutions; voice and broadband termination services to inter and intrastate carriers; and multi-protocol label switching, metro Ethernet, network access, and other information technology infrastructure hosting and management services. This segment serves business customers; multi-national corporations; municipal, state, and federal governments; residential customers; small and medium sized businesses; governmental entities; and other telecommunications carriers. The Wireless segment provides facilities-based voice, data, and other value-added services, as well as equipment sales services; and operates 14 retail stores. As of Decembe r 31, 2011, its wireless network supported approximately 118,000 connections. Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  For what that means to a telecom operating in the 49th state, read what Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK  ) CEO Anand Vadapalli touted during his company's second quarter 2012 earnings conference call after it got the iPhone:

• [By Equities Lab]

  The stocks that currently pass the stock screen in order of market cap are Frontier Communications Corp , Crown Media Holdings (CRWN), Vonage Holding (VG), MCG Capital Corp (MCGC), 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (FLWS), MTR Gaming Corporation (MNTG), Alaska Communications (ALSK), and Enzon Pharmaceuticals (ENZN).

Top 10 Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Apache Corporation(APA)

Apache Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. The company has exploration and production interests in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast, east Texas, the Permian basin, the Anadarko basin, and the Western Sedimentary basin of Canada; and onshore Egypt, offshore Western Australia, offshore the United Kingdom in the North Sea, and onshore Argentina, as well as on the Chilean side of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Apache Corporation sells its natural gas to local distribution companies, utilities, end-users, integrated oil and gas companies, and marketers; and crude oil to integrated oil companies, marketing and transportation companies, and refiners. As of December 31, 2009, it had total estimated proved reserves of 1,067 million barrels of crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids, as well as 7.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Since the arrival of "Arab Spring" in Egypt, that nation has been wracked by rising prices for food and fuel, rising unemployment, declines in tourism, and political turmoil. The Egyptian people have been due for some good news for a change, and this week, Apache (NYSE: APA  ) brought it to them.

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Oppenheimer reported on Tuesday that it has raised its rating on energy company Apache Corporation (APA).

  The firm has upgraded APA from “Perform” to “Outperform,” and has given the company a $100 price target. This price target suggests a 12% increase from the stock’s current price of $87.57.

  Analysts believe that the current stock price already reflects risks and the company is repurchasing shares and debt.

  Apache shares were up 79 cents, or 0.91%, during Tuesday morning trading. The stock is up 12% YTD.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  What a Fool believes
  The success of the U.S. energy renaissance has been due to a wide array of elements, and some of those elements have also put the U.S. ahead of the rest of the world in terms of shale gas production. This advantage won't hold forever, though, and several companies are looking to get in on the ground floor in some of these newer shale plays. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) plans to spend $1 billion a year to develop shale gas in China as part of a�production�sharing agreement with China National Petroleum, and 6% of Apache's� (NYSE: APA  ) total petroleum production comes from shale�deposits�in Argentina.

Hot Clean Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: United Business Media plc ord(UBM.L)

UBM plc engages in the provision of data, media and business to business (B2B) communications, and marketing services worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Events, PR Newswire, Data Services, Marketing Services-Online, and Marketing Services-Print. The Events segment organizes industry exhibitions and conventions, conferences, forums, fairs, tradeshows, and other live in person events that enable communities to do business. The PR Newswire segment offers communications products and services to professionals working in marketing, public relations, corporate communications, or investor relations roles in businesses, government, and other non-commercial organizations. This segment also distributes its clients? messages and information. The Data Services segment provides data and information products, including data-based workflow products, intellectual property consultancy and analytical services, and sales lead generation programs that support professionals. The Marketing Services-Online segment offers Website sponsorships and banner advertising, as well as online directory products. The Marketing Services-Print segment publishes magazines and trade press to specialist markets. The company markets its products and services to professional and commercial communities. The company was formerly known as United Business Media Limited and changed its name to UBM plc in May 2011. UBM plc was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

Hot Clean Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Interface Inc. (IFSIA)

Interface, Inc. engages in the design, production, and sale of modular and broadloom carpets, and other floor covering products for the commercial, institutional, and residential markets primarily in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. Its products are used in corporate offices, retail spaces, government institutions, schools, healthcare facilities, tenant improvement spaces, hospitality centers, residences, and home office spaces. The company sells its carpets under InterfaceFLOR, Heuga, GlasBac, Bentley Prince Street, FLOR, Mission Zero, Prince Street House, and Home brand names; and raised/access flooring product under the Intercell brand name. It also provides antimicrobial chemicals under the Intersept brand; and TacTiles carpet tile installation systems, as well as various adhesives and products for carpet installation and maintenance. In addition, the company offers carpet replacement, installation, and maintenance services. It serves end-users, architects, engineers, interior designers, contracting firms, and other specifiers. The company has product showrooms or design studios in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Denmark, England, Northern Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, India, Australia, Japan, Italy, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. Interface, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hot Clean Energy Companies To Watch In Right Now: Olidata Spa(OLI.MI)

Olidata S.p.A. engages in the production and distribution of personal computers in Europe. It purchases, assembles, services, markets, and programs computers, laser printers, tapes and accessories for the computers; and supports the magnetic reproduction of data for computers and accessory equipment, and other office machines and equipment. In addition to personal computers, Olidata's range of products includes notebooks, workstations, servers, monitors, and LCD televisions. The company also purchases and sells patents, technical processes, and know-how; and acquires and grants licenses.

Schorsch isn't done after Investors Capital

Fresh off Wednesday morning’s announcement of one broker-dealer acquisition, Nicholas Schorsch said that he will continue to pursue potential deals to expand and diversify his group of business.

RCS Capital Corp., one of Mr. Schorsch’s companies, agreed to acquire Investors Capital Holdings Ltd., which controls an independent broker-dealer with 550 reps and advisers. The deal marks the second independent-broker-dealer acquisition of the year for Mr. Schorsch, who is executive chairman of the board of RCS Capital.

Although he would not name specific targets, Mr. Schorsch said RCS Capital remains in the hunt for deals.

“I can’t tell you we’re done,” Mr. Schorsch said in an interview. “We’d love to look at insurance and other platform sponsors that are producing product.”

As with other recent acquisitions, Mr. Schorsch is keeping the management team of Investors Capital in place. He said that Tim Murphy will remain as chief executive.

RCS Capital is paying a significant premium for Investors Capital. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, RCS Capital said it expects to acquire the publicly traded Investors Capital Holdings for about $52.2 million, or $7.35 per share. Many holders of Investor Capital stock bought shares from its founder, Ted Charles, in 2011 for $4.25, when he retired and sold his stake. The expected offering price by RCS Capital represents a 73% premium over that price.

Mr. Schorsch noted that the sale of Mr. Charles’ shares represented less than half the company and that RCS Capital is buying the entire company.

