Asian stocks pared declines, with Japanese shares reversing losses, after the Bank of Japan (8301) expanded its stimulus program in its first policy decision under new governor Haruhiko Kuroda.
Toyota Motor Corp., the world�� largest carmaker, advanced 2.8 percent, reversing an earlier drop, as the yen weakened against the dollar and Japanese government bonds rose. Mitsubishi Estate Co. (TPREAL) surged 7.2 percent in Tokyo, leading gains among property firms. BHP Billiton Ltd., the world�� No. 1 miner, retreated 1.5 percent in Sydney as copper sank to the lowest price since August.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) slid 0.6 percent to 134.11 as of 6:05 p.m. in Tokyo, paring a loss of as much as 1.1 percent. Japan�� Topix Index reversed declines of as much as 2 percent to close 2.7 percent higher after the central bank said it will double monthly bond purchases in a bid to reach 2 percent inflation in two years. Markets in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are closed today for a holiday.
10 Best Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: M/I Homes Inc. (MHO)
M/I Homes, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, primarily operates as a builder of single-family homes in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. The Homebuilding segment designs, constructs, markets, and sells single-family homes, attached townhomes, and condominiums to first-time, move-up, empty-nester, and luxury buyers in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and southern regions. It markets its finished homes through company-employed sales consultants under the M/I Homes, Showcase Homes, and TriStone Homes trade names. This segment also purchases undeveloped land to develop into finished lots for the construction of single-family homes and for sale to others. As of December 31, 2011, it had 3,041 developed lots and 625 lots under development in inventory, as well as owned raw land expected to be developed into approximately 3,491 lots. The Financial Services segment is involved in originating and selling mortgages, and colle cting fees for title insurance and closing services. This segment serves as a title insurance agent by providing title insurance policies, and examination and closing services to purchasers of its homes. M/I Homes, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By The Oxen Group]
According to home construction news site Builderonline.com, MDC ranks 11th in terms of total number of home closings for the year 2012. Out of the top 10 competitors, MDC has the lowest PEG value, followed by Ryland Group (RYL) and Meritage Homes (MTH) with 0.23 and 0.6, respectively. The current pe ratio is lowest for the company followed by Ryland Group with 7.4 and Meritage Homes (MHO) with 11. In terms of forward pe, the top ten competitors have values in the 10-14 range. Putting numbers in perspective, relative to its competitors we believe that MDC presents a better value for investors looking to take advantage of the real estate market rebound.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Joe Raedle/Getty Images U.S. homebuilders' confidence in the housing market surged this month to the highest level since January, reflecting a pickup in sales of new homes and heightened expectations for sales the second half of the year. The brighter sales outlook suggests home construction could pick up in coming months after a sluggish start this year. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Wednesday rose this month to 53, up four points from a revised reading of 49 in June. Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor. The latest reading is the first above 50 since January, when it was 56. Builders' view of current sales conditions for single-family homes, their outlook for sales over the next six months and traffic by prospective buyers each increased since June. Higher mortgage rates and the bad weather weighed on home sales in late 2013 and early this year. Harsh winter weather also contributed to a sluggish start to this year's spring home-selling season. But sales of new homes have picked up in recent months. New home sales jumped 18.6 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,000, the highest level in six years. That followed a 3.7 percent increase in April. The gains came after declines in February and March. Even with the big overall gain, sales of new homes are still running at just about half the pace of a healthy real estate market. Still, the recent pickup in sales suggests that the housing recovery may be regaining its footing after slowing earlier this year. Economists say there is significant pent-up demand for homes as many potential buyers put off purchases over the past few years because of concerns about the economy. Solid job gains this year also bode well for housing. Employers added 288,000 jobs last month, the fifth straight month of gains above 200,000. The national unemployment rate has slid to 6.1 percent, a
Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Internet Initiative Japan Inc.(IIJI)
