Is Vale's Brazilian Potash Project Just a Pipe Dream?

After disastrous monetary policy caused Vale (NYSE: VALE  ) to abandon its $6 billion potash project in Argentina last year, the mining giant looked to its Brazilian Carnalita potash mine to make up some of the lost volume. The country itself is hoping the operation can help alleviate some of its import demands for the fertilizer component as it currently imports 90% of its potash needs from Russia, Canada, and the Middle East. Carnalita is expected to meet some15% to 20% of the demand.

Potash operations. Source: Vale.

However, two local municipalities greedily eyeing the tax revenues the project will throw off may very well doom the project as Vale now considers selling the mine if a resolution can't be reached.

A tale of two cities
Carnalita straddles the towns of Capela and Japaratuba in the state of Sergipe, and the location of a processing plant has set the two municipalities against one another. The vast majority of the potash deposit, around 70% of it, lays in Capela, but Vale wants to locate the plant in Japaratuba because of "technical criteria," according to an emailed statement from the miner to The Wall Street Journal. If the plant was located on the other side of the border, it's estimated Capela would receive in excess of $80 million in tax revenue, a fivefold increase of its current budget .

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Vale is willing to toss the municipality a bone by locating a distribution center in the town, and sell the output from the Capela mine from there, thus giving it sales tax revenues, but that's not enough for the politicians who want more.

The seeds of dissent
As the world's largest coffee, ethanol, orange juice, and sugar producer, Brazil's farms place heavy demand on global fertilizer producers. Vale was looking to replace lost Rio Colorado volume with 2 million tonnes of potash production annually from Carnalita and an additional 3 million to 5 million tonnes annually from its Kronau project in Saskatchewan.

The potash industry was thrown into confusion last year when the Belarusian cartel split apart causing the price of the fertilizer ingredient -- and the producers themselves -- to crater. However, there's been some stabilization in the market as China set a floor of $305 per tonne and Uralkali, one-half of the cartel, seeking a $40 increase to $350 for granular prices for Brazil beginning in March. Many analysts also suspect the cartel will get back together, possibly as early as this year.

Canpotex, the cartel's rival North American potash marketing association, comprised of Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) , PotashCorp (NYSE: POT  ) , and Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) , is a major supplier of potash to Brazil, with some analysts estimating it owns 38% of the market. In years past, Latin America -- primarily the Brazilian market -- has comprised as much as 26% of Canpotex's potash sales.

Fertile fields
Carnalita could be producing by 2017 if the miner reaches an agreement with the municipalities, with the first phase being a $2 billion start-up to produce 1.2 million tonnes annually, followed by an additional second $2 billion phase that raises production to 2.4 million tonnes a year.

That Vale is willing to walk away from yet another project and shed its interest in it shows the level of frustration being experienced. Certainly, it's also part negotiating tactic, since the Brazilian government places just as much importance on the project as the miner does. It just approved low-cost financing to Verde Potash, a Canadian-traded producer, to build a mine in Brazil's Minas Gerais state. Even so, the money-hungry politicos shouldn't dismiss Vale's determination out of hand as it has shown resolve in similar situations before.

Roots of a solution
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Australia stocks rise as Rio report boosts miners

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australia stocks rose early Thursday, with miners leading the way higher after a positive production report from Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) , while overall sentiment got a lift from U.S. gains overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) improved by 0.6% to 5,274.30, with shares of Rio Tinto rising 2.2% after reporting record high iron-ore shipments for 2013 and a sold gain for copper output. Rio's peers also advanced, with BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) up 1.7%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) ahead by 3.2%, and Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) adding 2.4%. Among the gold producers, Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) surged 7.2% as J.P. Morgan raised its rating on the shares to overweight from neutral. Banks weren't as lucky, however, with Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) down 0.3%, while Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) lost 0.7% each as Citibank downgraded the trio to neutral from buy, according to Dow Jones Newswires. The Sydney market was also awaiting Australian jobs data for December due out later in the day, with a Wall Street Journal survey tipping a 10,000 gain in net employment and a jobless rate of 5.8%.

A Two-Step Strategy For Competing In A Diverse World Market Environment

Disclosure: I own shares of YUM and DEO

How can you sell more smartphones in US, Europe, Japan, and Eastern China, where every consumer already carries one? What about in rural China and rural India, where scores of people do not have a smartphone, either because they cannot afford one or they find hard to learn how to use one? How do you market shampoo to consumers with a large disparity of preferences or incomes? What about fast food?

