Toward the end of trading Wednesday, the Dow traded up 1.55 percent to 16,123.82 while the NASDAQ gained 0.82 percent to 4,057.99. The S&P also rose, gaining 1.42 percent to 1,805.67.
Top Headline
The long awaited FOMC statement was finally delivered today, with the Federal Reserve deciding to Taper quantitative easing to a pace of $75 billion a month, with monthly purchases dropping from $45 billion to $40 billion a month.
This comes on the heels of a strong jobs report and continued strength in the housing sector.
The news sent commodities like gold and silver into a series of radical whip-saws as liquidity plummeted, while the major indices dipped briefly before staging a large rally.
Singapore Airlines Limited is a passenger air transportation company. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, is engaged in passenger and cargo air transportation, engineering services, training of pilots, air charters and tour wholesaling and related activities. The Company consists of 101 aircrafts. The Company operates in four segments: airline operations, cargo operations, engineering services and others. The Company's subsidiaries are SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC), SIA Cargo and SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited (SilkAir). Effective December 24, 2013, Singapore Airlines Ltd, a unit of Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd, raised its interest to 40.004% from 32.67% by acquiring a 7.334% interest in Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd from Dahlia Investments Ptye Ltd and Aranda Investments Pte Ltd.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Bruce Kennedy]
Business travel columnist Joe Brancatelli reports the world's longest non-stop commercial route, the Singapore Airlines (OTC: SINGY) 18-hour, business class-only flight between Newark, N.J. and Singapore, will end on Saturday. The airline also retired the world's second-longest non-stop flight, Los Angeles-to-Singapore, last month.
Top US Companies To Own In Right Now: Ametek Inc (AME)
AMETEK, Inc. (AMETEK), incorporated in 1930, is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The Company markets its products worldwide through two groups: the Electronic Instruments Group (EIG) and the Electromechanical Group (EMG). EIG builds monitoring, testing, calibration and display devices for the process, aerospace, industrial, power and medical markets. EMG produces engineered electromechanical connectors for hermetic (moisture-proof) applications, specialty metals for niche markets and brushless air-moving motors, blowers and heat exchangers. End markets include aerospace, defense, mass transit, medical, office products and other industrial markets. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired Powervar, a provider of power management systems and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. In January 2014, the Company acquired Teseq Group. In February 2014, the Company acquired VTI Instruments.
The Electronic Instruments Group
EIG consists of a group of differentiated businesses. EIG manufactures instruments used for testing, monitoring, calibration and display for the process, aerospace, industrial and power markets. EIG is specialized in the markets it serves, including aerospace engine sensors, heavy-vehicle instrument panels, analytical instrumentation, level measurement products, power instruments and pressure gauges. It has joint venture operations in China, Taiwan and Japan. EIG had 56 operating facilities: 35 in the United States, seven in the United Kingdom, five in Germany, three in France, two in Switzerland and one each in Argentina, Austria, Canada and Denmark, as of December 31, 2011. EIG also shares operating facilities with EMG in China and Mexico.
Process and analytical measurement and analysis instruments include oxygen, moisture, combustion and liquid analyzers; emission monitors; spectrometers; mechanical and electronic ! pressure sensors and transmitters; radiation measurement devices; level measurement devices; precision pumping systems, and force-measurement and materials testing instrumentation. EIG�� focus is on the process industries, including oil, gas and petrochemical refining, power generation, specialty gas production, water and waste treatment, natural gas distribution and semiconductor manufacturing. AMETEK�� analytical instruments are also used for precision measurement in a number of other applications including radiation detection for the United States Department of Homeland Security, materials analysis, nanotechnology research and other test and measurement applications.
