Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now

PIMCO bond manager Bill Gross is reassuring investors roiled by last week’s choppy markets that stocks and bonds are oversold and investors should stay the course.

In his new monthly investment outlook for July filled with nautical metaphors, the manager of the world’s largest bond fund says the yields reached on bonds in late April plumbed historic depths and needed correction, but the reaction to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s tapering comments went overboard.

As co-captain of the Newport Beach, Calif.-based investment company, Gross watched as investors bailed out of his own Total Return Bond Fund last week, its value sinking more than most of its bond-fund mates.

Perhaps that brush with fate got Gross, a former Navy lieutenant, to reflect on a near disaster that occurred when his ship came within one degree of heeling in the South China Sea. Gross and his fellow crewman survived, prompting the former chief engineer to advise investors on how to abandon ship when necessary but also on how to avoid panic and right the ship when indicated.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: LDK Solar Co. Ltd.(LDK)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products; and development of power plant projects. It offers solar-grade and semiconductor-grade polysilicon; and multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar wafers to the manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules. The company also provides wafer processing services to monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell and module manufacturers; and sells silicon materials, such as ingots and polysilicon scraps. In addition, it engages in the production and sale of solar cells and modules to developers, distributors, and system integrators; and design and development of solar power projects in Europe, the United States, and China, as well as provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. LDK Solar Co., Ltd. operates in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Xinyu City, t he People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Three weeks ago, I recommended Real Goods Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:RSOL) as a buy. Though the stock was still drifting in the shadow of a huge May pullback - from a high of $7.17 to a low of $2.13 by mid-June - RSOL was finding some support at key moving average lines, and even pushing up and off of them. Not many of you (and I'm using "you" interchangeably with "investors in general") seemed to care. So why am I looking at Real Goods Solar again now? Because, with competitors LDK Solar Co., Ltd (NYSE:LDK) and ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE:SOL) seeing their shares surge today, odds are good RSOL is going to get swept up in that move. Real Goods Solar shares are a better bet, however, in that - unlike SOL and LDK - they aren't overbought yet.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: eLong Inc.(LONG)

eLong, Inc. operates as an online travel service provider in the People?s Republic of China. The company provides its customers with travel information and the ability to book rooms, air tickets, vacation packages, and other travel related services utilizing call center and Web-based distribution technologies. It facilitates the customers to book rooms in approximately 10,000 hotels in 450 cities across China, and fulfills air ticket reservations in approximately 80 cities across China. In addition, the company offers the ability to book rooms at approximately 100,000 hotels outside of China; and provides the customers informative content relevant to hotel and air travel decisions, including tourist and event site destination information, hotel facility information, and photos. eLong markets its services through online marketing, traditional media advertising, co-marketing with established brands of other companies, and direct marketing. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. eLong, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Expedia Asia Pacific Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shareholders Unite]

  The main on-line competitors are:

  Qunar.com, a travel website owned by Baidu (BIDU) and a few venture fundseLong (LONG), backed by Tencent (TCEHY.PK) and Expedia (EXPE). Analyst expect it to generate $163M in revenue next year

  That is pretty serious competition, needless to say. Having the backing of Baidu or Expedia offers several advantages, but Ctrip is the biggest and most established company. It's quite difficult to compare Qunar.com to Ctrip, for the simple sake that Qunar is a private company. However, there can be little doubt that it constitutes serious competition:

Top Blue Chip Companies To Invest In Right Now: Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd.(QIHU)

Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. provides Internet and mobile security products in the People's Republic of China. Its principal products include 360 Safe Guard, an Internet security product for Internet security and system optimization; 360 Anti-Virus, an anti-virus application to protect users? computers against trojan horses, viruses, worms, adware, and other forms of malware; and 360 Mobile Safe, a security program for the Google Android, Apple iOS, and Nokia Symbian smartphone operating systems. The company?s platform products comprise 360 Safe Browser, a Web browser; 360 Personal Start-up Page, a default homepage of 360 Safe Browser and a key access point to popular and preferred information and applications; 360 Application Store, a key access point to securely obtain and manage software and applications; and 360 Safebox, a solution that protects users against thefts of personal account information. It also provides online advertising services, including online marketi ng services and search referral services; and Internet value-added services comprising the operation of Web games developed by third-parties, remote technical support, and cloud-based services. The company was formerly known as Qihoo Technology Company Limited and changed its name to Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. in December 2010. Qihoo 360 Technology Co. was founded in 2005 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vincent Ho]

  Baidu (BIDU) has made impressive gains in the last 3 months. There are some very insightful articles on SA that argue for a bullish stance based on valuations. There are other articles on SA which cover the recent acquisition of 91 Wireless. This article is different in that it offers an overview of Baidu's business model in relation to its dependence on online advertising. Understanding the direction of the internet is important to predict future revenue growth. Significantly new competition from Qihoo (QIHU) is also something Baidu has never experienced before. There are doubts if Baidu has enough tools to clean up its act and regain market share.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NYSE: QIHU) was reiterated as Buy, but estimates were raised and the target price was raised to $84 by BofA/Merrill Lynch. Here was our report on Qihoo 360 this morning.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: China Valves Technology Inc.(CVVT)

China Valves Technology, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in developing, manufacturing, and selling low, medium, and high-pressure metal valves for customers in the electricity, petroleum, chemical, water, gas, nuclear power station, and metal industries in China. The company?s product categories include high pressure and high temperature valves for power station units; valves for long distance petroleum and gas pipelines, and sewage; special valves for chemical lines; and large valves for water supply pipe networks. Its products comprise gate, globe, check, throttle, butterfly, ball, safety, water pressure test, vacuum, and extraction check valves. The company markets its products through regional agents and distributors. China Valves Technology, Inc. has a strategic cooperation frame agreement with Dongfang Electric Corporation for the development of high-end valves. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Kaifeng, the People's Republic of China.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: China Telecom Corp Ltd (CHA)

China Telecom Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireline and mobile telecommunications services in the People's Republic of China. The company?s services include wireline voice, mobile voice, Internet, managed data and leased line, value-added services, integrated information application services, and other related services, as well as prepaid calling cards. Its wireline voice services include local wireline services, domestic long distance wireline services, and international long distance wireline services. The company's mobile voice services comprise local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, inter-provincial roaming, and international roaming. Its Internet access services consist of wireline Internet access services, including dial-up and broadband services, and wireless Internet access services. The company's integrated information application services include Best Tone services, which provide customers with phone number storage, enquiry, and call transfer services; and information technology-based integrated solutions, such as system integration, outsourcing, special advisory, information application, knowledge services, and software development. Its managed data and leased line services consist of services relating to optic fiber and circuits, such as optic fiber and circuit leasing, virtual private network, and bandwidth leasing. The company also offers other services, such as sales, rental, repairs, and maintenance of equipment; and provides consulting services, and e-commerce and booking services, as well as in the sale of telecommunications terminals. It serves government, enterprise, and residential customers. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China Telecom Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of China Telecommunications Corporation.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: Euro/Yen(EJ)

E-House (China) Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate services company in China. It provides primary real estate agency services, secondary real estate brokerage services, real estate information and consulting services, real estate advertising services, real estate promotional event services, real estate online services, and real estate investment fund management services. The company offers primary real estate agency services to real estate developers. Its secondary real estate brokerage services include offering advisory services on choices of properties; accompanying potential buyers on house viewing trips; drafting purchase contracts; negotiating price and other terms; and providing preliminary proof of title, as well as coordinating with the notary, the bank, and the title transfer agency. The company also provides real estate information services comprising data subscription services and data integration services; and real estate cons ulting services, including land acquisition consulting, development consulting, marketing consulting, and comprehensive solution consulting. In addition, it offers real estate advertising services consisting of advertising design and sales in print and other media; and real estate promotional event services, including securing venues, hiring caters and other various service providers, formulating event themes, and inviting speakers and guests for real estate promotional events. Further, the company provides real estate online services, including real estate news, information, property data, and access to online communities to real estate consumers and participants through local Web sites; and involves in real estate investment fund management activities that consist of investments in China?s real estate sector. E-House (China) Holdings Limited was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Belinda Cao]

  E-House China Holdings Ltd. (EJ), a real estate brokerage, gained 9.2 percent to $9.70, extending it advance to a third week. Its American depositary receipts retreated 3.1 percent Sept. 20 from the highest level since May 2011.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: Suntech Power Holdings Co. LTD.(STP)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a solar energy company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products. The company also provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to building solar power systems for certain related party and third party customers. Its products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon PV cells; PV modules; and building-integrated photovoltaics products. In addition, the company provides PV system integration services, including designing, installing, and testing PV systems used in lighting for outdoor urban public facilities, as well as in farms, villages, and commercial buildings; and project development services. Its products are used to provide electric power for residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility applications. The company sells its products through value-added resellers, such as distributors and system integrators; and to end users, such as project develo pers primarily in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Greece, the United States, Canada, China, the Middle East, Australia, and Japan. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Wuxi, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  Along with communications technology, several other sectors were noting strong movements this week, including solar stocks and dry bulk shipping. Solar stocks have soared since JPMorgan said today the industry has significant room for growth. Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE ADR: STP) shares were up about 2.2% in afternoon trade.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Provided that the Chinese government either encourages or permits consolidation, any of these three could be an acquirer. The likeliest target, of course, is SunTech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP), which is reorganizing and which the government has already seemed to give up on. Other possible targets include ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) and JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JKS).