With a two-step strategy:

The first step is to determine whether the target market segment is pure global, pure localized or semiglobal, avoiding the pseudo-dilemma (globalization or localization), which has proved to be costly for other companies.

The second step is to come up with the right product offering (bundle) to address the peculiarities and specificity of each market.  Diageo (NYSE:DEO), Yum Brands (NYSE:YUM), and P&G (NYSE:PG) overseas success exemplifies this strategy.

All-three companies have treated the world market as a collection of all three segments, devising value propositions that include the right mix of global and local product characteristics to address the peculiarities and specificities of each market segment, as discussed in a previous piece.

Beverage maker Diageo mixes global drinks with local drinks and liquors to create product offerings that cater to local markets. Diageo's Gordon Edge, a mix of gin and lemon, caters to the UK market. Meanwhile Safari Luna, a mixed of fruit and liquor, caters to the Netherlands.

Allied Domecq's Presidente brandy and cola mix caters to the Mexican market, while TG — a mix of Scotch and guanana — caters to the Brazilian market. Campari's Mixx, a mix of grapefruit and Campari, caters to the Italian and Swiss market.

In some cases, Diageo has localized marketing to promote local brands, as is the case with its Bulliet brand, marketed to local bars. "By restricting ad spending and selling only to select bars, Diageo aimed to create an independent, hipster aura around Bulleit," writes Wall Street's Peter Evans. "The plan worked: Buoyed by the renaissance in bourbon and with a growing following in the cocktail trade, sales of Bulleit have increased fivefold in the past three years, largely through "on-trade" sales in bars."

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This localized strategy is in sharp contrast to the globalized strategy for the company's major brands, like Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Guinness.

P&G has designed value propositions that promote product characteristics, such as shampoo and dental paste branding and chemical components globally, while localized product packaging.

The company has crafted a careful strategy for each local market, especially in diverse emerging markets like China. "[P&G] entered China in the 1980s and first developed a distribution network for shampoo," writes Edward Tse in The China Strategy. "Then P&G added other products one by one, building on its experience both in reaching markets across the country and running marketing campaigns to support the launch of each new category of goods."

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) has designed Pizza Hut and KFC menus that include both a global and a local component. This is especially the case for China, YUM's largest overseas market. "Like Procter & Gamble, KFC spent a long time—nearly a decade—figuring out its basic model, which gave it the foundation it needed to embark on its rapid restaurant rollout in its second decade in China," writes Tse in The China Strategy. "KFC deliberately adopted products and practices that would mesh well with inherent qualities of the Chinese markets it was trying to reach."

The bottom line: Winning in a diverse world market takes three different value propositions, one for each segment: A universal value proposition for the pure global segment; a customized value proposition for the localized segment; and a hybrid value proposition for the semiglobal segments.

3 Stocks Under $10 Breaking Out on Big Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- A smart trader keeps a close eye on unusual upside volume in stocks -- and unusual volume in a stock that trades below $10 should really make you sit up and pay attention.

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Stocks that trade below $10 a share can make big moves to the upside very quickly, and short-term traders can try to capture some of that massive volatility. Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits.

If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.

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With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making sharp moves higher with unusual upside volume flows.

Cinedigm

Cinedigm (CIDM) is engaged in digital cinema, software and content marketing and distribution businesses in the U.S. This stock is trading up 5% to $2.91 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $2.61-$2.94

52-Week Range: $1.25-$3.06

Tuesday's Volume: 583,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 327,968

From a technical perspective, CIDM is moving higher here with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last four months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $1.48 to its recent high of $3.06. During that uptrend, shares of CIDM have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of CIDM within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if CIDM manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $3 to its 52-week high at $3.06 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CIDM as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $2.60 or above its 50-day at $2.36 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 327,968 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CIDM will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $4 to $4.50.