“We paid what the company is worth in today’s market,” he said. Investors Capital “has grown its earnings and assets under management. The company has changed dramatically in the last three years.”

One immediate benefit to RCS Capital, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RCAP, will be savings from Investors Capital when it no longer has the expense of meeting regulatory guidelines as a public company, Mr. Schorsch said.

Speculation regarding the sale of Investors Capital, which sports 550 affiliated registered representatives and advisers, has been building for the past month. Early in September, Investors Capital Holdings, the holding company for the broker-dealer, saw a sizable spike in trading and in one day saw trading volume top 430,000 shares. The microcap stock typically trades closer to 13,000 shares per day.

Wednesday morning, trading in Investors Capital shares was heavy, with more than 100,000 shares changing hands before noon. The share price ! ranged between $5.60 and $6.80, still below Mr. Schorsch's expected acquisition price.

Mr. Schorsch, already a dynamo in the nontraded-REIT business, on an acquisition tear.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Watch Right Now

On Tuesday, he announced his first foray into mutual funds, which will gain him the potential to widen the distribution of his array of investment products. Hatteras Funds, a boutique alternative investments mutual fund firm with $2 billion in assets and six funds will be acquired by a subsidiary of RCS Capital.

Mr. Schorsch is CEO of American Realty Capital, which currently sponsors close to 12 illiquid nontraded-investment programs. Those are predominantly nontraded real estate investment trusts.

Among other deals, RCAP Holdings LLC, which is controlled by Mr. Schorsch, in June announced that it would acquire First Allied Holdings Inc., which included First Allied Securities Inc. and The Legend Group.

Combined, First Allied and Investors Capital have more than 2,000 affiliated financial advisers and registered reps. That makes Realty Capital one of the largest networks of such reps and advisers in the financial advice industry.

American Funds makes push to increase transparency

In a bid to win back investors, American Funds is increasing the transparency around how its mutual funds are managed but it won't be going as far as revealing individual manager performance and holdings.

Each American Fund is run by a team of portfolio managers, but each manager runs his or her own sleeve independently. For example, the $123 billion American Funds Growth Fund of America (AGTHX) has 12 managers who are each responsible for their own portion of the fund. Details about the individual managers, however, has been scarce, the company is in the process of changing that.

For the first time, the Los Angeles-based company is preparing reports that will detail the decision making process behind building the team that manages each mutual fund, including notes on each managers' investment style, strengths, and weaknesses, spokesman Chuck Freadhoff said.

“It's something that hasn't been fully understood before,” he said. “We haven't explained it well.”

The reports won't go as far as revealing each manager's performance or portfolio holdings, though, because Mr. Freadhoff said that information isn't actionable.

“It may be interesting, but you can't invest in a single manager,” he said. “You're investing in the entire fund.”

Some financial advisers see the move as encouraging.

“If they're willing to share more information and more insight into their funds I don't see a downside to that,” said Melissa Hammel, managing member of Hammel Finanical Advisory Group LLC. Ms. Hammel has clients invested in several American Funds, including the $32 billion American Funds AMCAP Fund (AMCPX).

Jim Johnson, partner at Lighthouse Financial Planning LLC, has had as much as half his clients' assets in American Funds, but only has them in the firm's bond funds today.

“Anybody who has been through one of their meetings knows it's pretty clear how they do what they do,” he said. “If they have a way to communicate that without people having to go to their headquarters, I think it's a great idea.”

The detailed fund manager reports are just one step American Funds, which has suffered withdrawals of $242 billion since 2007, is taking to increase transparency. The firm’s assets total $993 billion, down from $1.15 trillion in 2007.

The company has already begun making portfolio holdings available 15 days after months' end and offering quarterly attribution analysis, reports that show advisers which holdings have been added, or subtracted, from an individual fund's performance that quarter.

In addition, advisers can expect to start seeing more American Funds portfolio managers at industry conferences, in the media, and appearing on financial TV networks.

“We know we need to communicate as broadly as we can,” Mr. Freadhoff said.

American Funds kicke! d off its increased outreach to advisers last year with the launch of its “The Long View” reports, which shared the company's insights into trends affecting the economy.

At the heart of the transparency efforts are registered investment advisers. American Funds are predominately sold through brokers, 64% of its fund assets are in load-rich A-shares, but the company is making a big push to court RIAs, who are mainly fee-based.

“RIAs like to interact differently than the traditional transaction-based broker,” Mr. Freadhoff said. “They ask for more detailed information. They need to know what you think and what your views are.”

The effort is paying off so far, in terms of recognition, if not money flows.

“Several years ago, anyone outside of the small RIA team [at American Funds] didn't seem to know what an RIA was,” Mr. Johnson said. “That's certainly not the case today. I'm absolutely seeing progress.”

American Funds has approximately $92 billion, or 9% of total fund assets, in its F-share classes, which don't have load fees, up from $72 billion, or 7% of total fund assets, in 2008.

Best Medical Companies To Own For 2014

Still, investors have pulled $11.5 billion from the funds this year even as the equity markets have rallied and performance across the American Funds lineup has improved.

The American Growth Fund of America, for example, outperformed the S&P 500 by 400 basis points in 2012 and its 23.87% return year-to-date through Sept. 18 tops the S&P 500 as well. Its 10-year annualized returns are almost 400 basis points better than the S&P 500 and rank it among the top 10% of large-cap mutual funds, according to Morningstar.

But the fund's underperformance in 2008, when it fell 39% versus the S&P 500's 37% drop, and in 2011, still drag down its three- and five-year annualized returns.

Market Wrap For Monday, September 23: Markets Unmoved Despite Kenyan Terror

It's rare for global headlines to have little effect on markets. However, the attack on the Westgate mall in Kenya has had virtually no effect on equities, sending the FTSE Kenyan ETF (FTSE: FNKEN2) down just 0.24 percent.

Other top stories include the release of Microsoft's Surface 2. Following the release of the Surface RT, the new tablet will start at $449 and be available on October 22. Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) closed down 0.16 percent today.

BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) agreed to a 4.7 billion dollar sale to Fairfax Financial Holdings. This comes after shares tumbled down last week after a huge earnings miss.

Major Indexes

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 49.71 points or 0.32 percent, to close at 15,401.38.

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The S&P 500 dropped 8.07 points, or 0.47 percent, to close just below 1,701.84.

The Nasdaq lost 9.44 points, or 0.25 percent, to 3,765.29.

The Russell 3000 lost 4.11 points or 0.40 percent.

European Manufacturing PMI

Both German and Eurozone PMI was worse than expected. Germany reported 51.3 while analysts were looking for 52.2 while and the Eurozone saw PMI of 51.1 versus 51.8.

Stock Movers

Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ISIS) rose 6.71 percent to $38.48 after the company reported positive Phase 2 data on ISIS-APOCIII Rx in patients with familial chylomicronemia.