• [By Paul Ausick]

  In the Chinese solar sector we tracked the following short interest changes: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO), LDK Solar Co. Inc. (NYSE: LDK), Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP), Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE).�For China-based firms, the percentage of shares short is not available because the companies are also listed on other exchanges.

Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited(CHOP)

China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited engages in the manufacture and sale of cold-rolled narrow strip steel products in the People's Republic of China. The company converts steel manufactured by third parties into thin steel sheets and strips. It sells its products directly to its customers in a range of industries, including food and industrial packaging, construction and household decorations materials, electrical appliances, and telecommunications wires and cables industries. The company was formerly known as Golden Green Enterprises Limited and changed its name to China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited in December 2009. China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited is based in Zhengzhou, China.

Global Giant HSBC Still An Attractive Story

When I last wrote on HSBC (NYSE:HBC) about 18 months ago, I was positive on this global banking giant. In the intervening period the shares are up about 30% (excluding a pretty solid dividend), making that a pretty solid call. Although HSBC's second quarter/first half results were not perfect by any means, this isn't a bank that runs itself on a quarter-by-quarter basis and I see little to quibble with in the bank's excellent ratios and profits, nor its policy of redirecting copious surplus capital to both growing markets and shareholders. With the shares about 10% to 15% undervalued, there's still a case to be made for buying/holding these shares.

Messy Q2 Results
Just how complex are HSBC's financial reports? The company's interim report ran nearly 300 pages and has its own index. Suffice it to say, few (if any) analysts and investors are going to find mission-critical nuggets on information on every page.

Although strong first quarter results allowed the bank to post 4% revenue growth, the second quarter was decidedly weaker (down 22%) and missed the average estimate by about 6%. First half pre-tax profits were up 10%, but there was some confusion as to the "real" average quarterly estimate – for the quarter, HSBC's profits missed by either 5% or 13% on an adjusted basis, though the first half results and market reaction suggest a 5% miss is closer to the target.

SEE: How To Evaluate The Quality Of EPS

Pretty Consistent Results On Balance
Relative to what rival banks in HSBC's core operating regions have already reported, this bank's results were broadly consistent. Loan losses were higher in Mexico and Brazil, while provisions were higher in Europe and lower in North America. Compared to what the market has seen from companies like Santander (NYSE:SAN), Citigroup (NYSE:C), Standard Chartered, and so on, that's basically what's going on in the world.

Underlying loan growth was pretty good (up 6% for the first half), but provisioning expenses were higher than expected. What was a little less encouraging was that the bank's performance was pretty comprehensively "blah". There were some bright points (Hong Kong was strong), but HSBC seemed to come in a little light everywhere – a result that suggests to me that the global economy just isn't picking up for the second half rebound that so many investors have counted on in their forecasts and assumptions.

What Takes The Bank A Step Further?
HSBC has done a very good job with its restructuring plans, with management delivering a mix of better performance and faster results than originally forecast. With that, the bank stands on very solid footing with its global comps in terms of credit ratios, capital, profitability and so on. At the same time, though, HSBC needs higher interest rates to really thrive and the bank's growth could be compromised if the recoveries in China and the U.S. housing market stall or disappoint.

So what happens next? I expect the bank to continue its policy of redeploying capital to faster-growing regions. In other words, markets like Hong Kong and the U.K. will basically underwrite expansion in areas like Asia and Latin America as HSBC manages the slow-growth markets for profits. At the same time, I expect HSBC to generate ample surplus capital over the next three or four years, allowing for more capital to back to shareholders as dividends.

SEE: The Evolution Of Banking

The Bottom Line
HSBC never really got itself into the same sort of mess as banks like Santander or Citi, and I think the company's rate exposure will likely preclude major earnings momentum in the short term (even though HSBC has a lot of non-interest businesses contributing to profits). On the other hand, HSBC should be in good position to return capital to shareholders, and that should help underpin the share price.

Right now I project that HSBC will generate a long-term return on equity of 13%, which translates into a fair value of almost $67 today. Looking at the bank's return on tangible assets and tangible equity, fair value on a price/tangible book basis would seem to be around 1.4x, or just under $63 per share. Accordingly, with HSBC shares trading at about 10% to 15% below fair value, I still think this is a worthwhile stock for investors to consider, particularly those looking for diversified ex-US exposure.

Disclosure – At the time of writing, the author did not own shares of any company mentioned in this article.

Benzinga Weekly Preview: Italian Senate To Decide Berlusconi's Fate

Next week will be a busy one for global markets with the US budget battle and the European Central Bank meeting, but politics in Italy could take center stage as the Italian Senate is expected to decide whether or not to force Silvio Berlusconi to resign due to his tax fraud conviction.

Berlusconi along with several members of his political party have threatened to take down the Italian government if he is forced to give up his position.

Key Earnings Reports

Next week investors will be waiting for several key earnings reports including Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG), Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI), and Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON)

Walgreen Co.

Walgreen is expected to report EPS of $0.72 on revenue of $17.95 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.63 on revenue of $17.07 billion.

On September 18th, the analyst team at Goldman Sachs gave Walgreen Company a Buy rating with a 12 month price target of $60.00. Goldman noted that Walgreen's recent acquisition of a 45 percent stake in Alliance Boots will likely drive EPS in fiscal year 2016.

"Investor feedback from our recent Drug Retailer coverage transfer suggests increasing focus on WAG's potential earnings power post "Step 2" of the Alliance Boots transaction. We thus introduce our scenario analysis, which implies potential for EPS accretion of 8-10% to our published $4.77 FY16E EPS if WAG successfully closes Step 2. Our base case pro forma EPS of $5.23 excludes any contribution from ABC equity income or tax upside from the Swiss location of the WAG/Boots purchasing JV"

On September 16th, Morgan Stanley gave Walgreens an Equal-weight rating; noting that the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee's announcement of a cut to generic drug reimbursement could impact Walgreens because of its 45 percent stake in Alliance Boots.

"WAG has exposure via its 45% stake in Alliance Boots. We estimate that the announced cut represents ~1.5% EBIT headwind (~£20M) to Alliance Boots, which accounts for ~25% of UK prescriptions. This should translate into a relatively modest impact to WAG's overall EBIT of < 25 bps."

Acuity Brands, Inc.

On October 1st, Acuity Brands is expected to report EPS of $1.02, compared to last year's EPS of $0.88.

At the beginning of August, Goldman Sachs gave Acuity a Neutral rating with a 12-month price target of $85.00. The analyst team at Goldman noted that the positives underlying the case for investment were already largely priced in.

"We initiate coverage of Acuity Brands – a lighting products company – with a Neutral rating and 3% downside to our $85, 12-month price target. We see several positives underlying the investment case for Acuity: (1) leverage to a recovery in US non-residential construction spending given US (c.90% of sales) and new construction (c.50%) exposure, (2) growth in retrofit volumes owing to energy efficiency demand (e.g., LED is 20% of sales), and (3) capital allocation. But, these positives appear priced in given valuation is at an all-time high, and LED cannibalization risk – while low near term – warrants positioning for a better entry point, in our view."

Monsanto Company

Monsanto is expected to report a loss of $0.43 per share, compared to last year's loss of $0.44 per share.

On September 19th, Piper Jaffray gave Monsanto an Overweight rating with a price target of $138.00. The analyst team chose to maintain the stock's rating but increase the price target from $135.00 as they expect Monsanto to at least match its 3 million acre cornfield target.

Hot Oil Companies For 2014

"After completing a state-by-state analysis of Brazil planting intentions, we are reiterating our Overweight rating on MON shares and believe investor concerns around lower South American corn acreage are overblown. It is true that total corn acreage is set to contract - roughly 7% by our estimation including both the summer and safrinha season crops. However, we believe the decline in hybrid corn acreage will be more modest and ultimately the increased adoption of biotech traits holds the key to Monsanto's profit growth in South American corn. Healthy soybean economics provide a strong incentive to plant Monsanto's Intacta trait package and, based on our channel checks, we believe it will at least match, if not exceed, its stated 3mil acre target."

Goldman Sachs took a more aggressive stance on Monsanto and issued a Buy rating with a price target of $124.00  on September 12th. The rating was given after an industry conference at which management indicated that corn seed prices are expected to increase by 5 to 10 percent in 2014.