Bona Film Group

Bona Film Group (BONA) engages in the distribution of films in the People's Republic of China and internationally. This stock is trading up 2% to $6.44 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $6.30-$6.50

52-Week Range: $3.58-$7.77

Tuesday's Volume: 295,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 231,998

From a technical perspective, BONA is trending modestly higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $5.96 with above-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last three months and change, with shares moving between $5.20 on the downside and $6.92 on the upside. Shares of BONA are now quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern. That trade will hit if BONA manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.75 to $6.92 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BONA as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $5.96 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 231,998 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then BONA will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 52-week high of $7.77.

Crumbs Bake Shop

Crumb Bake Shop (CRMB) offers baked goods in the U.S. This stock is trading up 8% to 76 cents per share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $0.70-$0.76

52-Week Range: $0.56-$3.01

Tuesday's Volume: 235,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 194,426

From a technical perspective, CRMB is ripping higher here back above its 50-day moving average of 72 cents per share with above-average volume. This move has also started to push shares of CRMB into breakout territory, since the stock is beginning to take out some near-term overhead resistance at 75 cents per share. Market players should look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if CRMB manages to take out Tuesday's high of 76 cents per share with strong volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CRMB as long as it's trending above its 50-day at 72 cents per share or above more near-term support at 65 cents per share and then once it sustains a move or close above 76 cents per share with volume that hits near or above 194,426 shares. If we get that move soon, then CRMB will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at 90 cents to its 200-day moving average of $1.05.

To see more stocks under $10 that are making notable moves higher with volume, check out the Stocks Under $10 Spiking Higher With Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>4 Big-Volume Stocks Triggering Breakouts

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Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com.

You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Is This Cold Weather Cold Enough?

Even though the majority of the country is currently struggling to get through severe cold weather, MoneyShow's Jim Jubak, also of Jubak's Picks, thinks it'll take more than just a bunch of cold air to significantly push the price of natural gas higher.

Natural gas futures continued to move higher as an Arctic vortex delivered cold, colder, and coldest air to the United States.

But hedge funds have apparently decided that this is as cold as it gets. Net long positions—bets on future rising prices—fell by 3% in the seven days ended on December 31, according to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Long positions have a lot of room to retreat, since they were at a six-month high.

Spot natural gas prices hit a record on Monday in New York, and climbed to ten-year highs in other East Coast hubs. Natural gas for February delivery climbed to $4.349 per million BTUs (British thermal units). The futures are up 33% year over year and 23% from November 1, on expectations that cold weather will bring rising demand for natural gas. About 49% of US homes use natural gas for heat.

The longer-term picture for natural gas, though, shows continuing growth in US production. The Energy Information Administration projects that US production will climb to 71.66 billion cubic feet a day in 2014. That would be a 2.1% increase from 2013, and is an increase from the 71.43 billion cubic feet the EIA projected in its prior report. I think it will take something more than cold weather—like the beginning of US exports of liquefied natural gas in 2015 (which is why I have Cheniere Energy (LNG) as a Jubak's Picks)—to push natural gas prices higher from here on a sustained basis.

Full disclosure: I don't own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this post in my personal portfolio. When in 2010 I started the mutual fund I manage, Jubak Global Equity Fund, I liquidated all my individual stock holdings and put the money into the fund. The fund may or may not now own positions in any stock mentioned in this post. The fund did own shares of Cheniere Energy as of the end of December. For a full list of the stocks in the fund see the fund's portfolio here.

Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Continue to Rally as InfoBlox Takes a Big Haircut

Related BZSUM Market Wrap For February 11: Yellen Re-assures Markets & Wakes Up The Sleeping Bulls #PreMarket Primer: Tuesday, February 11: All Eyes On Janet Yellen

Toward the end of trading Tuesday, the Dow traded up 1.41 percent to 16,024.00 while the NASDAQ surged 1.17 percent to 4,196.74. The S&P also rose, gaining 1.26 percent to 1,822.31.

Leading and Lagging Sectors
On Tuesday, the basic materials sector proved to be a source of strength for the US market after Yellen statement. Huntsman (NYSE: HUN) shares surged 2.62 percent after reporting strong quarterly earnings, while China Gerui Advanced Materials Group (NASDAQ: CHOP) gained around 2.5 percent.

Consumer goods stocks were underperformers in Tuesday's trading, up on the day by just 0.5% compared to S&P's 1.03 percent gain. Among the consumer goods stocks, shares of Star Scientific (NASDAQ: STSI) were down by more than 1 percent.