TMC serves the manufacturers of life sciences, photonics and semiconductor equipment with a range of custom active piezoelectric vibration cancellation systems, based on their patented active piezo technology. TMC also supplies passive vibration cancellation systems, optical test tables, acoustic isolation hoods and magnetic isolation hoods. Reichert Technologies provides high-technology instruments used by ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians for vision correction and the screening and diagnosis of eye diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC (Atlas) has products, which include weather exposure test systems, corrosion-testing instruments, specialty lighting systems, and large-scale weathering test chambers. In addition, Atlas offers indoor laboratory and outdoor testing services, photovoltaic and solar testing and consulting. AMETEK�� power businesses provide analytical instruments, uninterruptible power supply systems and programmable power supplies used in a range of industrial settings. EIG designs and manufactures power measurement and recording instrumentation used by the electric power and manufacturing industries. Those products include power transducers and meters, event and transient recorders, annunciators and alarm monitoring systems us! ed to mea! sure, monitor and record variables in the transmission and distribution of electric power.
EIG�� Solidstate Controls business designs and manufactures uninterruptible power supply systems for the process and power generation industries. EIG also manufactures sensor systems for land-based gas turbines and for boilers and burners used by the utility, petrochemical, process and marine industries worldwide. EIG�� programmable power business provides programmable alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power sources. EM Test provides equipment used to perform electrical immunity and electromagnetic compatibility testing. EM Test manufactures a full line of conducted electromagnetic compatibility test equipment, including electrical fast transient generators, electrostatic discharge simulators, surge generators, waveform simulators and multifunctional generators.
Aerospace products include airborne data systems; turbine engine temperature measurement products; vibration-monitoring systems; indicators; displays; fuel and fluid measurement products; sensors; switches; cable harnesses, and transducers. EIG serves all segments of commercial aerospace, including helicopters, business jets, commuter aircraft and commercial airliners, as well as the military market. Its customers are the producers of airframes and jet engines and other aerospace system integrators. The Company also serves the commercial aerospace aftermarket with spare part sales and repair and overhaul services.
Electromechanical Group
EMG provides engineered motors, blowers, fans, heat exchangers, connectors, and other electromechanical products or systems for commercial and military aerospace applications, defense, medical equipment, business machines, computers and other power or industrial applications. EMG had 58 operating facilities: 34 in the United States, nine in the United Kingdom, three in France, two each in China, Czech Republic, Italy and Mexico and one each in Brazil, M! alaysia, ! Morocco and Taiwan, as of December 31, 2011. Differentiated businesses consists of the technical motors and systems businesses and the engineered materials, interconnects and packaging businesses. Technical motors and systems consist of brushless motors, blowers and pumps, as well as other electromechanical systems. These products are used in aerospace and defense, business machines, computer equipment, mass transit vehicles, medical equipment, power, and industrial applications.
EMG produces electronically commutated (brushless) motors, blowers and pumps. These motor-blower systems and heat exchangers are used for thermal management and other applications on a range of military and commercial aircraft and military ground vehicles, and are used in medical and other applications. These motors provide cooling and ventilation for business machines, computers and mass transit vehicles. EMG also serves the commercial and military aerospace third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market. These services are provided on a global basis with facilities in the United States, Europe and Singapore.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, engineered materials, interconnects and packaging products represented 37% of EMG�� net sales. AMETEK provides specialized metal powder, strip, wire and bonded products. It produces stainless steel and nickel clad alloys; stainless steel, cobalt and nickel alloy powders; metal strip; specialty shaped and electronic wire, and advanced metal matrix composites used in electronic thermal management. Its products are used in automotive, appliance, medical and surgical, aerospace, telecommunications, marine and general industrial applications.
Coining provides custom-shaped preforms, microstampings and wire used for joining electronic circuitry, packaging microelectronics and providing thermal protection and electric conductivity for a range of electronic devices. Coining�� products are used in engineered applications for the radio f! requency ! (RF)/microwave, photonics, medical, aerospace and defense, and general electronics industries. Avicenna produces fine-featured catheter and other medical components for leads, guide wires and custom medical assemblies. Avicenna complements the Company�� medical device market businesses fits with its Technical Services for Electronics (TSE) business. TSE fits with the HCC Industries division, which manufactures engineered electronic interconnects and microelectronics packaging for sophisticated electronic applications.