Internet Initiative Japan Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides Internet connectivity, WAN, outsourcing, and systems integration services to customers primarily in Japan. Its Internet connectivity services include services for corporate use, such as IP services and data center connectivity services, broadband Internet connectivity services, dial-up access services, IIJ mobile services, and IIJ ISDN/F and IIJ line management/F services; and connectivity services for home use consisting of IIJ4U, IIJmio, and hi-ho. The company?s outsourcing services comprise security-related outsourcing services that protect customer network systems from unauthorized access and secure remote connections to internal networks; network-related outsourcing services, such as Internet-virtual private network, and router rental; server-related outsourcing services, including Web hosting, e-mail hosting, document storage, and streaming; data center-related outsourcing services consisting o f data center facility, and management and monitoring; and customer support and help desk solutions, and IP phone services. It also provides systems integration services, which include consulting, project planning, systems design, and development of network systems, primarily focusing on Internet business systems, and Intranet and Extranet corporate information systems; and systems operation and maintenance services. In addition, the company sells network-related equipment, as well as provides automated teller machine (ATM) services. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 9 points of presence (POPs) for dedicated access and 1 POP for nationwide dial-up access. The company also operates approximately 280 ATMs and 16 Internet data centers. Internet Initiative Japan Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Thursday, telecommunications services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.83 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Internet Initiative Japan (NASDAQ: IIJI), with shares up 9.5 percent, and RRSat Global Communications Network (NASDAQ: RRST), with shares up 4.9 percent. - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Telecommunications services sector was the leading decliner in the US market today. Top decliners in the sector included Internet Initiative Japan (NASDAQ: IIJI), off 3.7 percent, and BT Group plc (NYSE: BT), down around 2.7 percent.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Thursday morning, the telecommunications services sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from ARC Group Worldwide (NASDAQ: ARCW) and Internet Initiative Japan (NASDAQ: IIJI). In trading on Thursday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.43 percent.
Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Regal Entertainment Group(RGC)
Regal Entertainment Group, through its subsidiaries, operates a theatre circuit in the United States. The company develops, acquires, and operates multi-screen theatres primarily in mid-sized metropolitan markets and suburban growth areas of larger metropolitan markets under the Regal Cinemas, United Artists, and Edwards brand names. As of February 13, 2012, it operated 6,614 screens in 527 theatres in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Regal Entertainment Group was founded in 2002 and is based in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jeremy Bowman]
The three major movie theater companies. AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC ) , Cinemark Holdings (NYSE: CNK ) , and Regal Entertainment� (NYSE: RGC ) are still solidly profitable, but revenues have declined along with ticket sales over the last year, as the chart below shows.
- [By John Udovich]
The shares of small cap IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) have slipped more than 10% this week on growth concerns - meaning it might be a good idea to take a closer look at the stock plus its performance�verses other cinema stocks like Carmike Cinemas, Inc (NASDAQ: CKEC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) along with the PowerShares Dynamic Leisure & Entertainment ETF�(NYSEARCA: PEJ).
- [By Rich Smith]
Alamy Barely a year has passed since Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group completed its $2.6 billion purchase of U.S.-based movie theater chain AMC Entertainment. In one fell swoop, that deal made it the world's biggest cinema operator -- with 432 theaters. Now, 15 months later, Wanda is ready to turn around and IPO AMC on the U.S. stock market -- and great news! They want to let you in on the deal. From Stubs-Member to Stockholder AMC operates a customer loyalty program that it calls "Stubs." Participants in this program pay a $12 annual membership fee. In return, they get benefits such as: $10 in movie theater credit for every $100 they spend at the theaters free upgrades on concessions in the lobby and a waiver of fees for buying tickets online. The prospect of "making your money back" after seeing just two films a year probably makes the program worthwhile all on its own. But this week, AMC added another bonus to the fringe benefits of its Stubs program: Loyal customers now get a chance to buy shares of AMC's stock on the cheap. Technically, AMC says the stock program is for its "employees," but as CEO Gerry Lopez explained : "We're offering this exclusive employee benefit to our AMC Stubs members to express our sincere gratitude for your loyalty." The Details According to the pitch, anyone who's a member of Stubs will be allowed to buy as little as $100 to as much as $2,500 worth of AMC shares at the IPO price, commission-free, by using the free online broker Loyal3. AMC currently plans to price the shares between $18 and $20. This could prove to be a very valuable fringe benefit, as it will give Stubs members a rare opportunity to "get in" on an IPO at the offer price, and to profit from any immediate jump in AMC's share price in the first minutes and hours after the stock begins trading. But there are caveats. First and foremost, there's absolutely no guarantee that AMC shares will go up in price at all, much less skyrocket. Indeed, a 2011 stu
- [By Jayson Derrick]
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) disclosed that it is exploring a potential sale of itself. Shares gained 3.75 percent, closing at $21.28.