"With today's presentation, MON made a compelling argument that when a farmer is evaluating seed choices, what matters is yield and maximizing return per acre rather than minimizing cost. We agree that newer, better hybrid seeds and advanced trait packages represent one of the best opportunities for farmers to improve their yields each year, as opposed to other inputs like fertilizer, farm equipment, and crop chemicals, which have less innovation and are somewhat discretionary in the amount of usage (please see our 8/12/13 note Corn price fade does not equal a MON earnings hit; reiterate CL-Buy for more details). We see management's initial 2014 pricing target of 5%-10% as supportive of this steady annual improvement in yield potential that is driving sustainable, consistent midhigh single digit corn seed pricing for MON. We also believe that this pricing goal will support high-teens EPS growth guidance for 2014 that we expect MON will provide with 4Q2013 earnings in October."

Key Economic Releases

The European Central Bank is set to meet on Wednesday instead of Thursday next week as Thursday is a German national holiday. The bank is largely expected to maintain current interest rates and reiterate the previous month's forward guidance; that rates will remain low for an "extended period".  Investors will be watching ECB President Mario Draghi's post meeting press conference closely for any clues about the eurozone's new long term refinancing operation.

The US government will also be under the microscope as an 11th hour decision about an emergency spending bill is likely on Monday. The difficult negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in Washington have set the stage for a tough battle about the nation's budget in the days to follow.

Daily Schedule

Monday

Earnings Releases Expected: Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND), Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ: FARM) Economic Releases Expected: US Chicago PMI

Tuesday

Earnings Expected From: Acuity Brands Inc (NYSE: AYI), Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) Economic Releases Expected: Manufacturing PMI from France, Germany, the UK , the eurozone, the US and Canada; Australian and Brazilian trade balance.

Wednesday

Earnings Expected From: Accretive Health, Inc (NYSE: AH), Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON), UniTek Global Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNTK) Economic Releases Expected: Eurozone interest rate decision and PPI data, US National Employment Report, British construction PMI

Thursday

Earnings Expected From: Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE: STZ), International Speedway Corporation (NASDAQ: ISCA) Economic Releases Expected: Services PMI from Spain, France, Germany, the UK, the eurozone, and China; and eurozone retail sales

Friday

No Notable Earnings Expected Economic Releases Expected: German PPI, Indian PMI, US nonfarm payrolls

Posted-In: European Central Bank Federal Reserve Mario Draghi Silvio BerlusconiNews Eurozone Commodities Previews Global Econ #s Economics Federal Reserve After-Hours Center Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Fidelity target date funds pile on stocks

Fidelity Investments is increasing the stock allocation across its target date funds after research found that investors are OK with more risk in retirement accounts and the outlook for bonds dims.

The biggest reason for the change was new research Fidelity conducted on how 401(k) plan participants reacted to the stock market plunge in 2008, the worst decline since the Great Depression. The firm's research uncovered no discernible change in the 401(k) participation rate or in fund turnover across the 12 million participants in its record-keeping platform.

“We looked at investor behavior in 2008 and our conclusion was that people can tolerate a lot more equities than we thought in their retirement planning,” said Bruce Herring, group chief investment officer of the global asset allocation division within Fidelity.

The most change will be in Fidelity's longer-dated target date funds. Freedom Fund investors will now hold a 90% allocation to stocks until they are about 20 years away from their retirement date. Currently, they invest in less than 75% equities at the same point.

“To start de-risking 25 years before the retirement date is too conservative,” Mr. Herring said. “We've never had a drawdown that hasn't been fully recovered within 19 years.”

Near-term target date funds will also see a boost in equities. The Fidelity Freedom 2020 Fund (FFFDX) will increase its stock holdings to 61%, from 53%, and decrease its bond allocation to 39%, from 47%.

Fidelity's outlook for the bond market played a role in the increased stock holdings.

Fidelity's capital market assumption team looks at 20 years of historical returns and current valuations to forecast asset class returns. The team's outlook for stocks is largely in line with historical averages but with the today's interest rates, it's not expecting bonds to perform the way they have.

“We think it's unrealistic the next 20 years will have the same returns of the last 20 years,” Mr. Herring said.

The alterations to the glide path are the latest change to the Fidelity target date funds as the mutual fund giant fights to hold on to its top spot in the target date fund world.

Late last year, Fidelity added new funds managed by superstar stock managers Will Danoff and Joel Tillinghast to the target date funds' underlying holdings. They each manage around 7% of the domestic stock allocation.

Best Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014

Fidelity target date funds are the largest in the industry, with $170 billion in assets, but its biggest competitor is catching up quickly.

The Vanguard Group Inc.'s $124 billion target date fund lineup had organic growth of 21% in 2012, more than double the rate of the Fidelity target date funds, ! according to Morningstar Inc.

Combined, the two fund companies manage approximately 58% of all target date fund assets.

5 Best Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014

By Hal M. Bundrick

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Wall Street is pass� The real money is in that new app startup you just found out about -- or in a biotech breakthrough you really believe in. And with new crowdfunding investments set to explode, big upside deals will seem to be everywhere. Real estate, oil and gas, new media companies. These non-public investments are the kinds of opportunities more investors are seeking these days, particularly the young and wealthy, as they look beyond traditional public stock market offerings and choose to open the investment door marked "Private."

A recent survey conducted by iCrowd revealed that nearly half (49%) of high net worth investors under the age of 30 are currently invested in private placements. One-in-five wealthy investors between 45-60 years of age are, too.

5 Best Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Hittite Microwave Corporation(HITT)

Hittite Microwave Corporation designs, develops, and sells integrated circuits (ICs), modules, subsystems, and instrumentation products for radio frequency (RF) microwave and millimeterwave applications worldwide. The company?s IC products include amplifiers, digital and voltage variable attenuators, broadband time delays, automatic gain control products, clocks and timing products, comparators, cross point switches, data converters, direct current power conditioning and power management products, dielectric resonator oscillators, frequency dividers and detectors, frequency multipliers, digital logic products, intermediate frequency signal processing products, interface, and limiting amplifiers. Its IC products also comprise mixers and converters, modulators and demodulators, multiplexers/demultiplexers, optical modulator drivers, passives, phase lock loops, phase lock loops with integrated voltage controlled oscillators, phase shifters, power detectors, sensors, switches , Successive detection logarithmic video amplifiers, transimpedance amplifiers, tunable filters, variable gain amplifiers, and voltage controlled and phase locked oscillators. In addition, the company provides signal generators/instrumentation products for engineering, production, and screening applications; connectorized modules for use in test and measurement equipment; RF, microwave, and millimeterwave receivers and synthesizers that are used in military communication, targeting, guidance, and countermeasure systems; and phase locked oscillator modules, which are used in fiber optic test systems. Further, it outsources wafer manufacturing to multiple third party fabricators and foundries. The company sells its products through direct sales force and applications engineering staff, sales representatives, and distributors, as well as through its Web site. Hittite Microwave Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ant贸nio Costa]

  Hittite Microwave Corp (NASDAQ: HITT) is holding up well and looks ready to move higher from here. Next buy point for HITT is at 65.2.

  ( click to enlarge )

  Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) hits a new 52 week high and held up very well when the nasdaq was tanking. The stock is on fire.

5 Best Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Saratoga Electronic Solutions I (SAR.V)

Saratoga Electronic Solutions Inc. engages in placing and operating a network of automated teller machines (ATMs) primarily in eastern Canada. It also involves in the wholesale distribution of prepaid cards, point-of-sale activated prepaid phone personal identification numbers (P.O.S.A.), prepaid debit cards, long distance calling cards, and various electronic gift card solutions to consumers. The company provides its prepaid products through freestanding intelligent machines, P.O.S.A. terminals, and traditional merchants. As of March 31, 2011, it operated a network of approximately 445 ATMs, as well as managed approximately 2,670 point-of-sale locations. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Montreal, Canada.

Hot Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Brooks Automation Inc.(BRKS)

Brooks Automation, Inc. provides automation, vacuum, and instrumentation solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, life sciences, and clean energy markets worldwide. The company?s Brooks Product Solutions segment provides a range of products critical to technology equipment productivity and availability. This segment?s products include atmospheric and vacuum tool automation systems, atmospheric and vacuum robots and robotic modules, and cryogenic vacuum pumping, thermal management, and vacuum measurement solutions, which are used to create, measure, and control critical process vacuum applications. Its Brooks Life Science Systems segment offers automated sample management systems, including automated sample storage, automated blood fractionation equipment, sample preparation and handling equipment, consumables, parts, and support services to various life science customers, including pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, biobanks, national laboratories, rese arch institutes, and research universities. The company?s Brooks Global Services segment provides a range of support services, including on and off-site repair services, on and off-site diagnostic support services, and installation services to enable the customers to maximize process tool uptime and productivity. This segment also offers spare part support services to end-user customers. Brooks Automation, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

5 Best Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: TigerLogic Corporation(TIGR)

TigerLogic Corporation engages in the design, development, sale, and support of software infrastructure, Internet search enhancement tools, and a social media content aggregation platform in North America, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The company offers Yolink, a search enhancement technology; and TigerLogic XDMS, an enterprise native XML database management server with data and document centric capabilities. It also provides multi-dimensional databases consisting of D3 data base management system that runs on various operating systems and allows application programmers to create new business solution software; mvEnterprise and mvBase, the multi-dimensional database solutions; and TigerLogic dashboard, which allows Pick UDM developers to create Web-based graphical displays of multi-value data. In addition, the company offers rapid application development tools that support the full life cycle of software application development and are used for rapid prototypin g, development, and deployment of graphical user interface client/server and Web applications. Further, it provides Postano, a real-time social media content aggregation platform, which allows users to collect content from various social media sources and display that content on Web pages hosted by the company or others. Additionally, the company offers technical support, consulting, continuing maintenance, customer support, professional, and training services. It serves independent software vendors and software developers, and corporate information technology departments. TigerLogic Corporation sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, specialized vertical application software developers, and consulting organizations, as well as directly to end user organizations and through its Web sites. The company was formerly known as Raining Data Corporation and changed its name to TigerLogic Corporation in April 2008. TigerLogic Corporation was founded in 1987 and is based in Irvine, California.