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) got a boost, closed up 4.97 percent to $490.64 after the company reported that it has sold nine million new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models in the first weekend.

Celldex Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CLDX) gained 12.91 percent to $32.70 after a bullish report out of Leerink Swann.

Shares of Pandora (NYSE: P) lost 10.11 percent to $24.26 as traders looked to take profit on the stock after shares posted a massive rally over the past 3 weeks.

JC Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) tumbled 4.63 percent to $12.36. JC Penney is in talks to raise more money, Bloomberg reported.
Northern Tier Energy LP (NYSE: NTI) fell 5.27 percent to $18.51 after the company reported an operational issue with crude unit.

Volatility and Volume

The VIX surged up 8.23 percent on the day to 14.20. This is the first jump after several negative sessions.

Volume was especially light on the day. Heading into the close, the SPDR S&P ETF (NYSE: SPY) traded just 87.5 million shares, compared to the three month average of 127,583,553.

Commodities

Energy prices continued falling Monday. Late in the day, NYMEX crude futures were trading down 1.08 percent to $103.62. Brent crude contracts lost a little less than one percent to $108.15. Natural gas was the biggest loser, down 2.33 percent.

Precious metals also registered losses on the day. At last check, COMEX gold futures were down 0.68 percent to $1,323.40 while silver fell 0.67 percent to $21.78.

Currencies

The U.S. dollar made a modest gain today. Near the close, the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish ETF (NYSE: UUP), which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of foreign currencies, was up 0.05 percent to $21.70.

The closely watched EUR/USD pair was last trading down 0.18 percent to $1.3499. Other movers included the USD/JPY, which fell 0.59 percent and the AUD/USD, which was last up 0.52 percent on the day.

Global Markets

Asian markets were mixed overnight. The Shanghai index rose 1.33 percent percent with Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 0.56 percent. Japan's volatile Nikkei fell just just 0.16 percent on the day.

European markets mostly recorded losses for the day. The Euro Stoxx index, which tracks 50 euro zone blue chips dropped 0.71 percent. London's FTSE fell 0.59 percent, and France's CAC sold off 0.75 percent.

The Deal: Jones Group, or Buyers, May Entertain Sale of Its Parts

NEW YORK (The Deal) -- If it doesn't get attractive offers to sell the whole company, apparel maker Jones Group Inc. (JNY) will likely still choose to sell off parts of the company, according to industry sources.

The New York-based apparel company is working with financial adviser Citigroup Inc. on a strategic review. Though the company would prefer a straightforward sale, the parts may be worth somewhat more than the whole, sources said.

Sycamore Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) were reported by The Wall Street Journal to be considering teaming up to make a bid for Jones.

But were they to enter a bid, the private equity firms could also be considering what they might jettison down the road at Jones to help shore up the company's troubled operations. And those parts had better have a lot of value as separate entities, since Jones is already trading at a valuation that is a high multiple of EBITDA. Jones' EBITDA was $230 for 2012, with EBITDA for 2013 estimated to come in at nearly $260 million, according to Bloomberg data. Total debt of $950 million as of July 6, added to a current market cap of $1.12 billion, equates to an enterprise value of nearly $2.1 billion. That's a valuation multiple of about 9.1 times trailing EBITDA and about 8.1 times forward EBITDA. It is, however, 10.5 times EBITDA of nearly $200 million generated for the last 12 months as of July 6. Even a slight premium to its current valuation would make it one of the more expensive deals in the sector this year. Granted, multiples for mature retailers have reached into the double-digits, as in the case of Saks (SKS), which Hudson's Bay Co. bought in July for $2.9 billion. Saks was rewarded with a multiple of 11.2 times forward EBITDA and 10.7 times trailing EBITDA, but the luxury department store retailer is sitting on about $1.5 billion in real estate. Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital's 2010 $2.86 billion deal for J.Crew Group valued that retailer at 10 to 12 times EBITDA. Dutch, parent of brands Joie, Current/Elliott and Equipment, sold a stake in the business to private equity firm TA Associates on Jan. 10. The deal valued the company at $500 million to $600 million, or around 10 times to 12 times EBITDA, which was roughly in the vicinity of $50 million, according to sources.

And at $1.1 billion, Apax Partners' deal to acquire rue21 (RUE) this year for nearly 10.9 times the $101 million in EBITDA it generated for its fiscal year ended Feb. 2 was one of the richest, proof that lucrative deals for mature brands are possible.

In contemplating a high multiple, Sycamore could be hoping to leverage the experience of its grizzled retail veteran Stefan Kaluzny to ring operations savings out of the troubled clothing conglomerate, and sell off underperforming parts of it in the process, while holding on to its higher-margin footwear and accessories businesses of brands such as Stuart Weitzman, Kurt Geiger and Nine West.

Or perhaps Sycamore and KKR will simply split the spoils, with Sycamore taking the apparel brands, an area in which it has the most experience, and KKR owning the footwear and accessories business.

Holding onto the most valuable brands and selling the underperformers would be a similar play to Sun Capital Partners' 2007 $762 million acquisition of St. Louis-based apparel conglomerate Kellwood in July, the jewel of Kellwood's portfolio, contemporary clothing brand Vince, filed for an IPO. At the same time, Sun Capital divested itself of BLK DNM, Baby Phat, Phat Farm, Zobha and Adam, while focusing on its high-growth businesses, including women's contemporary apparel brand Rebecca Taylor, women's luxury wear brand David Meister and women's urban wear brand XOXO. Remaining brands in Kellwood's portfolio that could have a sale tag on them include women's apparel brands Sag Harbour, Jax, Briggs New York, Rewind, Democracy, My Michelle, Sangria, and Jolt. Likewise, Jones Group divestitures, whether they come before or after a leveraged buyout, could include its Jones New York dress and suit business, as well as its denim business, not to mention its Anne Klein apparel brand, according to people familiar with the situation. In 2011, Jones Group was near a deal to sell its denim business to Delta Galil Industries for about $350 million, but after sales at the division dropped by double digits, Israel-based Delta Galil canceled the transaction in January 2012. The pressure to sell brands came from activist investor Barington Capital Group. According to news reports, however, Jones Group chose instead to put the whole company on the block. Prior to Barington's moves on the company, Jones Group was attempting over the last few years to improve earnings by acquiring footwear and accessories brands. Those deals included the acquisitions of footwear and accessories businesses Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC and Kurt Geiger Ltd., both complementary to its Nine West footwear brand. Written by Richard Collings.

As hedge funds grow, funds of funds get clipped

With alternative investments more popular than ever, it's ironic that a channel originally designed to broaden distribution is struggling to keep pace.

While the hedge fund industry now boasts a record $2 trillion in assets, following three straight months of inflows, the $469 billion funds-of-hedge-funds space has had just two months of net inflows in the past 24.