AMETEK is a medical interconnects provider with integrated capabilities for the catheter, cardiac and neurostimulation markets. During 2011, floorcare and specialty motor markets represented 18% of EMG�� net sales, where it sells air-moving electric motors to the floorcare other equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including vertically integrated OEMs that produce some of their own motors. EMG produces motor-blowers for a range of floorcare products, ranging from hand-held, canister and upright vacuums to central vacuums for residential use. High-performance vacuum motors also are marketed for commercial and industrial applications.
The Company also manufactures a variety of specialty motors used in a range of products, such as household and personal care appliances; fitness equipment; electric materials handling vehicles, and sewing machines. In addition, its products are used in outdoor power equipment, such as electric chain saws, leaf blowers, string trimmers and power washers.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rich Duprey]
Electronic device maker�Ametek� (NYSE: AME ) �announced today�its second-quarter dividend of $0.06 per share, the same rate it paid for the last five quarters after it raised the payout 50% from $0.04 per share.
- [By John Udovich]
In addition to recent news, there are a couple of upcoming events that is bound to gain Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NYSE: AMD) some attention from investors and traders alike. I should note that Advanced Micro Devices is in our�SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio as we believe its making progress in the transition away from the PC market, but�the performance of our position has been rather up and down recently (currently we are down about 2%). Nevertheless, there is still enough good news to keep us excited about the stock�� future performance. Just consider the following recent news:
Upcoming AMD GPU ��4 Tech Day. On Wednesday, Advanced Micro Devices will unveil its next-generation graphics processing unit at the AMD GPU ��4 Tech Day event. Its not known whether�the company plans to unleash an all-new product family for 2014 or just�a flagship GPU due to arrive in Q4 2013. There will be�a real-time video webcast of the showcase available on the�Investor Relations home page here. Micro Server Pioneer Andrew Feldman is Interviewed. VentureBeat has interviewed Andrew Feldman who is one of the pioneers of micro servers after his�company, SeaMicro, used low-cost Intel Atom chips to create a category of servers with lots of processors in a single machine�and exceptionally low power consumption. Advanced Micro Devices bought SeaMicro early last year for $334 million in order to gain entry into the energy-efficient server market as well as�gain new insights into server customers. Feldman is now corporate vice president and general manager of AMD�� server group and the interview will give investors some insight into the company�� server business. Sony Expects to Sell 5 Million PlayStation 4s for the Holidays and Into the New Year. Bloomberg has recently reported that Sony Corp. expects the PlayStation 4�� lower price and wider variety of entertainment services to drive its forecast to sell 5 million units by the end of March.�
Top US Companies To Own In Right Now: Harbinger Group Inc (HRG)
Harbinger Group Inc. (HGI), incorporated on November 3, 2009, is a holding company. The Company's operations are conducted through Spectrum Brands, the Company's subsidiary, which provides branded consumer products, such as batteries, personal care products, small household appliances, pet supplies, and home and garden pest control products, and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Holdings, Inc. (FGL), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, which provides life insurance and annuity products. In addition, Salus Capital Partners, LLC (Salus), the Company's wholly owned indirect subsidiary, is engaged in the business of providing secured asset-based loans across a range of industries, and Front Street Re Ltd (Front Street), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary provide reinsurance to the specialty insurance sector of fixed, deferred and payout annuities. The Company also own 97.9% of Zap.Com Corporation (Zap.Com), a public shell company, which may seek assets or businesses to acquire or may sell assets and/or liquidate. On November 8, 2012, Spectrum Brands completed acquisition of 56% interest in Shaser Biosciences, Inc.
Spectrum Brands
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is a global branded consumer products company. As of September 30, 2012, HGI owns approximately 57.4% of Spectrum Brands. Spectrum Brands manufactures and markets alkaline, zinc carbon and hearing aid batteries, herbicides, insecticides and repellents and specialty pet supplies. Spectrum Brands also designs and markets rechargeable batteries, battery-powered lighting products, electric shavers and accessories, grooming products and hair care household appliances. In addition, Spectrum Brands designs, markets and distributes a broad range of branded small appliances and personal care products. Spectrum Brands' manufacturing and product development facilities are located in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Spectrum Brands' rechargeable batteries and chargers, shaving and grooming products, small household applian! ces, personal care products and portable lighting products are manufactured by third-party suppliers, located in Asia.