5 Best Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Ditech Networks Inc.(DITC)

Ditech Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and markets telecommunications equipment for use in wireline, wireless, satellite, and Internet protocol telecommunications networks worldwide. It offers voice quality enhancement solutions that enable service providers to deliver end-to-end communications to their subscribers, as well as voice applications solutions. The company?s mobile voice quality products include Broadband Voice Processor-Flex, a broadband voice processor system for interface support; Quad II T1 and Quad II E1, which are single modules for echo cancellation and built-in voice enhancement; and Quad Voice Processor-T1 and Quad Voice Processor-E1 that are narrowband voice processors for supporting echo cancellation and the suite of voice quality assurance and experience intelligence software. It also provides voice-to-text transcription services; and voice-based interface with Web and Web-based based applications, including social networking and calendar applicat ions. Ditech Networks, Inc. markets its products through direct sales force, distributors, value-added resellers, system integrators, and agents. The company was formerly known as Ditech Communications Corporation and changed its name to Ditech Networks, Inc. in May 2006. Ditech Networks, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

JPMorgan Still Has Higher Dividend and Buyback Ambitions

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) still has ambitions of increasing its dividend. The bank also wants to increase its share buybacks. This is an important step because Jamie Dimon and team did not get the full permission that was sought under the capital allocation plan by regulators in the wake of the London Whale debacle which cost the banking giant billions of dollars and which tarnished the reputation of the bank.

Now we have Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake having made new comments on Monday that seem to champion the move toward higher dividends and buybacks yet again. She was presenting at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference. One other note is that the banking giant has now increased its legal reserves as well by what we evaluated as over $1.5 billion, due largely to mortgage-backed securities litigation and other regulatory issues acting against the bank.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Companies To Watch For 2014

J.P. Morgan earnings will be released on October 11, 2013. J.P. Morgan shares have been somewhat range-bound of late, and the gain on Monday of 0.3% compares to a 52-week trading range of $38.73 to $56.93. Its dividend yield is 2.9% based upon the latest $0.38 per share per quarter payout. Be advised that this July payment was the first $0.38 payout after having been at $0.30 per share for five prior quarters.

Where this gets more than interesting on the dividend front is that J.P.Morgan’s $0.38 per share dividend is now back up to where the payout was before banks were barred from making such high payouts during the financial crisis. The yield is now right at 2.88%, and that rivals the 2.88% yield of Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) as well.

Summers Withdrawal Greatest Liberal Victory Since Crisis

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It only took five years after the crisis but Larry Summers' decision to withdraw his candidacy to replace Ben Bernanke as the next Federal Reserve Chairman means Democrats can finally start looking for an alternative to Clintonomics.

Make no mistake, Summers' withdrawal is a victory for liberals -- by which I mean the left wing of the Democratic party. While Jon Tester (D., Mont.) is the only Democratic Senator who went on record saying he would oppose a Summers nomination, Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) were all expected to make Summers' confirmation a challenge, according to Politico.

These Senators' biggest beef with Summers is that he was one of the leading proponents of keeping swaps free from regulation, a view that became law with the passage of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, one of several deregulatory moves during the Clinton Administration that helped set the stage for the 2008 financial crisis.

They are right to question Summers's fitness to be Fed chair in light of that decision. It was AIG's (AIG) outsized exposure to credit default swaps that took down the giant insurer, requiring what was arguably the biggest bailout of the crisis. While President Clinton admitted he was wrong to deregulate those instruments, I have never seen Summers admit it. He may have said something somewhere that I missed, but the error was so egregious that he ought to have devoted several speeches to begging for the public's forgiveness. Instead, Summers spent his time outside of government earning hefty paychecks working for Wall Street firms such as Citigroup (C) and the hedge fund D.E. Shaw. He was just another in the countless line of top government officials shuttling back and forth between Wall Street and Washington, sighing wearily at anyone who dared question their hypocrisy. Summers is part of a clique of economic policy advisers groomed under former Goldman Sachs (GS) co-chairman Robert Rubin, who successfully convinced Democrats for years that what was good for Wall Street would also be good for Main Street. While the absurdity of that notion would seem to have been laid bare during the 2008 crisis, it seems to be sinking in only now in Washington D.C. Throughout his administration, President Obama has been steadfast in naming members of the Rubin clique to key positions in his administration. In fact, he hasn't chosen advisers from any other camp, as Felix Salmon recently argued.

Top 10 Casino Companies To Watch For 2014

Since Obama seems unable or unwilling to move beyond Wall Street for economic policy advice, Democrats to his left are making the choice for him. Whatever works.

-- Written by Dan Freed in New York.

Follow @dan_freed

Disclosure: TheStreet's editorial policy prohibits staff editors, reporters and analysts from holding positions in any individual stocks.

Jim Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: A Summers Reprieve

Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Does the next Federal Reserve chairman really matter to the stock market? Jim Cramer told his "Mad Money" viewers Monday that over the long term, probably not that much. But for those shorting the markets going into this past weekend, it mattered a great deal.

Cramer explained that the only thing that stands in the way of higher stock prices is Washington. That's why the thought of the ever-polarizing Larry Summers taking the helm of the Fed had the bears betting big that a Summers appointment, along with other disappointing news from the Fed this week, would surely take the markets sharply lower.

That's why the surprise resignation of Summers from consideration had the bears covering their positions all day today, sending the averages up sharply. "The bears lost their best friend," he continued, and that gave the bulls all the ammunition they needed. Among the remaining contenders for Fed chair seems to be the Fed's current vice chairman, Janet Yellen. Cramer said that unlike Summers, Yellen is widely viewed as a peacemaker and a consensus builder, something that investors find much more appealing. Only time will tell is Yellen is indeed in the running, but for the time being, the bulls received a welcome reprieve from the Washington chokehold. All in the Packaging With the announcement that Packaging Corporation Of America (PKG) is buying Boise (BZ), news that sent Packaging's stock up 10.7%, Cramer said it's time to add a paper stock to your portfolio. His recommendation? International Paper (IP). Cramer said the paper and container business is highly cyclical, which makes now the time to buy as the world's economies are on the mend. Better still, after getting hit hard over the past few years, the paper industry has been aggressively cutting capacity, matching supply with the new levels of demand. International Paper is the best-of-breed player, said Cramer, as the company has not only been cutting capacity but also raising prices. These price increases have easily absorbed by buyers, making additional increases a near certainty. In addition, IP has also divested nearly seven million acres of its land holdings, making the lucrative packaging business now more than half of its business.

Other things to like about IP, according to Cramer, are the company's ample dividend and its $1.5 billion stock buyback program. Nothing shows how confident management is about the future than a big dividend and buyback, he added.

Given that IP just delivered an eight-cents-a-share earnings beat, it's no wonder this stock is just off its 52-week high. Shares currently trade at just 11 times earnings with a 15% long-term growth rate, making them a steal given its outlook and the fact that IP shares trade a full 7% below its peers. Cramer's Anointed Stocks

With the fourth quarter nearing, Cramer said it's time to load up on the "anointed stocks," those big winners that fund managers will be piling into over the coming weeks to be able to show their shareholders they, too, are invested in all of the hottest names.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," is a tried-and-true strategy on Wall Street, Cramer continued, which is why there are four stocks that he said investors should start buying ahead of the move. Netflix (NFLX) is the first stock Cramer said shouldn't be missed. This company is growing like a weed with accelerating revenue growth thanks to its wildly-successful original programming that's up for no less than 14 Emmy Awards. Are shares of Netflix incredibly expense by traditional metrics? You bet, said Cramer. But Netflix is no traditional company. Next on the list is Best Buy (BBY), the left-for-dead electronics retailer that's gotten a new lease on life thanks to a new CEO. This stock was all but written off last year, Cramer noted, but has since managed a remarkable turnaround. Also in turnaround mode: GameStop (GME), the game retailer that's been cutting costs and right-sizing itself in advance of a huge new gaming cycle that will be ushered in next quarter with new PlayStation and Xbox consoles. GameStop shares trade at 13.7 times earnings with a 14% growth rate. Finally, there's TripAdvisor (TRIP), the travel Web site with over one million reviews. Cramer said that TripAdvisor reviews can make or break travel destinations and this company is in secular growth mode as a result. Shares are still cheap at 32 times earnings with a 19% growth rate.

