Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014

There were several important developments over the weekend that could influence the activity at the start of the new week.

First, Australia drove out the Labor government, with its largely self-inflicted wounds, and gave the Liberal/National coalition what appears to be the largest parliamentary majority since 1996. The new government is committed to cutting spending and taxes, especially the carbon/mining levies. This potential, coupled with what many see as a shift in the central bank's stance, is creating an attractive opportunity for investors. The calculus for direct investment in the mining sector may change and the rise in interest rates is creating interesting carry opportunities. The one-year note offered the best yield in nearly two months (~2.5%) on the eve of the election and the Australian dollar had its highest close since Aug. 9. The speculative community is short, leaving room for a further short squeeze.

Second, China reported a larger-than-expected August trade surplus of $28.6 billion (vs. consensus estimate of ~$20 billion). Exports rose 7.2% from a year ago (vs. consensus estimate of 6%), while imports rose 7% (vs. consensus 11.3%). Export strength as seen in electronics, textiles and machinery. Exports to ASEAN countries rose 30.8% (year over year). Exports to the U.S. rose 6.1% (compared with 5.3% in July). Exports to the EU rose 2.5%, roughly the same as the July pace and consistent with the modest recovery seen in the PMI data. On the other hand, exports to Japan slowed for the seventh consecutive month.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Altec Holdings SA (AXY)

Altec Holdings SA the parent company of Altec Group, is a Greece-based company engaged in the information technology and telecommunications fields. The Company's range of activities includes the manufacture, import, export, trade, distribution, leasing and support of computers and telecommunication materials, as well as the design, production, development, import, export, leasing and trading of software for computers and electronic cash registers. Its hardware products include a range of personal computers, servers and related equipment. Its software products include systems for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, accounting, human resource management, payroll and data warehousing, insurance brokerage software and equipment for call centers. It operates a retail network under the brand Microland. The Company has established subsidiaries in Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday, small cap geothermal stock U.S. Geothermal Inc (NYSEMKT: HTM) produced a geyser of a return when it surged 26.79%, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock verses the performance of other geothermal stocks like small cap Ormat Technologies, Inc (NYSE: ORA) and mid cap Calpine Corporation (NYSE: CPN).�First of all, I should mention there are some other geothermal stocks out there like Alterra Power Corp (CVE: AXY) and Ram Power Corp (TSE: RPG) who have their primary listing on Canadian exchanges with secondary ones on the OTC���meaning they may not be a good deal for American investors or easy to invest in. Second, U.S. Geothermal Inc itself is a good geothermal proxy as its�focused on developing, owning, and operating clean, sustainable electric power from geothermal energy resources and its�operating geothermal power projects at Neal Hot Springs, Oregon; San Emidio, Nevada; and Raft River, Idaho plus El Ceibillo, an advanced stage, geothermal prospect located within a 24,710 acre energy rights concession area near Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: ENGlobal Corporation (ENG)

ENGlobal Corporation provides engineering and professional services principally to the energy sector in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Engineering and Construction, and Automation. The Engineering and Construction segment offers services relating to the development, management, and execution of projects requiring professional engineering and related project services primarily to the midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry, as well as to chemical and petrochemical manufacturers, utilities, and alternative energy developers. Its services include conceptual studies, project definition, cost estimating, engineering design, environmental compliance, material procurement, project management, facility inspection, and construction management. This segment also provides engineering, design, electrical and instrument installation, and operation and maintenance services for facilities to government, public sector, and internat ional facilities. The Automation segment offers services related to the design, fabrication, and implementation of process distributed control and analyzer systems, advanced automation, information technology, and heat tracing projects primarily to the upstream and downstream sectors. This segment also designs, assembles, integrates, and services control and instrumentation systems for specific applications in energy and processing related industries. ENGlobal Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

   

  ENGlobal (ENG) provides engineering and professional services principally to the energy sector in the U.S. and internationally. This stock closed up 9% to $1.60 in Thursday's trading session.

   

  Thursday's Range: $1.48-$1.63
  
  52-Week Range: $0.30-$1.88
  
  Thursday's Volume: 245,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 59,090

   

  From a technical perspective, ENG spiked sharply higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $1.50 with above-average volume. This move pushed shares of ENG into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $1.59. Shares of ENG are now starting to move within range of triggering another near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ENG manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.66 to $1.71 with high volume.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ENG as long as it's trending above Thursday's low of $1.48 or above more support at $1.40 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 59,090 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ENG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $1.88. Any high-volume move above that level will then give ENG a chance to tag $2 to $2.20.