Spectrum Brands sells products in approximately 140 countries through a range of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Spectrum Brands' branded consumer products have positions in six product categories: consumer batteries; small appliances; pet supplies; home and garden control products; electric shaving and grooming products, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands competes in six product categories: consumer batteries, small appliances, pet supplies, home and garden control products, electric shaving and grooming, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands' range of products include consumer batteries, including alkaline and zinc carbon batteries, rechargeable batteries and chargers and hearing aid batteries, other specialty batteries and portable lighting products; small appliances, including small kitchen appliances and home product appliances; pet supplies, including aquatic equipment and supplies, dog and cat treats, small animal foods, clean up and training aids, health and grooming products and bedding; home and garden control products, including household insect controls, insect repellents and herbicides; electric shaving and grooming devices, and electric and wet personal care and styling devices.
Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of alkaline batteries to both retail and industrial customers. Spectrum Brands' alkaline batteries are marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands also manufactures alkaline batteries for third parties who sell the batteries under their own private labels. Spectrum Brands' zinc carbon batteries are also marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands sells its hearing aid batteries through retail trade channels and directl! y to prof! essional audiologists under brand names and private labels, including Beltone, Miracle Ear and Starkey. Spectrum Brands also sells Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries and a range of battery chargers under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands' other specialty battery products include camera batteries, lithium batteries, silver oxide batteries, keyless entry batteries and coin cells for use in watches, cameras, calculators, communications equipment and medical instruments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of battery-powered, portable lighting products, including flashlights and lanterns for both retail and industrial markets. Spectrum Brands sells its portable lighting products under the Rayovac and VARTA brand names, under other brand names and pursuant to licensing arrangements with third parties.
Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of products in the branded small household appliances category under the George Foreman, Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, Farberware, Juiceman, Breadman and Toastmaster brands, including grills, bread makers, sandwich makers, kettles, toaster ovens, toasters, blenders, juicers, can openers, coffee grinders, coffeemakers, electric knives, deep fryers, food choppers, food processors, hand mixers, rice cookers and steamers. Spectrum Brands also markets small home product appliances, including hand-held irons, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, clothes shavers and heaters, primarily under the Black & Decker and Russell Hobbs brands.
In the pet supplies product category Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of branded pet supplies for fish, dogs, cats, birds and other small domestic animals. Spectrum Brands has a range of consumer and commercial aquatics products, including integrated aquarium kits, standalone tanks and stands, filtration systems, heaters, pumps, and other equipment, fish food and water treatment products. Spectrum Brands' aquatics brands are Tetra, Marineland, Whisper, Jungle and Instant Ocean. Spectrum Brand! s also se! lls a range of specialty pet products, including dog and cat treats, small animal food and treats, clean up and training aid products, health and grooming aids, bedding products and consumable accessories including privacy tents, litter carpets, crystal litter cartridges, charcoal filters, corn-based litter and replaceable waste receptacles. Spectrum Brands' specialty pet brands include FURminator, 8-in-1, Dingo, Firstrax, Nature's Miracle, Wild Harvest and Littermaid.
In the home and garden control products category Spectrum Brands markets and sells home and garden care products, including household insecticides, insect repellent, herbicides, garden and indoor plant foods and plant care treatments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of household insecticides, such as spider, roach and ant killer, flying insect killer, insect foggers, wasp and hornet killer, flea and tick control products and roach and ant baits. Spectrum Brands also manufactures and markets a range of insect repellent products, which provide protection from insects, especially mosquitoes. These products include both personal repellents, such as aerosols, pump sprays and wipes, as well as area repellents, such as yard sprays, citronella candles and torches. Spectrum Brands' brands in the insect control category include Hot Shot, Cutter, Repel, Black Flag and TAT. Spectrum Brands' herbicides brands include Spectracide, Real-Kill and Garden Safe. Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of electric shaving and grooming products under the Remington brand name, including men's rotary and foil shavers, beard and mustache trimmers, body trimmers and nose and ear trimmers, women's shavers and haircut kits. Spectrum Brands' electric personal care products, marketed and sold under the Remington, Russell Hobbs, Carmen and Andrew Collinge brand names, include hand-held dryers, curling irons, straightening irons, brush irons, hair setters, facial brushes, skin appliances and electric toothbrushes.