IBM (NYSE: IBM) said it will add $5 billion to its current share buyback plan, bringing the total authorization to $6.4 billion. Shares gained 1.07 percent, closing at $163.60.
Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Assa Abloy AB (ASAZY.PK)
Assa Abloy AB is a Sweden-based company engaged in the secure door opening solutions. It is organized into five divisions: Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), North and South America (Americas), Asia, Australia and New Zealand (Asia Pacific), Global Technologies and Entrance Systems. The EMEA, Americas and Asia Pacific divisions manufacture mechanical and electromechanical locks, security doors and hardware in their respective geographical markets. The Global Technologies division operates in the product areas of access control systems, secure card issuance, identification technology and hotel locks. The Entrance Systems division is a supplier of entrance automation products and services. The Company�� subsidiaries include ASSA Sverige AB, Timelox AB and ABLOY Holdings Ltd., among others. In November 2013, it acquired Ameristar Fence Products Inc, a manufacturer of ornamental fences and gates. In January 2014, it acquired IdenTrust. In February 2014, it acquired Lumidigm. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Weighing Machine]
Domiciled in Sweden, Assa Abloy (ASAZY.PK) is the largest lock maker in the world with a global market share of nearly 12%. While the construction market has been difficult since the financial crisis, Assa has continued to increase revenue and operating profit every year since 2010 and is on track to do so again in 2013. While commercial construction has been subdued, the aftermarket (which represents ~70% of the total lock market) is driven by changes in tenancy, renovation, and extensions have not been very cyclical and provides the company with a steady stream of profits. Assa has been cobbled together through 150+ acquisitions since the early 1990s and while management has done a good job of rationalizing facilities, there remain opportunities to increase manufacturing efficiencies. Similarly, the company's back office is still running dozens of IT systems (as a result of acquisitions) but management plans to consolidate these over the next few years. Further, Assa remains an active consolidator of the locks industry - it should be able to add 5% per year to sales via acquisitions (as an aside, those interested in micro-caps should have a look at Securidev in France which trades at less than half the private market value Assa has paid for lock makers on average over the past decade). Having the highest margins in the industry, Assa is able to achieve significant synergies on acquired businesses and earn good returns on capital for its shareholders through M&A. Thus even in a difficult economy, we expect Assa will continue to grow its operating profit given its steady after market revenue, opportunity to improve results through cost cutting, and through value accretive M&A. While its shares are not cheap, at 19x earnings, shares could offer investors with a five year holding period and an 8-10% annualized return.
Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Volvo AB (VOLVY)
AB Volvo is a supplier of commercial transport solutions providing products, such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, engines and drive systems for boats and industrial applications, as well as aircraft engine components. The Company also offers its customers financial solutions. The Company operates in six segments: Trucks, Buses, Construction Equipment, Volvo Penta, Volvo Aero and Financial Services. The business units include Volvo 3P, Volvo Powertrain, Volvo Parts, Volvo Logistics, Volvo Business Services, Volvo Information Technology (IT), Volvo Real Estate and Volvo Technology. During the year ended December 31, 2009, AB Volvo acquired all shares in Volvo Logistics AB from Fortos Ventures AB. In April 2014, the Company announced that it has completed the sale of commercial real estate. In June 2014, the Company acquired Terex's hauler business.
The Company�� truck operations consist of Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, UD Trucks, Mack Trucks and VE Commercial Vehicles (50%) in India. The product offer stretches from heavy-duty trucks for long-haulage and construction work to light-duty trucks for distribution. Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, UD Trucks, Mack Trucks and Eicher offer customers a range of products and services for transports.
The Buses has a product range consisting of city and intercity buses, coaches and chassis. Volvo Buses��product line includes complete buses and bus chassis for city, intercity and coach traffic. The Company has a total offering that, in addition to buses, includes a service network, spare parts handling, service and repair contracts, financial services and traffic information systems.