Top Headline
Sprint (NYSE: S) reported a narrower fourth-quarter net loss. Sprint posted a quarterly loss of $1.04 billion, or $0.26 per share, versus a year-ago loss of $1.32 billion, or $0.44 per share. It posted an operating loss of $576 million, compared to a year--earlier loss of $738 million. Its net operating revenue surged to $9.14 billion versus $9.01 billion. However, analysts were estimating a loss of $0.35 per share on revenue of $8.98 billion. Sprint added 58,000 postpaid subscribers and 322,000 prepaid subscribers.

Equities Trading UP
Cadence Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CADX) shot up 26.42 percent to $14.02 after Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK) announced its plans to acquire Cadence Pharma for $14.00 per share in cash.

Shares of iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) was up as well, gaining 13.63 percent to $42.76 after as the stock's new alltime high was breached, leading to bullish sentiment on Wall Street.

Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK) was also up, gaining 12.72 percent to $66.95 after the company announced its plans to buy Cadence Pharma for $1.3 billion.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Infoblox (NYSE: BLOX) were down 47.01 percent to $17.59 after the company lowered its FY14 revenue forecast. Wedbush downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral and cut the price target from $36.00 to $25.00.

Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) was down as well, falling 5.25 percent to $29.50 percent after the company guided its fiscal year 2014 revenue and EPS below street estimates.

Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX) was down, falling 17.02 percent to $33.40 after the company reported a drop in its fourth-quarter net income and announced the retirement of its Chief Executive Lanham Napier.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.10 percent to $99.96, while gold traded up 1.33 percent to $1,291.50.

Silver traded up 0.17 percent Tuesday to $20.25, while copper rose 0.23 percent to $3.23.

Eurozone
European shares were higher today.

The Spanish Ibex Index rose 1.09 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index climbed 1.04 percent.

Meanwhile, the German DAX surged 2.03 percent and the French CAC 40 gained 1.09 percent while U.K. shares rose 1.23 percent.

Economics
The ICSC-Goldman same-store sales index fell 0.3% in the week ended Saturday versus the earlier week.

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose to 94.10 in January, versus a prior reading of 93.90. However, economists were expecting a reading of 93.60.

The Redbook Chain Store Sales came in with a gain of 2.8 percent y/y, compared to a gain of 2.7 percent last week.

U.S. wholesale inventories rose 0.30% in December, versus economists' expectations for a 0.50% gain.

Posted-In: Earnings News Guidance Eurozone Futures Forex Global Econ #s Economics Intraday Update Markets Movers Tech

(c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Are weak retail sales a warning sign for economy?

If you've been busy shoveling snow and haven't heard yet, retail sales fell 0.4% in January, a weak reading considering Wall Street was expecting sales to be unchanged from the previous month.

Nasty weather has played a big role in the dearth of spending, even though shopping is an All-American pursuit that ranks right up there with watching a ballgame or sipping a cocktail.

Americans are more hunkered down in survival mode than they are a live-and-let-live mentality. "You can't focus on your normal life. We are not being consumers," says Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. "To question the notion that retail sales were affected by weather means people are not looking out the window."

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SLOWDOWN?: Winter storms threaten to chill economy

Whether stormy weather is a valid excuse to explain why shoppers aren't shopping, slowing sales at the nation's malls, restaurants and online retailers, are having a negative impact on the economy.

In fact, it is one of the main reasons why economists are dialing back their growth expectations.

Thursday, Barclays cut its final fourth-quarter GDP estimate to 2.3% from 2.6%, which is below the government's 3.2% estimate from Jan. 30.

Capital Economics says first-quarter growth could come in between 2% and 2.5%, well below the 3% growth Wall Street is hoping for in 2014.

The good news? "Haircuts to GDP" have not yet caused corporate profit estimates to suffer similar-size trims, says Sonders. But it's something to keep an eye on.

Rieder: Digital journalism's financial challenge

Being a digital journalism entrepreneur is not for the fainthearted. Just ask Phil Balboni.

Five years ago, Balboni launched GlobalPost, whose mission is to help fill the gap caused by the massive retreat from international coverage by traditional news outlets. Unlike many of the journalism start-ups of recent years, GlobalPost is a business, not a non-profit.