Lightning Round

In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Stratasys (SSYS), Wendy's Company (WEN), Zoetis (ZTS), Ciena (CIEN) and International Game Technology (IGT).

Cramer was bearish on Coty (COTY). Executive Decision: Brian Sharples

In the "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer sat down with Brian Sharples, co-founder, chairman and CEO of HomeAway (AWAY), the rental booking Web site that's revolutionizing the way properties get rented. Sharples said HomeAway didn't invent the vacation rental business but it is making it far more efficient by moving it online. He explained that his company's new pay-per-booking model will allow those looking to rent their homes for just a few weeks a year to test the waters before becoming a full-time subscriber, drastically increasing their customer base. Vacation rentals are currently an $85 billion business, Sharples continued, and with HomeAway growing their core business by 20% a year, there's still a ton of opportunity available. When asked about his company's Super Bowl advertising campaign, Sharples explained that while the campaign was successful in spiking awareness, the company learned that without a continual big TV ad spend, being on TV just isn't the best use of funds. That's why HomeAway continues to advertise on online channels, which have been very effective. Cramer said HomeAway's new augmented business model will give investors a big opportunity and they should do their homework on the company. No Huddle Offense In his "No Huddle Offense" segment, Cramer sounded off against all those who say that nothing's changed since the failure of Lehman Brothers five years ago. Instead of whining, Cramer said people should offer thanks to the President and the Fed for getting it right and saving our financial system. Cramer said that since Lehman, the banks have raise unprecedented levels of cash and have come to accept that they are no longer in charge of how they handle their affairs, the regulators are. The banking system is not perfect, but it is less opaque than it was and many of the systemic issues that almost brought down most of the Western world have been fixed. There is no more "too big to fail," Cramer concluded, and that's why it's time to stop looking backward and focus on what's ahead. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. -- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C. To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in stocks mentioned. Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC television program "Mad Money," is a Markets Commentator for TheStreet.com, Inc., and CNBC, and a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. All opinions expressed by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are his own and do not reflect the opinions of TheStreet.com or its affiliates, or CNBC, NBC Universal or their parent company or affiliates. Mr. Cramer's opinions are based upon information he considers to be reliable, but neither TheStreet.com, nor CNBC, nor either of their affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Mr. Cramer's statements are based on his opinions at the time statements are made, and are subject to change without notice. No part of Mr. Cramer's compensation from CNBC or TheStreet.com is related to the specific opinions expressed by him on "Mad Money." None of the information contained in "Mad Money" constitutes a recommendation by Mr. Cramer, TheStreet.com or CNBC that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. You must make your own independent decisions regarding any security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy mentioned on the program. Mr. Cramer's past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Neither Mr. Cramer, nor TheStreet.com, nor CNBC guarantees any specific outcome or profit, and you should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any strategy or investments discussed on the program. The strategy or investments discussed may fluctuate in price or value and you may get back less than you invested. Before acting on any information contained in the program, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and strongly consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser. Some of the stocks mentioned by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are held in Mr. Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio. When that is the case, appropriate disclosure is made on the program and in the "Mad Money" recap available on TheStreet.com. The Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio contains all of Mr. Cramer's personal investments in publicly-traded equity securities only, and does not include any mutual fund holdings or other institutionally managed assets, private equity investments, or his holdings in TheStreet.com, Inc. Since March 2005, the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio has been held by a Trust, the realized profits from which have been pledged to charity. Mr. Cramer retains full investment discretion with respect to all securities contained in the Trust. Mr. Cramer is subject to certain trading restrictions, and must hold all securities in the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio for at least one month, and is not permitted to buy or sell any security he has spoken about on television or on his radio program for five days following the broadcast.

Why the Roaring S&P 500 Is Really Showing Signs of Weakness

Looking back over the past year, it’s quite amazing to see the shift in market sentiment. Last year, many investors were quite skeptical of the market, best represented by the S&P 500, and this led to cautious market sentiment.

This year, with the S&P 500 hitting new all-time highs, market sentiment has certainly improved substantially. But the question is: can the move continue?

Obviously, nothing moves up in a straight line. However, much of the market sentiment has been built on the belief that the economy will rebound strongly next year. Now, there are some signs emerging that suggest this might not be the case.

While the economy has improved substantially since its depths during the Great Recession, there’s much more work to be done.

Consumer spending is a large part of the economy, and many companies within the S&P 500 are impacted by it. The latest data by the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that retail sales for the month of August increased by only 0.2%—a disappointment versus expectations of an increase of 0.5%. (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce web site, last accessed September 13, 2013.)

So now we have a situation where the largest part of the U.S. economy—consumer spending—appears to be slowing. If this continues, this could be a dangerous scenario, as market sentiment is clearly in the camp that both revenues and earnings will reaccelerate.

For the S&P 500 to continue moving upward, we need to see revenue growth in addition to earnings growth. Much of the increase in earnings that has helped propel the S&P 500 upward was due to cost-cutting measures. In general, revenues have remained stagnant over this past year.

If the consumer begins to pull back on spending and companies start facing higher input costs, this would be a negative not only for revenues, but for earnings as well. I don’t believe that market sentiment is taking this possibility into account.  

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

One interesting note regarding market sentiment and the S&P 500 is that as stocks made new highs in early August, the moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) did not follow suit.

This type of negative divergence does not necessarily mean that the S&P 500 has to drop, but it is a worrisome indicator that, to me, is indicative of the very real possibility that market sentiment and momentum is beginning to shift away from the bullish camp.

Unless we begin to see some growth in both revenues and income soon—which needs to come from higher wages in addition to accelerating jobs growth that prompts consumer spending—I think it will be increasingly difficult for companies to increase revenues going forward.

This article Why the Roaring S&P 500 Is Really Showing Signs of Weakness was originally published at Investment Contrarians

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

SEC Chief Details Next Steps After Nasdaq Glitch

After meeting with leaders of the equities and options exchanges Thursday regarding Nasdaq’s tech glitch that paralyzed trading on Aug. 22, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairwoman Mary Jo White laid out the next steps that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., and the Options Clearing Corp. have agreed to take.

While White said in statement that the meeting was “very constructive,” she stressed the need for all market participants to work collaboratively — together and with the SEC — to strengthen critical market infrastructure and improve its resilience when technology falls short.

To achieve this goal, White said, she asked those at the meeting “to work constructively with the commission staff as we continue to consider ways to enhance the integrity of market systems. They pledged to do so," she said, and she expects "other market participants will do so as well.”

White said she asked FINRA, DTCC and OCC, with the input of other market participants, “to identify a series of concrete measures designed to address specific areas where the robustness and resilience of market systems can be improved, including the systems that were at the core of last month’s trading interruption. The investing public deserves no less.”

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2014

FINRA, DTCC and the OCC, in consultation with other market participants, agreed to take the following steps:

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Check out tweets about the Nasdaq crash and other recent market events in 10 Best Finance Tweets of the Month: August on ThinkAdvisor.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now

Good news! According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Americans had to spend only 4% of their pre-tax income on gasoline for their cars in 2012 -- a sum that hasn't increased since seven years ago.

Horrible news! According to the same U.S. Energy Information Administration, Americans had to spend a whopping 4% of their pre-tax income on gasoline for their cars in 2012 -- which works out to $2,912. That's the most dollars Americans have had to spend on gas at any time in the past 30 years.

Source: US EIA.

So ... which is it? Is this revelation from the EIA good news or bad news? Obviously, it depends a bit on how you look at it (and on which qualifiers you put inside the parentheses). For example, one way to put the EIA's figures in a positive light is that, if the dollars spent go up, but the percentage of income those dollars represent stays flat ... logically, this must mean people are earning more dollars from their jobs. So even if it doesn't feel like it for many of us, apparently, wages have gone up!

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Halcon Resources Corp (HK)

Halcon Resources Corporation (Halcon Resources), incorporated on February 5, 2004, is an independent energy company focused on the acquisition, production, exploration and development of onshore liquids-rich oil and natural gas assets in the United States. The Company has oil and natural gas reserves located primarily in Texas, North Dakota, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Montana. On August 1, 2012, the Company acquired GeoResources by merger. On December 6, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of entities owning approximately 81,000 net acres prospective for the Bakken / Three Forks formations primarily located in Williams, Mountrail, McKenzie and Dunn Counties, North Dakota (the Williston Basin Assets), from Petro-Hunt, L.L.C. and Pillar Energy, LLC (the Petro-Hunt parties). As of December 31, 2012, the Company has working interests in approximately 128,000 net acres prospective for the Bakken / Three Forks formations in North Dakota and Montana.

The Company�� Woodbine / Eagle Ford acreage is prospective for the Woodbine, Eagle Ford and other formations, with targeted depths ranging anywhere from 7,000 feet to 10,400 feet. As of December 31, 2012, The Company has approximately 198,000 net acres leased or under contract primarily in Leon, Madison, Grimes, Brazos, and Polk Counties, Texas. The Company is the operator and has a 100% working interest in more than 12,000 net acres in Wichita and Wilbarger Counties, Texas that it is actively water flooding in shallow Cisco aged Pennsylvania sandstone and limestone reservoirs. As of December 31, 2012, the Company produced 484 million barrels of oil equivalent from approximately 700 active producing wells and approximately 230 active water injection wells.