The Company�� construction equipment manufactures equipment for construction applications and related industries. Volvo Construction Equipment develops, manufactures and markets equipment for construction and related industries. Its products include a range of wheel loaders, hydraulic wheeled and crawler excavators, articulated haule! rs, road machinery and a range of compact equipment.
The Company�� Volvo Penta offers engines and drives systems for leisure and commercial boats and for industrial applications, such as gensets and materials handling. Volvo Penta manufactures engines and drive systems for marine applications, for both leisure and commercial craft, with an engine range of 10 to 1,200 horse power and has a global service network with approximately 5,000 dealers. Volvo Penta also supplies industrial engines ranging from 75 kilowatts to 600 kilowatts for irrigation pumps, generator units and other application areas.
The Company�� Volvo aero offers advanced components for aircraft engines and space applications with a focus on lightweight technology for reduced fuel consumption. Volvo Aero specializes in a number of highly advanced components for aircraft engines and space rockets.
The Company�� financial services segment conducts operations in customer and dealer financing. It offers financial services, such as customer and dealer financing and other Services, such as insurance contribute to create customer value. It provides financing solutions and other services in retaining customers and attracting new ones to the Company.
The Company competes with Daimler, Paccar, Navistar, MAN, Scania, Caterpillar, Komatsu, Cummins and Brunswick.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jason Hall]
However, there are a couple of bright spots out there. First, sales of Westport's 12 liter ISX12 G, being co-built with�Cummins� (NYSE: CMI ) , are on track to meet targets for 2014 according to a number of industry experts. Sales of natural gas trucks in 2014 are expected to have grown 27% this year versus 2013. Also, part of the delay in bringing HPDI to market is Westport's shift to HPDI 2.0, and the adoption of HPDI 2.0 by development partners like�AB Volvo� (NASDAQOTH: VOLVY ) . The injector components are expected to be manufactured in Westport's venture with�Delphi Automotive� (NYSE: DLPH ) , and the costs will be less than earlier versions, helping natural gas engines be more cost-competitive with diesel.�
- [By Rich Smith]
The Department of Defense awarded Sweden's Volvo AB (NASDAQOTH: VOLVY ) -- or more specifically, Volvo's Mack Trucks subsidiary -- a $177.5 million contract Friday for the purchase of tractor trailers.
Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (PDT)
John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II (the Fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is to provide high current income together with capital growth. The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of dividend-paying preferred and common stocks. It invests at least 80% of its net assets in dividend-paying securities. The Fund will normally invest more than 65% of its total assets in securities of companies in the utilities industry. Preferred stocks and debt obligations in which the Fund invests are rated investment grade (at least BBB by Standard & Poor�� or Baa by Moody�� Investors Service) at the time of investment, or will be preferred stocks of issuers of investment-grade senior debt, or if not rated, will be of comparable quality as determined by the Fund�� investment advisor. The Fund will invest in common stocks of issuers, whose senior debt is rated investment grade, or in the case of issuers that have no rated senior debt outstanding, whose senior debt is considered by its advisor to be of comparable quality. Its portfolio includes common stocks, preferred securities and short-term investments.
In May 2007, the Fund completed the acquisition of John Hancock Patriot Preferred Dividend Fund. In June 2007, the Fund acquired Hancock John Patriot Global Dividend Fund and John Hancock Patriot Premium Div Fund I. On October 10, 2007, the Fund completed the acquisition of John Hancock Patriot Select Dividend Trust Fund.
The Fund invests in industries, such as multi-utilities, electric utilities, investment banking and brokerage, other diversified financial services, oil and gas exploration and production, gas utilities, consumer finance, life and health insurance, and integrated telecommunication services. John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II�� investment advisor is John Hancock Advisers, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Manulife Fina! ncial Corporation. The Fund�� sub-advisor is MFC Global Investment Management (U.S.), LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ari Charney]
John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (PDT) tends to allocate roughly 30% to 40% of the portfolio to equities and 60% to 70% to preferred stock, with the utilities and financial sectors as its main focus.
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