When Balboni started, he relied entirely on freelancers. But his baby has grown up. It's an entrenched part of the media landscape. Today it boasts 13 staffers around the world as well as 50 freelancers. Its track record earned it a partnership with NBC News, in which NBC gets to use GlobalPost's stories and resources and the website gets valuable exposure and help selling advertising.

Yet despite the site's successes, it's not in the black.

"We're doing well, but the road (to profitability) is longer than we might have thought," says Balboni, the founder and former president of New England Cable News. "You've got to be a tough guy to do this. It takes a lot of belief in what we care about."

Balboni, GlobalPost's co-founder, president and CEO, is hardly alone. Digital ad dollars have proved to be a lot harder to come by than many anticipated, for legacy news outlets making the digital transformation and new players alike.

"The only thing wrong with journalism today is the revenue equation," Balboni says. "Until it sorts itself out, it's going to be difficult for journalism entities to be very successful financially."

In an unusual wrinkle, in its effort to survive and thrive, GlobalPost has turned to the world of philanthropy for help. The foreign news operation has received largess from the Ford Foundation, among others, to underwrite more ambitious reporting efforts than it could otherwise pull off.

That triggered a conversation that led to a new initiative.

"We realized we have the opportunity to shape the dialogue through shoe-leather reporting," says Charles M. Sennott, GlobalPost's co-fo! under and editor-at-large. "Ford wanted to know if we could also do it through commentary." The foundation ponied up $100,000 to help GlobalPost figure it out.

The result is VOICES, featuring commentary, analysis and video from contributors around the world, which launched in January. The project, focused on human rights and social justice, will be directed by editor Rebecca Lee Sanchez, a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

VOICES has three regular columnists: Calvin Sims, a former New York Times reporter who is president of International House; Maria Hinojosa, founder of Futuro Media Group; and Linda Mason, founder of Bright Horizons, the world's largest provider of day care. All of them have numerous international contacts, and their mission, Sennott says, is to "act as ambassadors for us to find other voices from their journeys around the world."

Why is that such a big deal? Balboni notes that GlobalPost, which had 6 million unique viewers in January, had readers in 239 countries and territories last year. "It's important that we reflect a diversity of viewpoints, not just default to familiar voices."

The CEO points out that GlobalPost often puts its reporters in dangerous situations as they pursue the news. Many of their dispatches hardly can compete for eyeballs with the fluffy linkbait offered up by the BuzzFeeds of the world.

"It's worth it," he says. "But serious journalism remains difficult in the early stages of the digital revolution."

It's an exciting time in journalism, with one tech billionaire, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, launching an expansive and expensive new news operation and another, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, taking over The Washington Post. Intriguing new ventures pop up all the time. Just this week, former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller disclosed he was giving up his column at the paper to head yet another digital launch, this one focusing on the criminal justice system.

Despite the ! financial! pressures, Balboni remains bullish about the future.

"You have to believe it's going to change," he says, "or there isn't a future for journalism."

Market zigzags raise Wall Street's pulse

NEW YORK — Wall Street gurus said trading action would be choppier in 2014. Boy, were they right.

From the first day of trading in January until Feb. 3, the Dow Jones industrial average looked as if it was going into cardiac arrest, with its vital signs showing a loss of 7.3%.

But the Dow has done its best imitation of Harry Houdini in the past six sessions, escaping harm, rising in five days and trimming its year-to-date loss in half to 3.5%. Thus, the dialogue has gone from investors jawboning about an imminent correction to chatter about whether the market scare is past, at least for now.

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Helping the market's cause Tuesday was new Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who wowed both Wall Street and Congressional leaders with market-friendly Fed-speak.

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Yellen delivered the words Wall Street wanted to hear, mainly that the Fed under her leadership would be very similar to ex-chief Ben Bernanke's regime. In other words, the Fed would remain supportive of the economy and markets for as long as is needed.

Still, Wall Street isn't totally convinced the turbulence is over. Some analysts warn that the market's bounce has come too quickly, following what looked like a market in full retreat.

Other skeptics note that bull market leaders, such as small-cap stocks, have been lagging Dow blue chips in the rally. What's needed now, chart watchers say, is for the major stock averages to erase losses and make new highs. That would rate as a legitimate rebound.