The Company�� position in the La Copita Field covers 3,720 gross acres and 2,829 net acres in Starr County, Texas. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� average net daily production was 623 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The Company operates 100% of this production a! nd its working interest ranges from 75% to 100%. The Company has various other oil and natural gas properties with varying working interests located across the United States, including the Austin Chalk Trend and Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, the Fitts-Allen Fields in Central Oklahoma, and various other areas across South Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, and West Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One energy player that insiders are active in here is Halcon Resources (HK), which is engaged in the acquisition, development, exploitation, exploration and production of oil and natural gas properties. Insiders are buying this stock into notable weakness, since shares are off by 22% so far in 2013.

  Halcon Resources has a market cap of $1.99 billion and an enterprise value of $4.71 billion. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 112.50 and a forward price-to-earnings of 12.56. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 900%, and for next year it's pegged at 79.2%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $3.06 million and its total debt is $2.71 billion.

  A director just bought 200,000 shares, or about $1.02 million worth of stock, at $5.10 per share. A beneficial owner also just bought 5.2 million shares, or about $26.44 million worth of stock, at $5.10 per share.

  From a technical perspective, HK is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last six months, with shares moving lower from its high of $8.12 to its recent low of $4.92 a share. During that downtrend, shares of HK have been making mostly lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, this stock has started to find some buying interest off some previous support areas at $4.92 to $5.10 a share.

  If you're bullish on HK, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some key near-term support levels at $5.10 to $4.92 and then once it breaks out back above its 50-day at $5.67 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 5.14 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then HK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.11 to $6.54 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give HK a chance to tag $6.75 to $6.84 a share.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: IHS Inc. (IHS)

IHS Inc. (IHS), incorporated on May 5, 1994, is a source of information and insight in areas, such as energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk, and security; environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting, and commodities, pricing, and cost. The Company is organized by geographies into three business segments: Americas, which includes the United States, Canada, and Latin America; EMEA, which includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and APAC (Asia Pacific). IHS sources data and transforms it into information and insight that businesses, Governments, and others use every day to make decisions. Its product development teams have also created Web services and application interfaces. These services allow its customers to integrate the Company�� information with other data, business processes and applications (computer-aided design, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, and product data/lifecycle management). The Company develops its offerings based on its customers' workflows, and it sells and delivers them into the industries in which IHS�� customers operate. As of November 30, 2011, HIS focused on five customer workflows: strategy, planning, and analysis; energy technical; product engineering; supply chain, and EHS & sustainability. As of November 30, 2011, it was focused on six verticals: energy and natural resources; Government, defense and security; chemicals; transportation; manufacturing, and technology, media, and telecommunications. In March 2012, the Company acquired Displaybank, a global authority in market research and consulting for the display industry; the Computer Assisted Product Selection (CAPSTM) electronic components database and tools business, including CAPS Expert, from PartMiner Worldwide, and the digital oil and gas pipeline and infrastructure information business from Hild Technology Services. In March 2012, the Company acquired IMS Research. In March 2012, the Company acquired BDW Automotive GmbH. I! n May 2012, it acquired Xedar Corporation, a developer and provider of geospatial information products and services. In July 2012, the Company acquired CyberRegs business from Citation Technologies, Inc. In July 2012, the Company acquired GlobalSpec, Inc. On April 16, 2011, IHS acquired ODS-Petrodata (Holdings) Ltd. ODS-Petrodata is a provider of data, information, and market intelligence to the offshore energy industry. On April 26, 2011, it acquired Dyadem International, Ltd. (Dyadem). Dyadem offers operational risk management and quality risk management solutions. On May 2, 2011, the Company acquired Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI). CMAI is a leading provider of market and business advisory services for the worldwide petrochemical, specialty chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, fibers, and chlor-alkali industries. On August 10, 2011, the Company acquired Seismic Micro-Technology (SMT). SMT offers Windows-based exploration and production software, and its solutions are used by geoscientists worldwide to evaluate potential reservoirs and plan field development. On November 10, 2011, it acquired Purvin & Gertz. Purvin & Gertz is a global advisory and market research firm that provides technical, commercial, and strategic advice to international clients in the petroleum refining, natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and petrochemical industries. Energy and Power IHS covers the technical and economic spectrum of energy and power. Detailed records and forecasts on oil, gas and coal supplies, combined with insights on traditional and emerging energy markets, help enable its customers to make decisions. Its offerings include production information on more than 90 % of the world's oil and gas production in more than 100 countries; oil and gas well data that includes geological information on more than four million current and historic wells worldwide; energy activity data that includes current and future seismic, drilling and development activities in more than 180 countries and 335 hydrocarbon-producing regions worldwide; information and research to develop unconventional hydrocarbon resources-shale gas, coal bed methane and heavy oil; knowledge of energy markets, strategies, industry trends, and companies; information and research summits, such as IHS CERAWeek and the IHS Herold Pacesetters Energy Conference, which offer decision makers the opportunity to interact with its experts, and critical information about analysis of coal, nuclear and renewables, including wind, solar, and hydro power. The Company competes with DrillingInfo, Inc., TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, Accenture, Deloitte, Wood Mackenzie, Ltd., Schlumberger Limited, Halliburton, LMKR and Paradigm Ltd. Design and Supply Chain IHS Design and Supply Chain solutions provide information for customers that allow them to manage a product from conception to research and development to production, maintenance and disposal. It also provides companies access to specifications and standards. The Company�� offerings include market and technology research and analysis; standards management solutions, including more than 370 commercial and military standards and specification publishing organizations; advanced product design and process engineering; strategic product content and supply chain management; environmentally compliant product design; counterfeit part risk mitigation; product performance and cost optimization, and indirect parts and maintenance, repair, and operations logistics, inventory and cash flow optimization tables, including wind, solar, and hydro power. The Company competes with SAI Global and Thomson Reuters Corporation. Defense, Risk and Security IHS delivers open source intelligence in the areas of global defense, risk, and security, including maritime domain awareness. IHS offers open source intelligence solutions for military planners, national security analysts, and defense and maritime industry strategy and planning professionals. The Company�� offerings include military and national security assessments; defense equipment and technology information; defense budgets and procurement forecasting; defense industry trends and analysis; terrorism and insurgency analysis; global commercial ship identification and specifications; live tracking of commercial ship movements; shipping and shipbuilding markets and forecasts, and ports and port security information. The Company competes with McGraw-Hill, Gannett, Forecast International and Control Risks Group. EHS and Sustainability IHS EHS and Sustainability solutions support critical decisions around environmental, health and safety, operational risk, greenhouse gas and energy, product stewardship and corporate responsibility. The Company�� offerings include global and local software implementations; material compliance and lifecycle information content; strategic planning services in greenhouse gas management and cap-and-trade; compliance and verification expertise for local, regional, national, and international EHS and sustainability management system responsibilities, and risk management assessment across a range of industries. The Company competes with SAP and Verisk. Country and Industry Forecasting IHS delivers detailed forecasts and analysis of economic conditions within political, economic, legal, tax, operational, and security environments worldwide. Additionally, IHS provides forecasts, market-sizing, and risk assessments for a number of industries worldwide, including aerospace and defense, agriculture, automotive, chemicals, construction, consumer and retail, energy, finance, government, healthcare and pharmaceutical, military and security, mining and metals, commerce and transport, and telecommunications. Its offerings include in-depth analysis of the business conditions, economic prospects, and risks in more than 200 countries and more than 170 industries; security risk analysis and daily updates on both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and sovereign risk ratings in more than 200 countries; event-driven updates of its risk analysis and ratings; short-, medium- and long-term forecasts for business planning and decision making; historical information since 1970; Deep market intelligence for the automotive, agriculture, chemicals, construction, consumer goods, commerce and transport, energy, financial, healthcare and pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and steel industries; and scenario explorations examining alternative outcomes to the questions impacting global business. The Company competes with Economist Intelligence Unit and Moody's Corporation. Commodities, Pricing and Cost IHS offers information, forecasts, and analysis to help its customers understand the how, when, and what of commodity prices and labor costs. IHS analysts monitor and forecast more than 1,300 global price, wage, and manufacturing costs across the regions for sectors, including energy products, chemicals, steel, nonferrous metals, industrial machinery and equipment, electronic components, paper and packaging, transportation, and building materials. Its offerings include analysis and forecasts for more than 1,300 global price, wage, and manufacturing costs; market intelligence of drivers, assumptions, and risks relating to commodity and service prices; cost and price data with actionable insights; forecasts covering global spot market prices, wages, and material costs; advisory forums to assist in monitoring, forecasting, and managing power and energy portfolio project costs, and consulting capabilities that enable clients to source materials. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca Lipman]

   Provides critical information and insight products and services. Market cap of $5.53B. EPS growth (5-year CAGR) at 22%. According to Morgan Stanley: "Almost 80% of the business is subscription-based, providing high revenue visibility. Customers operate their businesses more effectively with the data and analytics that IHS supplies, and the company has vast databases that would likely be cost-prohibitive and extremely difficult for competitors to reconstruct."