“I predicted the demise of the fund-of-funds business coming out of the market crash, and by the end of the decade, my gut says they won't be much of a factor,” said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners, a $1.3 billion hedge fund shop.

The biggest challenge facing the fund-of-funds model, according to Mr. Landesman, is the added layer of fees that investors must absorb in order to participate in an asset class that is already infamous for fee structures that typically start by charging 1% on assets and 10% on investment performance.

Funds of funds, which bundle alternative strategies by investing in multiple underlying hedge fund managers, typically tack on their own fees — which can amount to another 1% on assets and 10% on performance.

A decade ago or more ago, when most investors had neither the assets nor the resources to access hedge funds directly, funds of funds flourished as a gateway into this otherwise exclusive community.

But today, as more hedge funds expand their distribution efforts and the mutual fund industry continues to roll out registered alternative products, the fund-of-funds model is starting to make less sense.

A survey of hedge fund managers and investors, released earlier this week by Greenwich Associates and Ernst & Young, found that 75% of hedge funds in Europe and North America are seeing an increase in direct investing and that they expect the trend to continue.

“Direct investment continues to increase and is preferred by managers, with intermediation shifting away from funds of funds to investment consultants,” said Michael Serota, co-leader of Ernst & Young's Global Hedge Fund Services.

“Some funds of funds are offering more advisory-like services in order to compete,” he added. “With returns likely to remain subdued, and investors finding access easier, there will remain a focus on the costs of intermediation.”

Mr. Landesman said the shift away from funds of funds has been extreme.

“Pre-crash, funds of funds represented about half of our business, but now I'd estimate it's between 5% and 7%,” he said.

Beyond the extra layer of fees, funds of funds also are hampered by liquidity-related challenges. Part of the original appeal of a! fund of funds was that investors would get better liquidity than they could typically expect from a hedge fund, which offer quarterly liquidity, at best.

But as funds of funds have tried to maintain standards of offering monthly liquidity with 30 days' notice, they have effectively reduced their pool of hedge funds in which they could potentially invest because most hedge funds aren't interested in offering increased liquidity.

“The liquidity issue limits where they can invest, and that in turn limits their size,” said Mr. Landesman.

Of course, the funds-of-funds space isn't exactly rolling over and just waiting to die.

Like the hedge fund industry, itself, a lot of fund-of-funds shops are trying to adapt to the changing dynamics in the alternative investing space.

Aurora Investment Management, an affiliate of Natixis Global Asset Management, would be characterized by most as a fund-of-funds shop.

Asked to describe what the $9 billion asset management firm does, Aurora president Scott Schweighauser said: “We invest capital in hedge funds on behalf of ourselves and our clients.”

But when asked directly if Aurora is a fund-of-funds shop, he said: “We're a hedge fund solutions provider and an intermediary, although traditionally people probably would have described us as a fund- of-funds [provider].”

Mr. Schweighauser's nomenclature reflects both marketing savvy and the realities of the evolution of the fund-of-funds business.

In addition to helping clients invest in hedge funds through commingled funds and separately managed accounts, Aurora launched its first access point for retail investors in April with its own alternative-strategy mutual fund, Aurora Horizons (AHFAX).

“We felt it was important to expand the breadth of our products to make them more available,” Mr. Schweighauser said.

With just $153 million in assets, the mutual fund is still fledging, but Aurora sees potential in the current breakdown of its assets, which stands a! t 80% ins! titutional and 20% individual investor.

“I expect that in five years that breakdown will be closer to 50/50,” Mr. Schweighauser said.

In essence, as the top end of the hedge fund industry pushes toward a more corporate model that includes layers of operational and marketing support to offer more direct investor access, there could still be hope for the fund-of-funds space.

“We're definitely seeing more investors now going directly to hedge funds, as opposed to going through funds of funds, because hedge funds are becoming more institutionalized,” said Natalie Deak, a partner in the hedge fund practice at Ernst & Young.

“But the fund of funds model is also changing to focus more on smaller institutional investors and servicing more of the retail market,” she said.

Overlooked Small Cap Big Brother Surveillance or Security Stocks (VIMC, COHU & VSYM)

Small cap stocks Vimicro International Corporation (NASDAQ: VIMC), Cohu, Inc (NASDAQ: COHU) and View Systems Inc (OTCBB: VSYM) are also surveillance and security stocks because they also offer products that can be used to keep an eye on us – for better or for worst. After all and go to any public space (whether its a shopping mall, entertainment venue or even a street corner), you will probably see (or maybe not see) some sort of security or surveillance equipment. With that in mind, here is a look at three small cap surveillance and security stocks you may have overlooked:

Vimicro International Corporation. Founded in 1999 in Beijing by several entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and listed on the Nasdaq on November 15th, 2005 as the first fabless chip company from China to be listed on that exchange, Vimicro International Corporation is a leading video processing IC and surveillance solution provider that designs, develops and markets mixed-signal semiconductor products and system-level solutions that enable multimedia capabilities in a variety of products for PC/notebook, consumer electronics and surveillance applications. Vimicro International Corporation also says it has aggressively entered the surveillance market with system-level solutions and semiconductor products to capitalize on China's domestic demand. Earlier this month, Vimicro International Corporation reported a 11.1% revenue increase to $24.2 million thanks to higher sales of surveillance products (including a sizable surveillance order marking the company's expansion into Sichuan province) offsetting lower sales of PC and notebook multimedia processors plus GAAP net income of $1.8 million verses $2.4 million. In the earnings call transcript (available on Seeking Alpha here), the Chairman/CEO commented that surveillance is now their dominant business line and shows the successful transformation of the company that began in late 2010. A good thing because he commented:

"Now, turning to our imaging processing IC business, which includes PC camera imaging processors. Third quarter revenue was $5.5 million as compared to $15.2 million in the year ago quarter. This represents a year-on-year decline of 64%. The softness in the global PC industry continued through the third quarter."

He also commented that the expansion into Sichuan is a "strong validation of the national standard for our technology" plus the company is expanding into several new provinces and they anticipate advancing additional large orders in the near-term. On Thursday, small cap Vimicro International Corporation rose 1.76% to $1.73 (VIMC has a 52 week trading range of $1.06 to $2.35 a share) for a market cap of $49.75 million plus the stock is up 41.8% since the start of the year and down 12.6% over the past five years.