Keller leaves 'NYT' for Marshall Project website

Bill Keller, former editor of The New York Times, is leaving the paper to become editor-in-chief of the Marshall Project, a new nonprofit news site that will cover criminal justice.

"The Marshall Project is an irresistible opportunity to take some of what I've learned from The Times's past decade of reinvention, to learn some new things, and to build a modern journalistic enterprise from scratch," Keller said in a statement released by The Marshall Project, which plans to launch in mid-2014.

Keller, who is a columnist at the paper after serving as executive editor from 2003 to 2011, will assume the new job on March 1.

The Marshall Project is founded by Neil Barsky, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who went on to start a hedge fund. Barsky will serve as the site's publisher.

"Bill Keller's career as a reporter, editor and columnist exemplifies the principles of intellectual independence, fairness and creativity that will help the Marshall Project have an immediate impact," Barsky said in a statement.

Funded by foundations and individuals, the Marshall Project said it will have an annual operating budget of $4 million to $5 million and a full-time staff of 20 to 25 journalists.

Prior to taking the top newsroom job at the Times, Keller served as Moscow and Johannesburg bureau chief, foreign editor and managing editor. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1988.

The Marshall Project joins a small but growing pack of nonprofit online news operations that focus on a topic or a particular news gathering approach.

With one in 31 American adults under the supervision of the criminal justice system, the site hopes to publish stories that "will hold the system more accountable for delivering on its promise of humane and effective justice," Keller said.

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"We can create a national hub w! here aggressive reporting, rigorous analysis and stimulating conversation converge," he said. "This is a subject that defines us."

Nuance: "Dumpster Diving" in Tech

While we often like to go "dumpster diving" to find stocks, analysts tend to shy away from recommending a falling stock, suggests Geoffrey Seiler, editor of BullMarket.com.

Our newest Recommended List selection, Nuance (NUAN), $13.51, is one such falling stock.

However, Nuance did find a fan in Standpoint analyst Ronnie Moas, who stepped in during the carnage and initiated coverage of the stock with a buy rating and $18 price target.

Moas wrote. "Nuance shares have now dropped by nearly 50% since February and are attractive. The voice recognition market should grow at near double-digit rates annually for, at least, a few more years and will top $60 billion by 2016."

The analyst also notes that NUAN is being targeted by activists and that should "support the stock in the near-term and hopefully boost the stock in the medium-term."

In my view, Nuance obviously has been dealing with some issues this year, otherwise it wouldn't be trading around a four-year low.

However, it is still the leader in voice recognition and transcription technology, and its newer products, such as its Clintegrity clinical documentation and coding solutions product for the healthcare industry, have gained good traction.

Meanwhile, the company is moving towards a more recurring revenue business model (think cloud-based solutions, term-based, subscription, and transactional pricing models), and away from perpetual license deals.

What this does is reduce upfront revenue, replacing it with a more predictable, recurring revenue stream.

While this transition can lead to lumpy results, the market has embraced other firms that have made this transition, such as Adobe (ADBE) and Autodesk (ADSK).

If investors take a similar approach with Nuance, they will be watching bookings much more than revenue and earnings through this transitional period.

With Carl Icahn rattling Nuance's cage and the stock washed out, we think investors have a couple of ways to win with this downtrodden market leader in voice recognition and transcription technology. We rate the stock a Buy with a $22 price target.

Top 5 Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now

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Concerns rise as hotel chains disclose data breach

SEATTLE -- The disclosure of consumer data breaches at certain Marriott, Holiday Inn, Sheraton and other major hotels managed by White Lodging Hotels comes as Congress is getting briefed about how cybercriminals are taking advantage of flaws in systems that collect and store sensitive data.

News: White Lodging warns of breach

Senators Al Franken, Dick Durbin, and Diane Fienstein yesterday got an earful from senior executives from Target and Neiman Marcus and a full slate of industry experts.

Sterne Agee analyst Vijay Rakesh says two big takeaways from Tuesday's sessions on Capitol Hill were:

The October 2015 timeline issued by Visa and MasterCard for US merchant to switch from magnetic striped point of sale systems to EMV pin and chip technology could be shorten for many companies.

Target CFO, John Mulligan, said the retail giant has committed to decreasing that timeline internally by 6 months, and plans to have new systems up and running in the first quarter of 2015.