Top 5 Clean Energy Companies To Invest In Right Now: PetroChina Company Limited(PTR)

PetroChina Company Limited produces and distributes oil and gas in the People?s Republic of China. It operates in four segments: Exploration and Production, Refining and Chemicals, Marketing, and Natural Gas and Pipeline. The Exploration and Production segment explores, develops, produces, and markets crude oil and natural gas, oilsands, and coalbed methane. As of December 31, 2010, it had 11,278 million barrels of proved reserves of crude oil; and 65,503 billion cubic feet of proved reserves of natural gas. The Refining and Chemicals segment engages in the refining of crude oil and petroleum products; and production and marketing of petrochemical products, derivative petrochemical products, and other chemical products. This segment?s product line comprises processed crude oil, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, ethylene, synthetic resins, synthetic fiber materials, polymers, synthetic rubber, and urea. The Marketing segment involves in the marketing of refined products and tradi ng businesses. It operated 17,996 service stations. The Natural Gas and Pipeline segment engages in the transmission of natural gas, crude oil, and refined products; and the sale of natural gas. It had a total length of 56,840 kilometers (km) of oil and gas pipelines, including 32,801 km of natural gas pipelines, 14,782 km of crude oil pipelines, and 9,257 km of refined product pipelines. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. PetroChina Company Limited is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Smith]  

  With a market capitalization of $260 billion, PetroChina is at the top of our list. The company has a regular dividend policy and last year's dividend yield was 3%. Its global competitors, such Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), British Petrolum (BP), Chevron Corporation (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM), are competing fiercely. Meanwhile, PetroChina has an almost monopolistic position in China. In the last 10 years, the stock price increased 10-fold, from $15 in 2001 to $150 in 2010. That's a 1000% return within the last 10 years excluding dividends.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.(CLF)

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a mining and natural resources company, produces iron ore pellets, lump and fines iron ore, and metallurgical coal products. The company operates six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota, and eastern Canada; two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia; five metallurgical coal mines located in West Virginia and Alabama; and one thermal coal mine located in West Virginia. It also owns a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine located in Queensland, Australia; and a 30% interest in Amapa, a Brazilian iron ore project in Latin America, as well as chromite properties in Ontario, Canada. The company, formerly known as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc, was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Mora]

  Cliffs Natural Resources provides essential materials to companies participating in a multitude of industries worldwide. The stock has been on a steady decline over the last several years but a recent positive earnings report may possibly fuel a move higher. Earnings and revenue figures have decreased over most of the last four quarters which has not made investors too happy. Relative to its peers and sector, Cliffs Natural Resources has been a year-to-date underperformer. WAIT AND SEE what Cliffs Natural Resources does this coming quarter.

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  It�� impossible to predict stocks with 100 percent accuracy. With that said, based on the current economic environment, downside risk for Cliffs Natural Resources greatly outweighs upside potential. Vale (NYSE:VALE) and BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) are lower-cost producers that are likely to hold up better if the broader market suffers a steep market correction. This situation already occurred in 2008. However, none of these companies are safe plays if the market falters.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Renesola Ltd.(SOL)

ReneSola Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar wafers and solar power products. It offers virgin polysilicons, monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar wafers, and photovoltaic cells and modules. The company also provides cell and module processing services. Its products are used in a range of residential, commercial, industrial, and other solar power generation systems. The company sells its solar wafers primarily to solar cell and module manufacturers. It principally operates in Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Jiashan, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Martin]

  Renesola Ltd.(NYSE: SOL) closing price in the stock market Tuesday, Jan. 3, was $1.61. SOL is trading -6.98% below its 50 day moving average and -45.69% below its 200 day moving average. SOL is -87.85% below its 52-week high of $13.25 and 11.03% above its 52-week low of $1.45. SOL‘s PE ratio is 1.56 and its market cap is $139.77M.

  Renesola Ltd. engages in the manufacture and sale of solar wafers and solar power products together with its subsidiaries. SOL offers virgin polysilicons, monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar wafers, and photovoltaic cells and modules.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  
  

  One under-$10 name that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is ReneSola (SOL), a manufacturer of solar wafers and producer of solar power products based in China. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 183%.

  If you take a look at the chart for ReneSola, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending very strong for the last four months and change, with shares soaring higher from its low of $1.25 to its recent high of $4.85 a share. During that uptrend, shares of SOL have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of SOL have pulled back a bit during the last few weeks, with the stock coming off that high of $4.85 to its recent low of $3.52 a share. This stock has now started to bounce off that $3.52 low and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SOL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.25 to $4.50 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $4.85 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.09 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then SOL will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $7 to $8 a share.

  Traders can look to buy SOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $3.31 a share. One can also buy SOL off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: BP p.l.c.(BP)

BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; midstream transportation, and storage and processing; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power and natural gas liquids (NGL). This segment has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in Asia, Australasia, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing facilities and export terminals; and LNG processing and transportation, as well as NGL extraction facilities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans-Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission sys tem pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment involves in the supply and trading, refining, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers primarily under the BP, Castrol, ARCO, and Aral brands. Its Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources; and engages in shipping activities. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rahemtulla]

  Among the stocks that Bolton favors are Spain's Telefonica (TEF), which has a 7% 2009 yield and 3.8 times dividend cover, and BP, the British oil producer, which has a 6.9% yield and 2.8 times cover. Falling oil prices are an issue for BP, but he thinks it will try to avoid a dividend cut, owing to bad memories of a prior cut in the 1990s.

• [By Victor Mora]

  BP is a provider of essential oil and gas products and services to companies and consumers operating in a wide range of industries around the world. The stock has been in recovery mode over the last few years after suffering heavy selling in 2010 because of the oil spill disaster. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been mixed for the company, regardless, investors have been optimistic about the company. Relative to its peers and sector, BP has been an average performer year-to-date. WAIT AND SEE what BP does in coming quarters.

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  As long as the broader market holds, BP should perform well going forward. If litigation costs exceed expectations, it might lead to a drop in the stock price, but that would only be temporary. Investors would then look at it as something that�� now out of the way, which is always a positive.

• [By Victor Mora]

  BP provides essential energy products to consumers and a wide array of companies that operate in different industries around the world. The stock has suffered in recent times due to the negative press it has experienced from the oil leak incident. However, it is now trying to establish a value range. The two most recent earnings and revenue figures have pleased investors. Relative to its peers and sector, BP has been an average year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what BP does this coming earnings report.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Whitehaven Coal Ltd (WHITF)

Whitehaven Coal Limited (Whitehaven) is engaged in the development and operation of coal mines in New South Wales. During the fiscal year ended 30 June 2012 (fiscal 2012), Whitehaven Coal Limited and its controlled entities continued development at the Narrabri underground mine. The Company operates in two segments: Open Cut Operations and Underground Operations. The Company�� Gunnedah operations include the Tarrawonga (70% owned by Whitehaven), Rocglen (100% owned by Whitehaven), and Sunnyside (100% owned by Whitehaven) open cut mines and the Gunnedah coal handling and preparation plant and train load out facility (CHPP��(100% owned by Whitehaven). The Werris Creek mine is 100% owned by Whitehaven. During fiscal 2012, the Company produced 4.28 million tons per annum of saleable coal. On May 1, 2012, the Company acquired Boardwalk Resources Limited. On May 2, 2012, the Company acquired Aston Resources Limited. On June 20, 2012, it acquired Coalworks Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  OK, so First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF) is a bit of a gamble. But the company, even without Inmet Mining (IEMMF), is a major miner of copper, gold and nickel, and its shares are up 15.6% in the past 12 months as of Dec. 18. My last three stocks on this list, on the other hand, are hated.

  Which, of course, means that they've got tremendous upside if the market simply moves from "hated" to "despised." My first pick is Australian coal producer Whitehaven Coal (WHITF). The only thing more hated than a coal stock -- on falling coal prices and falling demand from everywhere, but especially China -- is an Australian coal stock, to which you can add rising production costs to the list of woes.

  Whitehaven Coal, which owns seven mines (and important railroad infrastructure) in New South Wales, freaked out the market in October, when it said that if coal prices stayed at current low levels, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) would come in at just $50 millionAustralian (that's about $52.4 million in U.S. dollars) for 2013. That was a shock, since the analyst consensus for 2013 EBITDA was then at A$185 million. Since then, though, prices of Australian thermal coal have shown signs of climbing off the floor with reports of increased growth from China. Coal still sells for 27% less than it did a year ago, but the Nov. 30 price of $83.01 per metric ton is an improvement from $81.85 on Oct. 31.