Cohu, Inc. With origins dating back to 1945, Cohu, Inc calls itself a leading supplier of test handling, burn-in and thermal solutions used by the global semiconductor industry, microwave communications and closed-circuit television equipment. Cohu's has three divisions or business categories: Semiconductor Equipment, Microwave Communications and Television Cameras (the later being CohuHD, a manufacturer of high-definition video systems that integrates the latest high-definition video imaging and compression technologies into ruggedized camera products designed for critical infrastructure applications). At the end of October, Cohu, Inc reported net sales of $60M verses $57.7M along with a GAAP net loss of $10.8M verses $1.7M due to a $4.8 million pretax charge for the write-down of inventory, primarily semiconductor equipment. It should be mentioned though that sales of semiconductor equipment accounted for 87% of fiscal 2013 third quarter sales while microwave communications equipment and video cameras and related equipment contributed 6% and 7%, respectively, for the same period – meaning the company is more of an indirect play on security and surveillance. Moreover and in the earnings call transcript (available on Seeking Alpha here), the CFO noted:

"The electronics division posted solid results, led by traffic applications. Security-related sales improved sequentially, though they remained below our plan due in part to the same governmental budget uncertainties that affected BMS."

And:

"As noted earlier, revenue of BMS was below plan due to delays in government-related orders, resulting from budget cuts and funding uncertainties. Additionally, a long expected letter of credit on a large order for a Middle Eastern customer was not received."

On Thursday, small cap Cohu, Inc fell 0.82% to $9.65 (COHU has a 52 week trading range of $7.96 to $13.40 a share) for a market cap of $240.36 million plus the stock is down 11% since the start of the year and down 18.5% over the past year. However, Cohu, Inc does have a forward dividend of $0.24 for a forward dividend yield of 2.4%.

View Systems Inc. A manufacturer and installer of weapons detection identification systems, video management platforms and tele-data communication networks, View Systems' security products are used by correctional facilities, schools, courthouses, government agencies, event and sports venues and commercial businesses. View Systems' most important security products would be the ViewScan, a walkthrough concealed weapons detector (CWD) that uses advanced magnetics technology to visually locate threat objects like hidden razor blades and cellular phones, but not common objects such as coins, keys and belt buckles so that false alarms that slow down security checkpoints can be eliminated. In addition, View System also offers the Visual First Responder, a first response remote video transmission system that can be utilized in areas where hazardous materials have been exposed plus its small enough to be worn on a belt, helmet or vest (or even by K-9 teams) while it transmits conventional video or infrared imagery to a command post. Its considered ideal for law enforcement SWAT teams, Fire Rescue units and HAZMAT team operations. Last Summer, View Systems issued a press release to say that they are rapidly regaining traction in foreign markets for security systems and that the company has a partnership with Brazil based Armorin, LLC to penetrate the Brazilian market (plus South America) as imported electronic security equipment there was worth an estimated $1.5 billion as of 2011 while the value of locally manufactured equipment was estimated to be worth $1.5 billion. View Systems also pointed out that over a dozen installations made in Bangladesh late last year have been very well received by the government and local security organizations to the point where the company is looking for someone to distribute its products in the South Asia and Middle East regions plus it has recently signed an agreement with a distributor in West Africa. Finally, View Systems has recently received new orders f! or its ViewScan from the State of Maryland, the Detroit School System Department of Corrections of Connecticut, Milwaukee and the Dodge City Kansas Community College. On Thursday, small cap ViewScan fell 1.37% to $0.0288 for a market cap of $5.67 million plus the stock is down 4% since the start of the year.

The Bottom Line. There are alot of players either directly or indirectly in the surveillance and security markets and investors might want to take a closer look at small caps Vimicro International Corporation, Cohu, Inc and View Systems Inc.

Stocks to Watch: Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Viacom

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Thursday’s session are Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(WMT), Kohl's Corp.(KSS) and Viacom Inc.(VIAB)

Wal-Mart’s fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 2.8% as sales improved at its Sam’s Club stores, though revenue was weaker than expected. The world’s largest retailer narrowed its full-year earnings guidance and gave a mostly cautious profit view for the current quarter, pushing shares down.

Kohl’s third-quarter earnings fell 18% as the department-store chain reported weaker same-store sales and margins. Shares fell as earnings and revenue missed expectations and the retailer again cut its 2013 profit guidance.

Viacom’s fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 24% as the media giant benefited from growth in advertising and home-entertainment revenue, pushing results above estimates. Class B shares rose 3.2%.

Brooks Automation Inc.'s(BRKS) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 95% as the technology-products company’s revenue slipped on weak demand from semiconductor customers and a much smaller tax benefit. Results beat expectations, but the company gave a weak outlook for the first quarter. Shares edged lower.

Cisco Systems Inc.'s(CSCO) fiscal first-quarter profit dropped 4.6% as the network-equipment company recorded charges tied to job cuts and a recent acquisition, more than offsetting rising revenue and gross margins. Revenue growth for the period missed expectations and Cisco issued a downbeat outlook for the current quarter, sending shares down.

Millennial Media Inc.'s(MM) shares slumped after the mobile advertising service provider reported third-quarter results that widely missed Wall Street expectations. Though the company’s sales jumped from a year ago, the growth wasn’t as strong as expected, and Millennial Media’s bottom line also came up short. Shares slid.

Netease Inc.'s(NTES) third-quarter profit rose 29% as the company continued to benefit from its Chinese Internet-gaming operations. But shares fell as earnings came in below Wall Street expectations.

United Planners on Its Tech: The Glue That Holds It All Together

“Our master philosophy is ‘enter once, use many,’” Sheila Cuffari-Agasi says when describing the technology employed at United Planners Financial Services.

The vice president of partner development with the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based broker-dealer notes that she keeps a “small, personal” book of business to maintain a rep's perspective and a view of what they might need in the field. And what she finds is they need glue — yes, glue.

“From a technology perspective, United Planners is all about creating efficiencies through what we call the software glue, which helps various platforms integrate and work better together,” she explains. “We want to free up time for the advisor from doing all the administrative and compliance tasks so they can concentrate on marketing and spending time with clients.”

The firm's Advisor Front Office “seamlessly integrates with Pershing and TD Ameritrade’s Veo, among other custodians.”  It can pull statements, auto-archive them and even file them if needed, she notes, which is especially helpful during a regulatory audit.

“We have them here so it’s not a burden to the advisor during the audit process. It also means the administrative person doesn’t have to store, file, burn them to a CD or anything else at the advisor’s office.”

UPFS is able to the “back share” the statements and files to the advisor’s own repository in one of two ways: through its own proprietary system or through Redtail technology. The advisor gets a copy, the office of supervisory jurisdiction gets a copy and it’s saved to the client’s vault as well.

This is different from many of the larger firms with legacy systems, she says.

“What we’re saying is that the advisor doesn’t have to do it our way,” Cuffari-Agasi adds. “We can work with any system as long as they have an open API. If you ever decide to leave, just unplug and the system goes with you. And all of it is available through a single sign-up for the advisor.”

She then reminisces about “the old days of all these different files and copies stored at multiple locations” before noting that now advisor need only one username and password and they have access to every document they ever signed with the firm.