The revelation that hotel chains have been hit adds to concerns lawmakers already hold regarding data breaches recently reported by Target, Neiman Marcus and Michaels. The affected hotels in the White Lodging incident are:

Marriott Midway, Chicago
Holiday Inn Midway, Chicago
Holiday Inn Austin Northwest, Austin
Sheraton Erie Bayfront, Erie, Pa.
Westin Austin at the Domain, Austin
Marriott Boulder, Boulder
Marriott Denver South, Denver
Marriott Austin South, Austin
Marriott Indianapolis Downtown, Indianapolis
Marriott Richmond Downtown, Richmond, Va.
Marriott Louisville Downtown, Louisville, Ky.
Renaissance Plantation, Plantation, Fla.
Renaissance Broomfield Flatiron, Broomfield, Colo.
Radisson Star Plaza, Merrillville, Ind.

Meanwhile, a new research firm, the The CyberEdge Group, this morning issued results of a survey of 750 security decision makers and practitioners , called the Cyberthreat Defense! Report. Key findings paint a picture of a landscape full of ripe targets for hackers:

More than 60 percent of survey takers said they worked for companies that had been breached in 2013

Some 25% cited lack of employer investment in adequate defenses

Steve Piper, CEO of CyberEdge, says the report is intended to complement Verizon's benchmark Data Breach Investigations Report, which annually identifies patterns revealed in hundreds of actual forensics investigations.

"As security professionals, it's not only important to know what threats are coming at us, but what our peers are doing about them," Piper says. "This report provides this level of insight in a purely unbiased way."

What NOT to buy your boss for the holidays

For many workers, the holiday season means making a list, checking it twice—and trying to decide whether to put your boss on it.

Experts say it's a potential minefield because even though many workers may want—or feel the need—to give their boss a small token of appreciation, even the best intentions can quickly go wrong.

"It's a sensitive time of year," said Phyllis Davis, chief executive of the American Business Etiquette Trainers Association, based in southern Florida.

WEARABLE TECH: Six gift ideas

GO GO GADGETS: 10 hot gifts

SHOPPER ALERT: The 12 scams of Christmas

The correct protocol is that bosses should give their employees gifts but employees should not feel obligated to give a gift back, said Colleen Rickenbacher, a business etiquette consultant based in Dallas. Still, she said, it can be perfectly appropriate to give a gift to your boss, especially if you consider your boss a friend or you have worked together for a long time.

But it pays to do a little research first, especially if you are new to the company. That's because if you give a gift and everyone else doesn't, you may look like you are trying to curry favor. And if you don't give a gift and everyone else does, you may be embarrassed.

Worse yet, if you do give a gift but it's inappropriate, that's the kind of faux pas that can follow you for years to come.

Worst-case in point: Rickenbacher recalled a time when a female employee sent flowers to the home of her male boss. It was meant as a kind gesture, but it left the wife of the boss wondering why flowers were being sent to their home by another woman.

"It was very innocent, but it turned into a huge fiasco," she said.

That's the kind of cautionary tale that makes human resources experts cringe—and advise their clients to stay on the conservative side when it comes to gifts.

"Always err on the side of caution," said Sharlyn Lauby, a human resources consultant and author of the blog HR Bartender.

I! f you do decide to give your boss a gift, here are some tips:

Don't give anything too personal: Experts say a good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that touches the skin. That means no jewelry, no perfume, no clothing—and definitely no boxers or other intimate apparel.

"Unless you know the person really, really well, I would very much steer clear of gifts that really have a very personal tone," Lauby said.

Don't spend too much, or too little, money: A $2.99 ornament from the drugstore will likely come off as too cheap, but a $100 pen may seem awkwardly extravagant. Experts say the $10-to-$25 range is generally more appropriate for a midlevel manager.

Do consider food or gift cards: A consumable gift like cookies, candy or homemade bread is a nice way to show that you appreciate your boss without breaking the bank, Davis said. A coffee shop gift card or similar item also is practical and appropriate.

Do consider a group gift: If everyone goes in on one gift, Lauby said that can spread out the cost and also ensure that everyone in the department is on equal footing with the boss.

Don't generally give alcohol: Lauby once had a boss who was known to love champagne, so her team got together every holiday season and bought a case for the boss and his wife. That's fine if you know the person well, but in general etiquette experts say that these days some employers might frown on giving alcohol at work, and some bosses may see it as too personal a gift.

