For years, central banks have been the key to success in the stock market, and today's 127-point rise in the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) owes much to the European Central Bank's actions today. By reducing a key interest rate by a quarter-percentage point to 0.5%, the ECB joined the Fed, the Bank of Japan, and other central banks around the world in pushing the pedal to the metal to try to stimulate the global economy. Moreover, the U.S. saw good news on the employment front, as jobless claims fell to their lowest levels in five years, and the trade deficit narrowed.
Despite the positive news, a couple of Dow stocks posted declines. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) lost 0.6%, pulling back from its highest levels in more than a decade. Ongoing worries about where the beverage giant will find new growth have lingered for a while, but if strength in emerging markets returns, then Coke stands to be among the biggest beneficiaries. Still, if a stimulus-led bull market resumes in earnest, then stocks that investors traditionally look to as defensive plays, such as Coca-Cola, could lag behind more economically sensitive companies.
Top Penny Companies For 2015: Lean Hogs (HE)
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in electric utility and banking businesses primarily in Hawaii. The company is involved in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, sugarcane waste, municipal waste, and other biofuels, as well as from fuel oil. It distributes and sells electricity on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai; and serves suburban communities, resorts, the United States armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. As of December 31, 2011, the company had net generating and firm purchased capability of 2,326.9 megawatts. It also engages in providing banking and other financial services, such as accepting savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit; and providing loans comprising residential and commercial real es tate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans to consumers and business. The company operated 57 branches and 119 automated teller machines. Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Utilities shares dropped by 0.31 percent in the US market today. Among the sector stocks, Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE: HE) was down more than 2.9 percent, while Edison International (NYSE: EIX) tumbled around 1.4 percent.
Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: IntriCon Corporation(IIN)
IntriCon Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, engineering, and manufacture of body-worn devices. It offers microelectronics, micro-mechanical assemblies, and injection-molded plastic components to medical device manufacturers of portable and lightweight battery powered devices; bio-telemetry devices, which include wireless continuous glucose monitors that measure glucose levels and provide real-time blood glucose trend information; and cardiac diagnostic monitoring devices. The company also provides bubble sensors and flow restrictors that monitor and control the flow of fluid in an intravenous infusion system; and a family of safety needle products for original equipment manufacturing customers. In addition, it offers hybrid amplifiers and integrated circuit components along with faceplates for use in-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing instruments; and microminiature electromechanical components consisting of volume controls, microphone s, receivers, trimmer potentiometers, and switches to hearing instrument manufacturers. Further, the company provides professional audio headset products used for homeland security and emergency response applications in fire, law enforcement, safety, aviation, and military markets; and a line of miniature ear and head-worn devices for use by performers and support staff in music and stage performance markets. It markets its products directly through its internal sales force in the United States, as well as through sales representative primarily in Europe and the Asian Pacific. IntriCon Corporation has strategic alliances with Dynamic Hearing Pty Ltd. to use its technology for the development of new body-worn ULP-DSP applications; and Advanced Medical Electronics Corp. to develop new bio-telemetry devices. The company, formerly known as Selas Corporation of America, was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Arden Hills, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Intricon (NASDAQ: IIN) shares gained 33.98% to touch a new 52-week high of $6.23 after the company reported Q1 results.
Abraxas Petroleum (NASDAQ: AXAS) shares gained 2.19% to reach a new 52-week high of $5.60. Abraxas Petroleum shares have jumped 154.88% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 18.57% in the same period.
Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SK3 Group Inc (SKTO)
SK3 Group, Inc. (SK3), formerly CTT International Distributors Inc., is a development-stage company. The Company was formed by the merger of Slabsdirect.com, Inc. and CTT International Distributors Inc. SK3 has one subsidiary, CTT Distributors Ltd., which is the operating company. SK3 is in the e-commerce business and provides non-branded computer and electronic merchandise at discount prices to the Internet consumer through its Website www.cheaperthanthem.com. The Website is hosted by Ezyra E-Business Services, an unrelated party, which charges SK3 an annual fee to host the Website. In December 2009, Healthcare of Today, Inc. acquired controlling interest in the Company. In December 2009, the Company acquired NuvoDigital Technology, Inc., a data security technology firm based in Salt Lake City. In addition, in December 2009, the Company's parent company Healthcare of Today, Inc. acquired Xenotis Pty Ltd. In February 2011, the Company acquired PRN Registry. In March 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of HealthStaff Training Institute. In March 2011, the Company acquired W&M Medical Management, Inc. Effective March 14, 2013, the Company acquired Medical Greens, a provider of medical logistics services.
SK3 has a direct business, in which it buys and takes possession of excess electronic and computer inventory for resale (Direct Business). In addition, SK3 has a fulfillment partner business, in which SK3 facilitates the sale of merchandise of other retailers, cataloguers or manufacturers (Fulfillment Associates) through the Website (Fulfillment Business). For both the direct business and fulfillment business, SK3 has developed a consumer and a wholesaler sales channel.
SK3�� Direct Business involves buying and taking possession of inventory for resale. The Company offers moving picture experts group layer-3 audio (MP3) players and a frequency modulation (FM) transmitter accessory for MP3 players on the Website. SK3 seeks to become an online retailer offering non-b! randed electronic and computer merchandise for sale over the Internet. SK3�� Fulfillment Business sells merchandise of Fulfillment Associates through the Website. SK3 manages the orders collected for the Fulfillment Associates through the Website and forwards the orders on to the Fulfillment Associate, who then fills the order. The Fulfillment Associates perform essentially the same operations as a warehouse: order picking and shipping.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
Truth be told, it's not clear if SK3 Group Inc. (OTCMKTS:SKTO) is best described when compared to a name like Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ:CERN), or to a Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:GTIV). The company's got elements of both major industries being represented by CERN and GTIV (home health care, and information technology), with the addition of another budding industry thrown into the mix. One thing IS clear though... SKTO shares have decidedly reversed a nasty downtrend, and may now be one of the market's best small cap healthcare speculative trades.
Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Rubicon Technology Inc.(RBCN)
Rubicon Technology, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LED), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics, and other optical applications. The company fabricates its products from the boules and sells them in various categories, including core, as-cut, as-ground, and polished forms in two, three, four, six, and eight inch diameter wafers. It manufactures sapphire substrates and optical windows, including two inch to four inch sapphire cores and wafers for use in LEDs and blue laser diodes for solid state lighting and electronic applications; six-inch polished sapphire wafers that are used in the LED applications and in silicon-on-sapphire RFICs; and eight inch wafers for research and development efforts, as well as sells sapphire products used for windows and lenses in military, aerospace, sensor, and other applications. The company also offers opticall y-polished windows and ground window blanks of sapphire and various fluoride compounds, such as calcium, barium, and magnesium fluoride. Rubicon Technology, Inc. sells its products primarily to wafer polishing companies and semiconductor device manufacturers in Asia, North America, and Europe. The company was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Bensenville, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Rubicon Technology (RBCN), an electronic materials provider, develops, manufactures, and sells monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics, and other optical applications. This stock closed up 4% to $6.12 a share in Thursday's trading session.
Thursday's Range: $5.85-$6.16
52-Week Range: $5.52-$14.67
Thursday's Volume: 322,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 545,912From a technical perspective, RBCN ripped higher here with lighter-than-average volume. This stock recently gapped down sharply from close to $8 to $5.52 with monster downside volume. Following that move, shares of RBCN have started to bounce higher off that $5.52 low and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if RBCN manages to take out Thursday's intraday high of $6.16 to its gap-down-day high of $6.50 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in RBCN as long as it's trending above Thursday's intraday low of $5.85 or above more near-term support at $5.70 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 545,912 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then RBCN will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone that started near $8.
Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.(WPI)
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and distribution of generic and brand pharmaceutical products in the United States, western Europe, Canada, Australasia, Asia, South America, and South Africa. The company offers its products for therapeutic categories, such as central nervous system, cardiovascular, hormones and synthetic substitutes, anti-infective agents, and urology. It operates in three segments: Global Generics, Global Brands, and Distribution. The Global Generics segment develops, manufactures, and sells generic pharmaceutical products, as well as distributes generic versions of third parties? brand products. This segment offers various dosage forms, such as oral solids, transdermals, injectables, inhalation products, and transmucosals for indications, including pregnancy prevention, pain management, depression, hypertension, and smoking cessation. The Global Brands segment pr omotes and co-promotes Rapaflo, Gelnique, Trelstar, Androderm, Crinone, ella, INFeD, Generess, sodium ferric gluconate, AndroGel, and Femring branded products; and markets its products through sales professionals. It also sells various non-promoted products. The Distribution segment distributes generic and select brand pharmaceutical products, vaccines, injectables, and over-the-counter medicines to independent pharmacies, alternate care providers, pharmacy chains, and physicians? offices. The company sells its generic and brand pharmaceutical products primarily to drug wholesalers, retailers, and distributors, including national retail drug and food store chains, hospitals, clinics, mail order, government agencies, and managed healthcare providers, such as health maintenance organizations and other institutions. Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon] n Pharmaceuticals stock has been on a decidedly upward trajectory in the last five years, increasing 108 percent. It became slightly cheaper in 2011, however. Dalio has been trading the stock for years but most recently he bought 314,360 shares at about $65 per share in the fourth quarter of 2011 after the stock had ventured off of its 52-week high of $73.35 it climbed to in the middle of the year.
Watson has a long-term record of profitability and growth, with an 11.9% 10-year revenue per share growth rate and 14.2% 10-year free cash flow per share growth rate.
Though the stock price declined in late 2011, the company in November reported double-digit net revenue and earnings growth. The company also announced that month an exclusive agreement with Pfizer Inc. (PFE) to launch a generic version of Lipitor, the world�� best-selling drug in the history of pharmaceuticals. It also received approval from the FDA to start producing a generic version of the birth control drug Yaz that month, a drug with sales of $173 million in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2011.
In February, Watson announced a full-year 2011 net revenue increase of 29 percent and EPS increase of 39 percent, due in large part to the successful launch of a total of 189 generic products globally for the year. Currently it is using its strong cash position to invest in growth markets, Canada and European operations.
In spite of the good news and increasing its full-year revenue forecast by $100 million to about $5.4 billion, the stock is up just 0.05 percent year to date.
Dalio�� next largest purchase was Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B), and three new buys: BCE Inc. (BCE), The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), and Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU).
Dalio staking over 32 percent of his fund in emerging markets is tantamount to a forecast that emerging markets will outperform from the macro guru. His other top purchases have clear growth prospects. To see more of what Dalio
- [By Louis Navellier]
Actavis Plc is one of the world’s largest generic drugmakers. For the past three decades, this company was known as Watson Pharmaceuticals (WPI), but the company rebranded itself as Actavis in 2013. With a portfolio of over 190 pharmaceutical product families, Actavis has its name on everything from antibiotics to contraceptives to smoking cessation treatments.
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