   

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  
  The Rise and Fall of Tontine Asset Management and ENGlobal (ENG)

  
  Gendell rarely conducted interviews, almost never publicizing his stock selections or his theories in regard to investing. The average investor had never heard of him or his hedge fund; however anyone who tracked money managers closely, was well aware the outstanding returns which were flowing into the pockets of the clients at Tontine. In 2003 and 2004, Gendell recorded near miraculous gains, approximately doubling the value of his portfolios, in back to back years.

5 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Carrefour SA (CRERF)

Carrefour SA is a France-based company that is primarily engaged in retail distribution sector. The Company operates a network of hypermarkets, supermarkets, hard discount stores, convenience stores and cash-and-carry outlets and offers e-commerce services. The Company's hypermarkets named Carrefour offer a range of food and non-food products. Carrefour SA�� hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores are operating under the Carrefour city, Carrefour contact, Carrefour express, 8aHuit, Shopi, Marche Plus, Proxi banners and cash & carry stores are operating under the Promocash banner, which primarily offer food, clothing and household goods, among others. The Company operates in mainland France and French overseas territories, as well as in Europe, Asia, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East through a network of consolidated and franchised stores, and stores that Carrefour SA runs with partner companies. In January 2014, it acquired 129 convenience stores. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sophia Yan]

  Carrefour (CRERF) has also shuttered many stores, and is reported to be exploring a sale of its China and Taiwan businesses.

  Hypermarkets -- big box stores that combine supermarkets and department stores -- first opened up in China's largest cities over a decade ago. And it's no wonder companies such as Wal-Mart have been keen to get a slice of the market.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Intevac Inc.(IVAC)

Intevac, Inc. provides process manufacturing equipment solutions to the hard disk drive industry, and process manufacturing equipment and inspection solutions to the photovoltaic industry. The company operates in two segments, Equipment and Intevac Photonics. The Equipment segment designs, develops, and markets magnetic disks; hard disk drive equipment products, including disk sputtering and disk lubrication systems; technology upgrades; and spare parts and consumables, as well as installation, maintenance, and repair services. This segment also offers capital equipment for the photovoltaic solar manufacturing industry. The Intevac Photonics segment develops, manufactures, and sells digital-optical products for the capture and display of low-light images and materials identification used in military aircraft, ground vehicles, ground soldier head-mounted, and weapon-mounted applications. This segment also provides sensors, cameras, and systems for military applications; Ram an spectrometer table-top and handheld systems for use in forensics, homeland security, geology, gemology, medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial quality assurance applications; and low-light cameras for industrial inspection, bio-medical, and scientific applications. The company sells its products through direct sales force, system integrators, distributors, and value added resellers in the United States, Asia, Europe, and rest of world. Intevac, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Intevac (IVAC) provides process manufacturing equipment solutions to the hard disk drive industry and high-productivity process manufacturing equipment and inspection solutions to the photovoltaic industry. This stock closed up 8.5% to $6.74 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $6.23-$6.75
  
  52-Week Range: $4.06-$6.80
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 263,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 140,032

  From a technical perspective, IVAC soared higher here right off some near-term support at $6.25 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last three months, with shares moving higher from its low of $4.31 to its recent high of $6.80. During that move, shares of IVAC have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of IVAC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if IVAC manages to take out its 52-week high at $6.80 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in IVAC as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $6.25 or at $5.92 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $6.80 with volume that hits near or above 140,032 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then IVAC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at $8 to $8.37. Any high-volume move above those levels will then put $9 to $9.36 within range for shares of IVAC.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: American Railcar Industries Inc.(ARII)

American Railcar Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells hopper and tank railcars in North America. Its Manufacturing Operations segment manufactures general service and specialty hopper railcars that are used to transport, load, and unload grains, cement, plastic pallets, and bulk products, as well as to transport heavy ore mineral loads; and non-pressure and high pressure tank railcars used to handle various commodities, including petroleum products, ethanol, asphalt, vegetable oil, corn syrup, other food products, chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, liquid propane, and butane. This segment also manufactures custom and standard railcar components that comprise tank railcar components and valves, tank heads, discharge outlets for hopper railcars, manway covers and valve body castings, outlet components and running boards for industrial and railroad customers, and hitches for the intermodal market; and aluminum and special alloy steel castings for the trucking, construc tion, mining, and oil and gas exploration markets, as well as finished machined aluminum castings and other custom machined products. The company?s Railcar Services segment provides repair and refurbishment services that include full cleaning, interior and exterior coating, heavy repair/rebuilding, and non-destructive testing; engineering services, such as failure analysis, retrofit drawings, procedure preparation, regulatory compliance assistance, trouble shooting, and railcar inspections; and fleet management services comprising maintenance planning, project management, tracking and tracing, regulatory compliance, mileage audit, rolling stock taxes, and online service access. It sells its products through catalogs and sales force to leasing, industrial, and other non-rail companies, as well as to railroads. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri. As of January 15, 2010, American Railcar Industries, Inc. operates as subsidiary of Icah n Enterprises L.P.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Divine]