“We’re not married to any one vendor,” she concludes. “What we do is build the glue to have the systems work together more efficiently. If there is a problem, we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water; we instead change the water.”

---

Check out 8 Steps to a Successful Succession Plan: United Planners on ThinkAdvisor.

Sotheby's: Massive Surge In Private Sales And Auction Commissions As Dan Loeb Looms

Under siege by activist investors including Dan Loeb and Marcato Capital Management, Sotheby's posted third quarter earnings after the bell on Monday, beating top and bottom line estimates.  Amid allegations of expensive lunches on shareholders' tab and inefficient usage of capital, chief executive Bill Ruprecht spoke of aggressive cost cutting expected for next year, while boasting of a dramatic jump in private sales and auction commissions.

Warhol's 'Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)' will go on sale at Sotheby's' post-war and contemporary auction in New York - Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife

The auction house founded in 1744 posted a net loss of $30.1 million, which represents a $2.4 million improvement from a year ago in the cyclically weak third quarter.  In a per share basis, Sotheby's lost 44 cents, beating Wall Street's consensus estimate by a penny.

With management engaged in a war of words with billionaire hedge fund manager Dan Loeb, Sotheby's saw a 57.6% surge in revenue to $107.9 million.  Sotheby's has been focused on targeting higher end clients while expanding its private sales business; the company saw some success in the third quarter, with private sales commissions surging 77% and auction commissions increasing 16%.  Net auction sales rose 5% year-to-date to $2.4 billion, while private sales jumped 37% to nearly $1 billion.

Costs also grew dramatically, with total expenses up 33.7% to $142.2 million, primarily on increased dealer costs and higher salary expense.  After being challenged by activist investor Dan Loeb, Sotheby's' management team has been reviewing its capital allocation and financial expense policies.

"The financial review we have undertaken goes beyond capital allocation, and includes an in-depth examination of our strategy, business and cost structure," said Patrick McClymont, Sotheby's Chief Financial Officer. "In addition to making strategic investments in Sotheby's future growth, we remain committed to growing with discipline. As part of our annual planning process, we are conducting a thorough review of our cost structure to identify expense savings in 2014," McClymont explained, adding he expects direct costs as a percentage of net auction sales to fall in 2014, along with material savings coming from reduced discretionary spending.

Sotheby's is one of the major players in the world of luxury, and the only big auction house to trade in public markets.  The company has been in the eye of the storm after Dan Loeb built a considerable position in Sotheby's, and then went on to publicly blast management for excessive compensation, consecutive perks, and a lack of strategy.   Loeb has even called for chief executive Ruprecht's resignation, and noted he would be glad to take on a board seat and help with the search for a new CEO.

Shares in Sotheby's, though, have had a pretty good 2013, rallying nearly 50% thus far.  It has been one of the best performers in the luxury goods sector, alongside Michael Kors, leaving names like Tiffany's, Coach Coach, Tumi, and Bernard Arnault's LVMH in the dust.

Investors appeared initially pleased with Sotheby's third quarter financial performance.  In post-market trading, the stock gained 2.3% to $51.04 by 4:37 PM in New York.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now

It's been a pretty good year for my portfolio for two particular reasons: The stock market rally has been practically unstoppable, and I've remained diversified throughout the past couple of years, which has certainly helped spread around my risk and reward.

One area, though, that has been a chronic underperformer for upwards of the past year has been mining stocks. It really doesn't matter where you look: gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, molybdenum, and coal -- all down across the board. You'd think that a growing U.S. economy and improving global outlook would help these mined metals and commodities from a demand perspective, but that just hasn't been the case. Gold and silver are both in bear market territory, while coal has had trouble gaining traction next to cheap natural gas prices.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Partner Communications Company Ltd.(PTNR)

Partner Communications Company Ltd. provides various telecommunications services in Israel. It offers cellular telephony services on GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA networks. The company also provides basic services, including domestic mobile calls, international dialing, roaming, voice mail, short message services, intelligent network services, content based on its cellular portal, data and fax transmission, and other services. In addition, it offers Internet services provider services that provides access to the Internet, as well as home WiFi networks; value added services, such as anti-virus and anti-spam filtering; and transmission services; and Web video on demand services, music tracks, and games. Further, the company provides voice over broadband and primary rate interface fixed-line telephone services; and data capacity services. Additionally, it offers content services comprising voice mail, text, and multimedia messaging, as well as downloadable wireless data application s, including ring tones, music, games, and other informational content; and sells handsets, phones, routers, and related equipment. The company markets its products through its sales centers, business sales representatives, traditional networks of specialized dealers, and non-traditional networks of retail chains and stores under the Orange brand name. Partner Communications Company Ltd. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Rosh Ha-ayin, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another under-$10 wireless telecom player that's starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Partner Communications (PTNR), a telecommunications company, provides cellular and fixed-line telecommunication services in Israel. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up sharply by 29%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Partner Communications, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways for the last month, with shares moving between $7.28 on the downside and $7.96 on the upside. Shares of PTRN are bucking the overall market weakness today as the stock starts to move within range of triggering a breakout trade above the upper-end of its sideways trading chart pattern.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in PTNR if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $7.80 to $7.85 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $7.96 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average volume of 107,303 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PTNR will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $10 to $12.20 a share.

  Traders can look to buy PTNR off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $7.38 to $7.28, or below its 50-day at $6.97 a share. One can also buy PTNR off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: WebMediaBrands Inc(WEBM)

WebMediaBrands Inc., an Internet media company, provides content, education, and career services to media and creative professionals through a portfolio of vertical online properties, communities, and trade shows. The company operates mediabistro.com, a blog network that provides content, education, community, and career resources about media industry verticals, including new media, social media, Facebook, TV news, sports news, advertising, public relations, publishing, design, mobile, and the semantic Web. Its mediabistro.com also includes a job board for media and business professionals focusing on various job categories, such as social media, online/new media, publishing, public relations/marketing, advertising, sales, design, and television. The company also operates a network of online properties, including AdsoftheWorld, DynamicGraphics, LiquidTreat, BrandsoftheWorld, Graphics.com, StepInsideDesign, Creativebits, and GraphicsDesignForum that provide content, educatio n, community, career, and other resources for creative and design professionals. In addition, it offers community, membership, and e-commerce offerings comprising a freelance listing service, a marketplace for designing and purchasing logos, and premium membership services. Further, the company provides online and in-person courses, panels, certificate programs, and video subscription libraries for media and creative professionals. Additionally, it organizes various trade shows that include Semantic Technology Conference, Monetizing Social Media, Social Media Optimization Conference, Social Gaming Summit, and Virtual Goods Summit. The company was formerly known as Jupitermedia Corporation and changed its name to WebMediaBrands Inc. in February 2009. WebMediaBrands Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in New York, New York.