  Whitehaven shares posted a 26.6% gain from a Nov. 16 low through Dec. 19, but they are still well below the highest price of the year.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Atlas Resource Partners LP (ARP)

Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. (Atlas Resource Partners), incorporated on October 13, 2011, is an independent developer and producer of natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL), with operations in basins across the United States. The Company is a sponsor and manager of investment partnerships, in which it co-invests, to finance a portion of its natural gas and oil production activities. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its average daily net production was approximately 77.2 million cubic feet equivalent. On December 20, 2012, it completed the acquisition of DTE Gas Resources, LLC from DTE Energy Company. On September 24, 2012, the Company acquired Equal Energy, Ltd.�� (Equal) remaining 50% interest in approximately 8,500 net undeveloped acres included in the joint venture. On July 26, 2012, it completed the acquisition of Titan Operating, L.L.C. On April 30, 2012, it acquired certain oil and natural gas assets from Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. In April 2012, it acquired a 50% interest in approximately 14,500 net undeveloped acres in the oil and NGL area of the Mississippi Lime play in northwestern Oklahoma.

Through December 31, 2012, the Company owned production positions in the areas of the Barnett Shale and Marble Falls play in the Fort Worth Basin in northern Texas; the Appalachia basin, including the Marcellus Shale and the Utica Shale; the Mississippi Lime and Hunton plays in northwestern Oklahoma, and the Chattanooga Shale in northeastern Tennessee, the Niobrara Shale in northeastern Colorado, the New Albany Shale in southwestern Indiana and the Antrim Shale in Michigan. During 2012, the Company had ownership interests in over 525 wells in the Barnett Shale and Marble Falls play and 569.3 billion cubic feet equivalent of total proved reserves with average daily production of 31.9 million cubic feet equivalent. During 2012, the Company had ownership interests in over 10,200 wells in the Appalachian basin, including approximately 270 wells in the Marcellus Shale and 1! 12.6 billion cubic feet equivalent of total proved reserves with average daily production of 35.6 million cubic feet equivalent. During 2012, it owned 21 billion cubic feet equivalent of total proved reserves with average daily production of 1.9 million cubic feet equivalent in the Mississippi Lime and Hunton plays in northwestern Oklahoma. During 2012, the Company had average daily production of 7.8 million cubic feet equivalent in the Chattanooga Shale in northeastern Tennessee, the Niobrara Shale in northeastern Colorado, the New Albany Shale in southwestern Indiana, and the Antrim Shale in Michigan.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: EcoloCap Solutions Inc (ECOS)

EcoloCap Solutions Inc. (EcoloCap), incorporated on March 18, 2004, is a development stage company. The Company is an integrated network of environmentally focused technology companies that design, develop, manufacture and sell cleaner alternative energy products.

The Company through its subsidiary Micro Bubble Technologies Inc. (MBT), developed and manufactures M-Fuel. The Company also developed the Carbon Nano Tube Battery (CNT-Battery), and the Nano Li- Battery both recyclable, rechargeable batteries. MBT has also developed a process that blends non-miscible liquids (oil and water) on a submicron level in order to create a non-emulsified fuel product that it calls EM-Fuel.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Contango Oil & Gas Co (MCF)

Contango Oil & Gas Company (Contango) is an independent natural gas and oil company. The Company�� core business is to explore, develop, produce and acquire natural gas and oil properties onshore and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico in water-depths of less than 300 feet. Contango Operators, Inc. (COI), its wholly owned subsidiary, acts as operator on its properties.

Offshore Gulf of Mexico Activities

Contango, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, COI and its partially owned affiliate, Republic Exploration LLC (REX), conducts exploration activities in the Gulf of Mexico. COI drills, and operates its wells in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as attends lease sales and acquires leasehold acreage. As of August 24, 2012, the Company's offshore production was approximately 83.5 million cubic feet equivalent per day, net to Contango, which consists of seven federal and five state of Louisiana wells in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These 12 operated wells produce through the four platforms: Eugene Island 24 Platform, Eugene Island 11 Platform, Ship Shoal 263 Platform, Vermilion 170 Platform and Other Activities.

This third-party owned and operated production platform at Eugene Island 24 was designed with a capacity of 100 million cubic feet per day and 3,000 barrels of oil per day. This platform services production from the Company�� Dutch #1, #2 and #3 federal wells. From this platform, the gas flows through an American Midstream pipeline into a third-party owned and operated on-shore processing facility at Burns Point, Louisiana, and the condensate flows through an ExxonMobil pipeline to on-shore markets and multiple refineries. As of August 24, 2012, it was producing approximately 22.5 million cubic feet equivalent per day, net to Contango, from this platform. The Company finished laying six inches auxiliary flowlines from the Dutch #1, #2, and #3 wells to its Eugene Island 11 Platform and is in the process of redirecting production from the Eugene Island 24! Platform to the Eugene Island 11 Platform.

The Company�� Company-owned and operated platform at Eugene Island 11 was designed with a capacity of 500 million cubic feet equivalent per day and 6,000 barrels of oil per day. These platforms service production from the Company�� five Mary Rose wells, which are all located in state of Louisiana waters, as well as its Dutch #4 and Dutch #5 wells, which are both located in federal waters. From these platforms, it can flow its gas to an American Midstream pipeline through its eight inches pipeline and from there to a third-party owned and operated on-shore processing facility at Burns Point, Louisiana. It can flow its condensate through an ExxonMobil pipeline to on-shore markets and multiple refineries.

The Company�� gas and condensate can flow to its Eugene Island 63 auxiliary platform through its 20 inches pipeline, which has been designed with a capacity of 330 million cubic feet equivalent per day and 6,000 barrels of oil per day, and from there to third-party owned and operated on-shore processing facilities near Patterson, Louisiana, through an ANR pipeline. As of August 24, 2012, it was producing approximately 44.6 million cubic feet equivalent per day, net to Contango, from this platform.

The Company�� owned and operated platform at Ship Shoal 263 was designed with a capacity of 40 million cubic feet equivalent per day and 5,000 barrels of oil per day. This platform services natural gas and condensate production from our Nautilus well, which flows through the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline to onshore processing plants. As of August 24, 2012, it was producing approximately 3.0 million cubic feet equivalent per day, net to Contango, from this platform. As of June 30, 2012, the Company owed a 100% working interest and 80% net revenue interest in this well and platform.

The Company�� owned and operated platform at Vermilion 170 was designed with a capacity of 60 million cubic feet equivalent per ! day and 2! ,000 barrels of oil per day. This platform services natural gas and condensate production from its Swimmy well, which flows through the Sea Robin Pipeline to onshore processing plants. As of August 24, 2012, it was producing approximately 13.4 million cubic feet equivalent per day, net to Contango, from this platform.

On July 10, 2012, the Company spud its South Timbalier 75 prospect (Fang) with the Spartan 303 rig. It has a 100% working interest in this wildcat exploration prospect. On July 3, 2012, the Company spud its Ship Shoal 134 prospect (Eagle) with the Hercules 205 rig. The Company purchased the deep mineral rights on Ship Shoal 134 from an independent third-party. It has a 100% working interest in this wildcat exploration prospect. On December 21, 2011, the Company purchased an additional 3.66% working interest (2.67% net revenue interest) in Mary Rose #5 (previously Eloise North). The Company has a 47.05% working interest (38.1% net revenue interest) in Dutch #5.

Offshore Properties

During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), State Lease 19396 expired and was returned to the state of Louisiana. As of August 24, 2012, the interests owned by Contango through its affiliated entities in the Gulf of Mexico, which were capable of producing natural gas or oil included Eugene Island 10 #D-1, Eugene Island 10 #E-1, Eugene Island 10 #F-1, Eugene Island 10 #G-1, Eugene Island 10 #I-1, S-L 18640 #1, S-L 19266 #1, S-L 19266 #2, S-L 18860 #1, S-L 19266 #3 and S-L 19261, Ship Shoal 263, Vermilion 170 and West Delta 36. As of August 24, 2012, interests owned by Contango through its related entities in leases in the Gulf of Mexico included Eugene Island 11, East Breaks 369, South Timbalier 97, Ship Shoal 121, Ship Shoal 122, Brazos Area 543, Ship Shoal 134 and South Timbalier 75.

Onshore Exploration and Properties

As of August 24, 2012, the Company had invested in Alta Energy Canada Partnership (Alta Energy) to purchase over! 60,000 a! cres in the Kaybob Duvernay. Contango has a 2% interest in Alta Energy and a 5% interest in the Kaybob Duvernay project. On April 9, 2012, the Company announced that through its wholly owned subsidiary, Contaro Company, it had entered into a Limited Liability Company Agreement (the LLC Agreement) to form Exaro Energy III LLC (Exaro). The Company owns approximately a 45% interest in Exaro. Exaro has entered into an Earning and Development Agreement (the EDA Agreement) with Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. (Encana) to provide funding to continue the development drilling program in a defined area of Encana�� Jonah field asset located in Sublette County, Wyoming.

As of June 30, 2012, the Exaro-Encana venture had three rigs drilling, has completed five wells and achieved first production. As of August 24, 2012, the Company had invested to lease approximately 25,000 acres in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS), a shale play in central Louisiana and Mississippi.