  Finally, shares of American Railcar Industries, (NASDAQ: ARII  ) , which makes, services, and leases railcars, shed 4.9% on Thursday. Of the 15 publicly traded railroad stocks in the U.S., 13 fell today, though American Railcar Industries' investors took the worst hit. The Surface Transportation Board held a two-day hearing this week on the issue of competitive switching, which the National Industrial Transportation League said would increase competition. Investors didn't see the merit in the proposal, which could hurt the $1.4 billion American Railcar Industries. McDonald's has issues defending itself at the top of the food chain, but J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP  ) would kill to have those dilemmas. "Mo' money, mo' problems" doesn't apply to the corporate world, where companies tend to run across mo' problems in the very effort to acquire mo' money. Even though J.C. Penney doesn't have much money -- it has "liquidity concerns" in Wall Street-speak -- the stock tacked on 2.3% today. The retailer is in much better shape than it was last year after raising cash, taking out a $2.25 billion loan, and closing locations, but my colleague Adam Levine-Weinberg thinks J.C. Penney may need to issue more shares to meet its cash goals in 2014.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Bullish economic news helped the Dow finally hold onto the 16,000 level at the end of the day, even after three previous forays had failed to result in a close above that figure. Even amid the general enthusiasm over stocks as the year draws to a close, GameStop (NYSE: GME  ) , American Railcar Industries (NASDAQ: ARII  ) , and Tower Group International (NASDAQ: TWGP  ) all fell sharply. Let's figure out why these stocks dropped so badly and what their moves could mean for the broader market.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on American Railcar Industries (Nasdaq: ARII  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Prosensa Holding NV (RNA)

Prosensa Holding N.V., formerly Prosensa Holding B.V., is a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of ribonucleic acid-modulating (RNA)-modulating, therapeutics for the treatment of genetic disorders. The Company�� primary focus is on rare neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders with a large unmet medical need, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy and Huntington�� disease. The Company�� clinical portfolio of RNA-based product candidates is focused on the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The Company�� platform technology allows the development of RNA-modulating therapeutics that either interferes with splicing (exon skipping, exon inclusion, or splice mutation correction), remove mutant RNA, or block RNA expression, for different indications.

DMD is a rare, severe muscle wasting disease that occurs in up to 1 in 3,500 male births. It is commonly diagnosed between the ages of three to five, when boys begin to show signs of impaired motor development. PRO044, the Company�� product candidate, addresses a separate sub-population of DMD patients. The Company developed PRO044 using its exon-skipping technology to generate a product candidate with the same mechanism of action that is used by drisapersen.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Anybody who knows at least something about Prosensa Holding NV (NASDAQ:RNA) will at least know the stock turned into a disaster a few weeks ago, plunging from a close of $24.00 on September 19th to a close of $7.14 on September 20th, thanks to the failure of its MS drug drisapersen, which was jointly developed with GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK). Such is the life of a company with only one drug anywhere close to being approved; drisapersen was in Phase 3 trials - RNA shares could have just as easily gained 70% rather than lost 70% had the drug worked.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Xerium Technologies Inc.(XRM)

Xerium Technologies, Inc. manufactures and supplies consumable products used in the production of paper clothing and roll covers primarily in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Clothing and Roll Covers. The Clothing segment provides various types of industrial textiles used on paper-making machines and other industrial applications. This segment offers forming fabrics, press felts, and dryer fabrics; and fabrics used in other industrial applications, such as pulp, steel, plastics, leather, and textiles manufacturing. The Roll Covers segment manufactures, refurbishes, and replaces roll covers for working rolls, including vacuum rolls and press rolls; calendar rolls; and coater rolls that are used on paper-making machines. This segment also refurbishes previously installed roll covers; provides mechanical maintenance and repair services for the internal mechanisms of rolls used on paper-making machines; and manufactures a nd repairs spreader rolls. The company markets its products through its direct sales force under Huyck Wangner, Weavexx, Stowe Woodward, Mount Hope, Robec, and Xibe brand names. Xerium Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One cyclical consumer goods player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Xerium Technologies (XRM), a manufacturer and supplier of two types of consumable products, clothing and roll covers, used mainly in the production of paper. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 313%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Xerium Technologies, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $9.94 to its recent high of $12.97 a share. During that uptrend, shares of XRM have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of XRM within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in XRM if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $12.97 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 action of 100,685 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then XRM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $14.04 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then give XRM a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $18 to $20 a share.