FGL
FGL is an i! ndirectly! wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of annuity and life insurance products in the United States. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, FGL operates its annuity and life insurance operations in the United States through its subsidiaries FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance. FGL's products are annuities, deferred annuities and life insurance products (including fixed indexed universal life), which it sells, as of September 30, 2012, through a network of approximately 200 insurance marketing organizations (IMOs) representing approximately 19,000 independent agents and managing general agents. As of September 30, 2012, FGL had over 713,000 policyholders nationwide and distributes its products throughout the United States.
FGL's deferred annuities include fixed index annuities and fixed rate annuities. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. FGL, through its insurance subsidiaries, issues a range of deferred annuities (fixed indexed and fixed rate annuities) and immediate annuities. Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company's (FGL Insurance's) fixed indexed annuities allow contract owners the possibility of earning credits based on the performance of a specified market index without risk to principal. The contracts include a provision for a minimum guaranteed surrender value calculated in accordance with applicable law. During the year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), approximately 96% of the fixed indexed annuity sales involved premium bonuses. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. Fixed rate annual reset annuities issued by FGL Insurance and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company of New York (FGL NY Insurance) have an annual interest rate. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance also sell single premium immediate annuities (SPIAs), which provide a series of periodic payments for a fixed period of time or for the life of the policyholder. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance offer indexed universal lif! e insuran! ce policies. Holders of universal life insurance policies earn returns on their policies which are credited to the policyholder's cash value account.
In addition to services provided by third-party asset managers, FGL outsources the following functions to third-party service providers, including investment accounting and custody, and underwriting administration of life insurance applications. FGL manages its outsourcing partners and integrates their services into its operations. FGL outsources its new business and existing policy administration for fixed indexed annuity and life products to Transaction Applications Group, Inc., a subsidiary at Dell Inc. (Transaction Group). Under this arrangement, Transaction Group manages all of FGL's call center and processing requirements. FGL has partnered with Hooper Holmes, Inc. (Hooper Holmes) to outsource its life insurance underwriting function. FGL, through its subsidiary FGL Insurance, both cedes reinsurance to other insurance companies and assumes reinsurance from other insurance companies. FGL Insurance provides reinsurance as the reinsurer to four non-affiliate insurance companies.
Salus
Salus, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of secured asset-based loans to the middle market across a range of industries with financing throughout the capital structure. The Salus platform also serves as an asset manager to certain institutional investors, such as community and regional banks, insurance companies, family offices, private equity funds and hedge funds who may lack the infrastructure and dedicated competency within senior secured lending. Salus provides secured asset-based loans to the middle market. Salus focuses its credit analysis on the value of accounts receivable and inventory (or other assets) and estimates how much liquidity it can provide against those assets. Salus' loans are used across a range of industries for general working capital or seasonal needs, acquisitions or opportunisti! c situati! ons, trade finance, turnarounds, dividend recaps, refinancing and debtor-in-possession financing.
The Company competes with Energizer Holdings, Inc. (Energizer), The Procter & Gamble Company, Matsushita , Energizer and Mag Instrument, Inc., Mars Corporation, The Hartz Mountain Corporation, Central Garden & Pet Company, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Bayer A.G., S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Scotts Company, Henkel KGaA, Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, Jarden Corporation, DeLonghi America, Euro-Pro Operating LLC, Metro Thebe, Inc., d/b/a HWI Breville, NACCO Industries, Inc., SEB S.A., Conair Corporation, Wahl Clipper Corporation and Helen of Troy Limited.