Top 5 Clean Energy Companies For 2014: Sirius XM Radio Inc.(SIRI)

Sirius XM Radio Inc. provides satellite radio services in the United States and Canada. It broadcasts a programming lineup of approximately 135 channels of commercial-free music, sports, news and information, talk and entertainment, traffic, and weather on subscription fee basis through two satellite radio systems in the United States; and holds an interest in the satellite radio services offered in Canada. The company also simulcasts music and selected non-music channels over the Internet; and offers applications to allow consumers to access its Internet services on mobile devices. As of December 31, 2010, it had 20,190,964 subscribers. In addition, the company designs, establishes specifications, sources or specifies parts and components, and manages various aspects of the logistics and production of satellite radios; licenses its technology to various electronics manufacturers to develop, manufacture, and distribute radios under various brands; and imports radios distri buted through its Websites. The company?s satellite radios are primarily distributed through automakers, retailers, and its Websites. Further, it provides music services for commercial establishments; a satellite television service to offer music channels as part of certain programming packages on the DISH Network satellite television service; music and comedy channels to mobile phone users through mobile phone carriers; Backseat TV, a service offering television content designed primarily for children in the backseat of vehicles; Travel Link, a suite of data services that include graphical weather, fuel prices, sports schedules and scores, and movie listings; and real-time traffic and weather services. The company was formerly known as Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and changed its name to Sirius XM Radio Inc. in August 2008. Sirius XM Radio Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  Sirius will benefit in the near term from increased auto sales, a strong product line, and high barriers to entry in the satellite radio industry. Long term, Sirius could face competition from Pandora (NASDAQ:P) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), as they will be able to offer in-car radio services at a cheaper price than Sirius. Additional downside risk to Sirius comes from Liberty Media, which holds a 51 percent stake in the company. Liberty plans on increasing Sirius�� debt level, which will increase risk to shareholders. However, this is not likely to impact Sirius��core business. While Sirius has generated stable revenue growth, there are some potential risks to its future profitability. Auto sales are likely to slow by next year and competition in the satellite radio industry will only intensify. For now, Sirius is a WAIT AND SEE.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Emerson Electric Co. operates as a diversified manufacturing and technology company. The company engages in appliance solutions, climate technologies, industrial automation, motor technology, network power, process management, professional tools, and storage solutions businesses. Its appliance solutions business provides appliance controls, appliance motors, heating products, and white-rodgers; climate technology business provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) solutions for residential, industrial, and commercial applications; and industrial automation business offers bearings and power transmission products, electrical power generation products, electric motors, variable speed drives and servos, electrical products, material joining solutions, fluid automation products, and wind turbine systems. The company?s motor technology business provides appliance motors, HVACR motors, DC motors, fractional horsepower motors, integral horsepower a nd larger motors, and drives; network power business provides power, precision cooling, connectivity, and embedded solutions; and process management business provides various wireless related products from self-organizing field networks to wireless asset and people tracking. Its professional tools business offers pipe working and threading equipment, pressing technology, utility locating and visual diagnostics systems, drain maintenance tools, power tools, air tools, general purpose hand tools, wet/dry vacs, job site storage equipment, truck tool boxes and equipment, and van storage equipment; and storage solutions business provides shelving and storage products for residential, commercial, and foodservice needs, as well as offers specialized carts, mobile computer workstations, and cabinet fixtures. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  Actually, there are several companies on these lists that qualified for either or both of my favorites lists. For example, Aflac (AFL) and or Emerson Electric (EMR) could easily be on both lists. My point is that I feel the reader should give the same consideration to each of these names as they would the two top 10 lists. To be clear, selecting the top 10 was difficult and therefore to a great extent subjective on my part. My method was to simply run a F.A.S.T. Graphs��on each Dividend Champion with above-average total return calculations. Then my lists were created by picking and choosing those companies that from my review looked best based on value, earnings and safety.

• [By Vanin Aegea]

  The electronic components industry is one of the many industries hit by the economic recession. Growth for the short- and mid-term is very well limited by smaller disposable incomes. With a recovering economy, and the introduction of new technologies during the last decade, prospects for Emerson Electric (EMR) and Corning (GLW) defy a weak environment. Whether profits are on the way is the subject at hand. Let�� take a closer look.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: S&P Smallcap 600(PH)

Parker Hannifin Corporation manufactures fluid power systems, electromechanical controls, and related components worldwide. Its Industrial segment offers pneumatic and electromechanical components, and systems; filters, systems, and instruments to monitor and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors that control, transmit, and contain fluid; hydraulic components and systems for builders and users of industrial and mobile machinery and equipment; critical flow components for process instrumentation, healthcare, and ultra-high-purity applications; and static and dynamic sealing devices. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their replacement markets in the manufacturing, transportation, and processing industries. The company?s Aerospace segment provides flight control systems and components, including hydraulic, electrohydraulic, electric backup hydraulic, electrohydrostatic, and electro -mechanical components for precise control of aircraft rudders, elevators, ailerons, and other aerodynamic control surfaces. It also provides electronics thermal management heat rejection systems, and single-phase and two-phase heat collection systems for radar, ISAR, and power electronics. This segment markets its products primarily to OEMs in the commercial, military, and general aviation markets, as well as to end users. Its Climate and Industrial Controls segment offers systems and components primarily for use in the mobile and stationary refrigeration, and air conditioning industry; and in fluid control applications in various industries, such as processing, fuel dispensing, beverage dispensing, and mobile emissions. This segment serves OEMs and their replacement markets. Parker-Hannifin Corporation markets its products through direct-sales employees, independent distributors, wholesalers, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered i n Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Motion and control systems manufacturer Parker-Hannifin (PH) raised its quarterly dividend 4.6% to 45 cents per share, payable on Dec. 6 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 8. The increase marks the 57th consecutive annual dividend increase.
  PH Dividend Yield:�1.55%

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cowen Group Inc.(COWN)

Cowen Group, Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides alternative investment management, investment banking, research, and sales and trading services for its clients. It manages separate client focused portfolio through its subsidiaries. Through its subsidiaries, the firm invests in equity and fixed income markets. It also invests in alternative investments markets through its subsidiaries. Cowen Group, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in New York, New York with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Cleveland, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, and San Francisco, California.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Advance Auto Parts Inc(AAP)

Advance Auto Parts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items. It operates in two segments, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and Autopart International (AI). The AAP segment operates stores, which primarily offer auto parts, including alternators, batteries, chassis parts, clutches, engines and engine parts, radiators, starters, transmissions, and water pumps; accessories comprising floor mats, mirrors, vent shades, MP3 and cell phone accessories, and seat and steering wheel covers; chemicals consisting of antifreeze, freon, fuel additives, and car washes and waxes; and oil and other automotive petroleum products. This segment also provides battery and wiper installation, battery charging, check engine light reading, electrical system testing, video clinics and project brochures, loaner tool programs, and oil and battery recycling services; and sells its products through online. The AI segm ent operates stores that offer replacement parts for domestic and imported cars, and light trucks to customers in northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, as well as to warehouse distributors and jobbers in North America. As of January 1, 2011, the company operated 3,369 AAP stores, including 3,343 stores located in the northeastern, southeastern, and Midwestern regions of the United States under the Advance Auto Parts and Advance Discount Auto Parts trade names; 26 stores situated in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the Advance Auto Parts and Western Auto trade names; and 194 stores under the Autopart International trade name in the United States. It serves do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me, or commercial customers. The company was founded in 1929 and is based in Roanoke, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Investors really like Advance Auto Parts (AAP) deal to buy a chain of repair shops–so much so that a stock that finished yesterday in the low 80s is now trading in the mid-90s.

  Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

  Reuters has the details on the deal:

  Advance Auto Parts Inc will buy 1,418 outlets of the Carquest chain to boost its auto repair operations to complement its car parts business, sending its shares up as much as 20 percent to a record high.

  Advance Auto, which sells products such as batteries, air fresheners and engine parts, said it would buy General Parts International Inc for just over $2 billion, creating the largest North American retailer of auto parts.

  General Parts is the biggest operator of the Carquest chain, which runs auto repair shops and car parts stores. General Parts also owns Worldpac, the No.1 supplier of replacement parts for imported car and truck brands.

  Reuters notes that the finished product will be the largest supplier of auto parts by sales, just beating out Autozone (AZN).

  Credit Suisse analyst Simeon Gutman and team call the deal a “smart strategic acquisition.” They write:

  The acquisition would solve two important issues for AAP. First, it has struggled in the DIFM segment, primarily due to a weaker and less accessible distribution network. General Parts has one of the most established distribution networks in the country (~40 DCs vs. AAP’s 10) and long standing relationships with mechanics nationwide. More importantly, WORLDPAC (estimated $1 billion in sales) is the leader in foreign parts with AAP owning the number three player and we see synergies from AI flooding into WORLDPAC.

  A meaningfully positive aspect of the transaction is targeted annual cost savings of roughly $160 million within three years (~6.1% of acquired sales). This seems relatively consistent with previous DIY Auto deals. The deal is expected to be 20%+ accretive to FY 14 ca

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Mattel Inc.(MAT), Stanley Black & Decker Inc.(SWK) and Advance Auto Parts Inc.(AAP)

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: TranSwitch Corporation(TXCC)

Transwitch Corporation designs, develops, and supplies semiconductor and intellectual property solutions for voice, data, and video communications equipment. The company provides integrated multi-core network processor system-on-a-chip (SoC) and software solutions for fixed, 3G and 4G mobile, VoIP, and multimedia infrastructures. It offers converged network infrastructure products, including infrastructure VoIP processors comprising Entropia series of processors for wire-line and wireless carrier equipment; EoS/EoPDH mappers and framers for formats and data speeds in the access portion of the network; tributary switches that enable traffic to be switched or re-arranged; and carrier Ethernet solutions consisting of Ethernet controllers and switches, as well as circuit emulation and clock recovery devices. The company also provides FTTx protocol processors, such as mustang, a system-on-chip solution for EPON optical network unit equipment; COLT processor, a system-on-chip so lution for the optical line terminator equipment; and Diplomat-ONT product, an integrated SoC solution for GPON ONU applications, as well as access VoIP processors and access controllers. In addition, it offers broadband customer premises equipment, including multi-service communications processors comprising Atlanta processor, a multi-service SoC for customer premises equipment that supports toll-quality telephone voice, fax, and routing functionality; and HDMI, displayport, HDP, and Ethernet IP cores for consumer electronics, home network equipment, and industrial and automotive applications. The company serves public network systems OEMs, WAN and LAN equipment OEMs, Internet-oriented OEMs, and communications test and performance measurement equipment OEMs, as well as government, university, and private laboratories. It sells its products through direct sales force, independent distributors, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: USG Corporation(USG)

USG Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of building materials worldwide. The company offers gypsum and related products, including gypsum wallboard, joint compounds used for finishing wallboard joints, cement boards, glass mat sheathing, gypsum fiber panels, poured gypsum underlayments, ultra light panels, and various construction plaster products. Its gypsum products are used in various building applications to finish the interior walls, ceilings, and floors in residential, commercial, and institutional constructions, and repair and remodel constructions. The company also produces gypsum-based products for agricultural and industrial customers to use in various applications, including soil conditioning, road repair, fireproofing, and ceramics. In addition, it manufactures ceiling grid and acoustical ceiling tile for electrical and mechanical systems, and air distribution and maintenance applications. USG Corporation distribut es its gypsum products through specialty wallboard distributors, building materials dealers, home improvement centers and other retailers, contractors, and a network of distributors. Further, it distributes other manufacturers? gypsum wallboard, joint compound and other gypsum products, as well as drywall metal, insulation, and roofing products and accessories. The company sells its products under SHEETROCK, DUROCK, FIBEROCK, SECUROCK, LEVELROCK, RED TOP, IMPERIAL, DIAMOND, SUPREMO, AURATONE, ACOUSTONE, DONN, DX, FINELINE, CENTRICITEE, CURVATURA, and COMPASSO brands. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  She also serves as chairman of the United States Steel and Carnegie Pension Fund, and on that organization's investment committee. Outside of U.S. Steel, she sits on the board of directors of USG (NYSE: USG  ) and the Pennsylvania Business Council, among other entities.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  USG (NYSE: USG  ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ur Energy Inc(URG)

Ur-Energy Inc., an exploration stage junior mining company, engages in the identification, acquisition, evaluation, exploration, and development of uranium mineral properties. The company has 13 projects located in Wyoming and Nebraska, the United States; and 3 exploration projects located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada. Its landholdings cover approximately 90,000 acres in the United States and approximately 140,000 acres in Canada. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The Energy Report]

  DS: Two of our top picks are Cameco Corp. (CCJ) and Ur-Energy Inc. (URG). For Cameco, we've got a $25/share target and an outperform rating. This company is the industry's go-to, the blue chip uranium company. It's organically growing very low-cost operations, which are for the most part in very safe jurisdictions. It has a lower-risk approach to contracts, with a targeted pricing mix of about 40% fixed-pricing and 60% market-related pricing in the contract book. The company's got a solid balance sheet. We think it's going to end Q3/13 with about $800M in working capital and another $2 billion [$2B] in undrawn lines of credit. It's also diversified across the nuclear fuel chain, with exposure not only to its core uranium mining business but also with nuclear fuel services, like conversion and fuel fabrication. It's got a stake in the Bruce nuclear power plant as well as a newly bolted-on uranium trading business, so it's quite diversified. On top of that, Cameco pays a 2% dividend. We think it offers a very attractive risk/reward proposition at these levels.