  Traders can look to buy XRM off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $12.28, or near its 50-day at $11.35 a share. One can also buy XRM off strength once it takes out $12.97 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: China Unicom (CHU)

China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited (Unicom), incorporated on February 8, 2000, is an integrated telecommunications operator in China providing mobile voice and value-added, fixed-line voice and fixed-line broadband, data communications and other telecommunications services to its customers. The Company operates in two business segments consisting of mobile services and fixed-line services. The Company is engaged in global system for mobile communications (GSM) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) cellular business in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, the provision of fixedline voice, broadband and other Internet-related services, information and communications technology services, business and data communications services, and other related telecommunication value-added businesses. As of 30 June 2011, Unicom Group held 57.81% of the shares in the Company through China United Network Communications Limited (A Share Company), China Unicom (BVI) Limited and China Netcom Group Corporation (BVI) Limited, and Telefonica Internacional S.A.U. held 9.01% of the shares in the Company.

Mobile Business

Unicom�� mobile business consists of GSM and third generation (3G) mobile business. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had a total of 167.43 million mobile subscribers. As of December 31, 2010, its total number of mobile subscribers included 167.43 million. Unicom operates the 3G business based on the WCDMA technology nationwide in China. As of December 31, 2010, the total number of its 3G subscribers included 14.06 million, and had 1.35 million wireless data card subscribers, 2.41 million mobile television (TV) subscribers and over seven million mobile reading subscribers. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the total 3G voice usage was 55.47 billion minutes and the average data usage per subscriber per month was 178M. GSM mobile business primarily consists of GSM voice business and value-added business.

The Company�� mobile ! voice business enables its subscribers to make and receive phone calls with a mobile handset at any point within the coverage area of its mobile telecommunications networks. Its mobile voice business includes local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, inter-provincial roaming and international roaming. As of December 31, 2010, the Company�� total number of GSM mobile subscribers was 153.37 million. Unicom offers a range of GSM value-added services nationwide, including short message service (SMS), Cool Ringtone (a personalized ring-back tone service), mobile Internet and other wireless information services. During 2010, a total of 78.31 billion SMSs were transmitted by its GSM mobile subscribers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had a total number of 67.26 million subscribers to its Cool Ringtone service. In addition, as of December 31, 2010, it had a total number of 55.81 million mobile Internet subscribers.

Fixed-Line Business

Unicom is a fixed-line broadband and communications operator in northern China. The Company offers a range of fixed-line services nationwide in China, including fixed-line broadband services and data communications services; fixed-line voice services, include local and long distance fixed-line voice services and value-added services, and other services. The Company is a provider of fixed-line broadband services in its fixed-line northern service region. Unicom is a provider of data communications services in its fixed-line northern service region. It offers managed data products, such as those based on digital data networks (DDN), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and Internet protocol-virtual private network (IP-VPN). The Company also offers leased line products, including domestic and international leased circuits. Its customers for these services include government entities, large financial institutions and other domestic and multinational businesses, Internet service prov! iders and! other telecommunications operators.

As of December 31, 2010, the Company had established business cooperation relationships with more than 160 overseas operators to provide various international data communications products and services, such as international voice and data services. During 2010, it continued to offer full-scale data communications services to international operators and domestic and international corporate customers. The Company�� fixed-line voice services consist of local voice, domestic long distance, international long distance, value-added, interconnection and personal handyphone system (PHS) services. In addition to fixed-line telephone voice services, it offers a range of value-added services on its fixed-line networks. The Company�� fixed-line, value-added services include Personalized Ring and caller identification services. Personalized Ring services enable its fixed-line subscribers to personalize the ring-back tone for incoming calls. As of December 31, 2010, the number of its Personalized Ring subscribers reached 23.79 million.