Advisors' Opinion: - [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 Harbinger Group (NYSE: HRG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top US Companies To Own In Right Now: UniPixel Inc (UNXL)
Uni-Pixel, Inc. (Uni-Pixel), incorporated on October 13, 2000, is a production-stage company delivering its Performance Engineered Film (PEF) to the display, touch screen and flexible electronics markets. The Company has developed thin film high volume roll to roll or continuous flow manufacturing process. The Company sells its films as sub-components for use in liquid crystal display (LCD) as a back light film and active film sub-component. Uni-Pixel is shipping its Diamond Guard Finger Print Resistant and Hard Coat (Anti-Scratch) protective cover films for multiple touch enabled devices. The Company sells its films under the Diamond Guard brand as well as private label to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It is making ITO-Less Touch Films and Flexible Electronic Films based on its UniBoss manufacturing process for high volume roll to roll printing of flexible thin-film conductor patterns.
The Company�� Diamond Guard FPR product can protect a touch screen device from damage while also preventing fingerprints and smudges from obscuring the viewing experience. Its Diamond Guard Anti-Scratch protective cover film product is used to protect touch screen devices from scratches while providing a transparency and gloss equivalent to glass. In other embodiments, the Company's Diamond Guard coating can be applied to substrates that can be used as the first surface of hand held electronic devices. The Company developed a color display technology called Time Multiplexed Optical Shutter (TMOS).
Advisors' Opinion: - [By James E. Brumley]
If the name UniPixel Inc. (NASDAQ:UNXL) rings a bell, it may be because I suggested it as a bullish idea about a month ago. In fact, I've pegged UNXL as a buy-worthy stock a handful of times over the past year or so. It was my July 12th look, however, that was decisive and left little doubt as to my stance - buy it.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Uni-Pixel (UNXL) surged 41% to $7.38 this week, making it the biggest winner in the Russell 2000. Uni-Pixel benefited from the wearable electronics boom.
Top US Companies To Own In Right Now: SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (XES)
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services Exchange Traded Fund (The Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before expenses, the performance of an index derived from the oil and gas equipment and services segment of a United States total market composite index. The Fund uses a passive management strategy designed to track the total return performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services Select Industry Index (the Oil & Gas Equipment Index).
The Oil & Gas Equipment Index represents the oil and gas equipment and services sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Market Index (TMI). The S&P TMI tracks all the United States common stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), American Stock Exchange (AMEX), National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Tony Daltorio]
Moors' two oil service ETF picks - the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (NYSE Arca: XES) and the Market Vectors Oil Services ETF (NYSE Arca: OIH) - have both performed admirably in 2013.
- [By Dr. Kent Moors]
I have periodically recommended to Energy Advantageand Energy Inner Circlemembers two standouts in this sector - the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment and Services ETF (NYSEArca: XES) and the Market Vectors Oil Service Holders ETF (NYSE MKT: OIH).
- [By Michael Burnick]
One ETF that fits the bill here is the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (XES).
Energy stocks have lagged the overall market for the past few years and many oil and gas stocks are now undervalued relative to the S&P 500, which is getting pricier as stocks advance.
Top US Companies To Own In Right Now: iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (IHI)
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Medical Devices Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Medical Equipment Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the medical equipment sector of the United States equity market. The Index includes medical equipment companies, such as manufacturers and distributors of medical devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, prosthetics, pacemakers, x-ray machines and other non-disposable medical devices.
The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. Since all of the securities included in the Index are issued by companies in the medical equipment sector, the Fund will be concentrated in the medical equipment industry. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
On Thursday, small cap medical device stock Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: IART) jumped 9.90% after the FDA completed its inspection of the company's manufacturing facility which led to positive comments from analysts, meaning it might be time to take a look at its performance verses that of medical device ETFs like iShares Dow Jones US Medical Device ETF (NYSEARCA: IHI) and SPDR S&P Health Care Equipment ETF (NYSEARCA: XHE).