Interconnection and Roaming Arrangements

The Company earns interconnection fees for terminating or transiting calls that originate from other domestic telecommunications operators��networks and pay interconnection fees to other operators for calls originating from its networks that are terminated on their networks. It earns and pays such fees in respect of mobile calls, local and domestic and international long distance calls and Internet services, except for the interconnection by fixed-line subscribers calling its mobile subscribers in the same region where no interconnection fee will be charged.

The Company provides roaming services, which allow its subscribers to access its mobile services while they are physically outside of their registered service area or in the coverage areas of other mobile networks in other countries and regions with which it has roaming arrangements. As of April 30! , 2011, U! nicom had roaming arrangements for GSM international voice and SMS services with 242 operators in 521 countries and regions; GPRS international inbound data services with 179 operators in 400 countries and regions and for international GPRS outbound data services with 164 operators in 357 countries and regions, and 3G services with 104 WCDMA operators in 245 countries and regions.

Mobile Networks

The Company�� mobile network consists of cell sites, which are physical locations, each equipped with a base station that houses transmitters, receivers and other equipment used to communicate through radio channels with subscribers��mobile handsets within the range of a cell; base station controllers, which connect to, and control, the base stations, and mobile switching centers, which control the base station controllers and the routing of telephone calls. Its mobile network also consists of a transmission network, which links the mobile switching centers, base station controllers, base stations and the public switched telephone network. It has deployed GSM and WCDMA mobile networks. The Company�� GSM mobile network mainly operates at 900 megahertz. It has also deployed GSM technology that operates at 1,800 megahertz in metropolitan areas to supplement the capacity of its existing mobile network. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had approximately 329,000 GSM base stations.

The Company competes with China Mobile and China Telecom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Goldman]

  Until now, Apple had sold the iPhone there through China Mobile's much-smaller competitors, China Unicom (CHU)and China Telecom (CHA), which have about 425 million subscribers between them.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  HONG KONG (MarketWatch)-- Hong Kong stocks rose early Thursday, as China Mobile Ltd. shined on news of iPhone pre-orders hitting 1 million units. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) added 0.6% to 23,032.09. Market heavyweight China Mobile (HK:941) (CHL) rallied 0.9%, as the world's largest mobile carrier said it has received more than 1 million pre-orders for the iPhone before it goes on sale in the carrier's stores on Friday, at a time when Apple Inc. (AAPL) Chief Executive Tim Cook visited Beijing for future cooperation between the two giants. Telecom equipment shares also advanced, with ZTE Corp. (HK:763) (ZTCOF) rising 1.2%. Meanwhile, China Mobile's smaller rivals slipped, as China Unicom (HK:762) (CHU) dropped 0.7%, and China Telecom (HK:738) (CNCT) fell 0.5%. China South City Holdings (HK:1668) , a developer of logistics and trade centers, surged 56%, after the company announced that Internet giant Tencent Holdings (HK:700) (TCTZF) would invest about 1.5 billion Hong Kong dollars ($195 million) for an almost 10% stake in the developer in order to expand their business online, including e-commerce and online payment services. Tencent Holdings (HK:700)

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Select Sector Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF)

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Financial Select Sector of the S&P 500 Index (the Index). The Index includes financial service firms with diversified business lines ranging from investment management to commercial and investment banking.

The Fund utilizes a passive or indexing investment approach to invest in a portfolio of stocks that seek to replicate the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is SSgA Funds Management, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Ciovacco]

  We can learn much about the market's conviction during an advance by scanning the sector leadership lists. If Wednesday's pop in stocks was led by defensive consumer staples (XLP), utilities (XLU) and healthcare (XLV), it would have cast serious doubt on the sustainability of the rally. That is not what we saw. The sectors providing leadership after the debt deal was announced were economically sensitive energy (XLE) and financials (XLF). Some big-name investors have mentioned valuations as a driver of interest in energy stocks. From Forbes:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  As the financial sector began to heal in 2012, it was reflected in the price of stocks ��the Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) increased 31% over the past year, more than doubling from its 2009 lows. It also catapulted Berkowitz�� fund to the top-performing percentile of mutual funds this year.

• [By Charley Blaine]

  The Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLF) exchange-traded fund is up 4.86%, tops among ETFs that mimic the sectors of the S&P 500. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (NYSE: KRE) is up 7.1 percent this month.

Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: American States Water Co (AWR)

American States Water Company (AWR), incorporated on February 25, 1998, is the parent company of Golden State Water Company (GSWC) and American States Utility Services, Inc. (ASUS) and its subsidiaries (Fort Bliss Water Services Company (FBWS), Terrapin Utility Services, Inc. (TUS), Old Dominion Utility Services, Inc. (ODUS), Palmetto State Utility Services, Inc. (PSUS) and Old North Utility Services, Inc. (ONUS)). AWR operates in three segments: water, electric and contracted services. Within the segments, AWR has two principal business units, water and electric service utility operations, conducted through GSWC, and contracted services conducted through ASUS and its subsidiaries.

GSWC is a California public utility company engaged principally in the purchase, production and distribution of water in 75 communities in 10 counties in the State of California. GSWC also provides electric service to the City of Big Bear Lake and surrounding areas in San Bernardino County, California through its Bear Valley Electric Service (BVES) division. GSWC served 255,657 water customers and 23,379 electric customers as of December 31, 2012. ASUS, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, has contracted with the United States government to provide water and/or wastewater services at various military installations, including the operation, maintenance, renewal and replacement of the water and/or wastewater systems, pursuant to 50-year firm, fixed-price contracts. As of December 31, 2012, GSWC�� physical properties consisted of water transmission and distribution systems which included 2,786 miles of pipeline together with services, meters and fire hydrants and approximately 425 parcels of land.

As of December 31, 2012, GSWC owned 244 wells, of which 188 are active operable wells equipped with pumps with an aggregate production capacity of approximately 202.7 million gallons per day. GSWC has 63 connections to the water distribution facilities of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern Cali! fornia (MWD), and other municipal water agencies. GSWC�� storage reservoirs and tanks have an aggregate capacity of approximately 111 million gallons. GSWC owns no dams. GSWC�� electric properties are located in the Big Bear area of San Bernardino County, California. As of December 31, 2012, GSWC owned and operated 29.6 miles of overhead 34.5 kilovolt transmission lines, 1.4 mile of underground 34.5 kilovolt transmission lines, 179.6 miles of 4.16 kilovolt or 2.4 kilovolt distribution lines, 53.2 miles of underground cable, 13 sub-stations and a natural gas-fueled 8.4 megawatt peaking generation facility. GSWC also has franchises, easements and other rights of way for the purpose of constructing and using poles, wires and other appurtenances for transmitting electricity.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  On Tuesday, analysts at Brean Capital upgraded American States Water Co (AWR), as they now believe the shares have reached an attractive entry point.

  The analysts upgraded AWR from “Hold” to “Buy” and see shares reaching $28. This price target suggests an 11% upside to the stock’s Monday closing price of $25.22.

  Brean Capital analyst Michael Gaugler said, “The shares have fallen to a price level that we now consider attractive, and our sum-of-the-parts valuation indicates fair value is $28 based on our 2014 EPS forecasts. We recommend investors begin accumulating positions under the $25.50 price level to allow sufficient (10%) upside (excluding dividends) to our target price.”

  “We acknowledge that the current environment for utility stocks in terms of interest rate impacts is less than ideal. However, we note the shares of AWR (and our other utility coverage names) have traded at higher P/E multiples when the general level of interest rates was much higher. We see the impact of higher rates as short term and negligible, particularly when we look closely at AWR’s ability to continue to raise its dividend payout versus the peer group by using free cash flow from the ASUS business,” Gaugler added.

  American States Water shares were up 72 cents, or 2.85%, during early morning trading on Tuesday. The stock is up 8% year-to-date.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Debt is another big concern in the utility sector. In order to expand and maintain its existing network of pipes and sewers, American Water and its peers have had to take on a significant amount of debt. American Water Works, for example, carries $5.6 billion in net debt on its balance sheet, but has brought in close to $1 billion in operating cash flow over the trailing-12-month period. By comparison, California's American States Water (NYSE: AWR  ) only has $303 million in net debt but generated only $106 million in operating cash flow over the past 12 months. American States may be in better financial shape than American Water Works with regard to debt to equity, but it doesn't have nearly the same bargaining or expansionary power.

• [By Richard Band]

  American States Water (AWR) provides water service to one of 36 Californians throughout the northern, coastal and southern regions of the state.

  In their recent earnings report, AWR showed an 11.1% increase in diluted earnings per share, but revenues fell short of analyst estimates by 2% due to an increase in the effective income tax rate for the company’s water segment.

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  If you're buying a stock for income, note that, along with how much money you expect it to kick off. That way you can look back years from now and really appreciate something like an American States Water (NYSE: AWR) pick, which has increased its dividend for 59 years.