Do check on gift policies, especially if you are a vendor or freelancer: One year, Davis said she sent fancy cigar-shaped chocolates to clients at an oil company in Texas. To her dismay, the gifts got returned. Now, she recommends checking with the human resources department to see if there is a ban on gifts.

"I always call first if I'm a vendor, to find out what their gift receiving policy is," she said.

Do consider books or magazine subscriptions—as long as they are appropriate: Reading material is us! ually a s! afe bet, especially if it relates to your field. But even such a seemingly mundane gift can turn inappropriate if you're not careful.

"You don't want to give your boss '50 Shades of Grey,' " Davis said.

Don't send a gift to a home address: The flowers fiasco is a case in point of why you want to make very clear that you aren't trying to be overly personal with your gift, Rickenbacher said. To avoid confusion, she recommends handing your boss a gift at the office or during your holiday party.

"Never send a boss a gift to their home," she said.

CNBC is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Last week, on a road trip from Bangalore to Pondicherry, I wondered why investors do not plan the same way as holiday-makers. After all, they are the same individual. We normally think about where we wish to reach, and at what time. Which is the mode of transport to use, and where will we stay? Of course, what� the total budget planned for the holiday? This gave rise to the first list of common mistakes that investors make. 

Not having a planned financial goal: If we do not know where we wish to reach, we�l never know when we have. There are speed breakers on our journey, traffic lights and �ashing�pedestrians. We may be a bit delayed in reaching, with a higher fuel consumption (investments may not deliver the desired returns); but we should never lose sight of the final destination.

Taking more risks than that are necessary: It is imprudent to budget three hours to complete a 300 km road journey on Indian roads, where the maximum speed limit is 80 km/ hour. There is a possibility that you may reach faster: conversely, you may not reach at all. Keep a close watch on your asset allocation.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (HCLTECH.NS)

HCL Technologies Limited provides software-led information technology (IT) solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering, research and development (R&D), and business process outsourcing services worldwide. Its custom application services comprise custom application development, application management, application support, re-engineering, modernization, migration, and independent verification and validation. The company?s engineering and R&D services include hardware product engineering, embedded engineering, mechanical engineering, and software product engineering. Its enterprise application services consist of blue printing, development, deployment, global rollouts, and application maintenance and support in the areas of ERP, CRM, and SCM. The company?s enterprise transformation services include business transformation; technology transformation; data warehousing and business intelligence; middleware and SOA; enterprise content management and portals; indepe ndent verification and validation; and IT governance. Its IT infrastructure management services comprise end user computing, data center transformation, network, information security, integrated operation management, cross functional, and mainframe services. The company?s business services consists of supply chain management, finance and accounts outsourcing, knowledge process outsourcing, human resources outsourcing, customer relationship management, and technical support services. It serves aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer electronics, energy and utilities, financial services, government, healthcare, independent software vendors, industrial manufacturing, medical devices, media and entertainment, retail and consumer, semiconductors, server and storage, telecom, transportation and logistics, and travel and hospitality sectors. HCL Technologies Limited was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Noida, India.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sify Technologies Limited(SIFY)

Sify Technologies Limited provides enterprise and consumer Internet services primarily in India. The company offers various corporate network/data services comprising e-commerce and network connectivity solutions, such as end-to-end services network, application, and security services; voice origination and termination services; co-location and managed hosting services; and system integration services for data centre build, hardware distribution, security solutions, and turnkey projects. It also provides application services, including SLEMS and Microsoft Exchange messaging platforms; I-test for online assessment and LiveWire, which enable management of training processes across the organization; document management system for the management of documents electronically; and Forum, a forward supply chain solution. In addition, the company operates e-Ports that offer browsing, chat, email, gaming, utility bill payment, travel ticketing, hotel booking, mobile recharge, Intern et telephony, and online share trading services; and portals, which provide news, views, reviews, interactions, and services in the areas of movies, sports, finance, food, videos, astrology, online games, shopping, and travel, as well as offers content offerings and broadband services. Further, it provides infrastructure management services, such as network management, datacenter and helpdesk outsourcing, desktop and storage outsourcing, IT security outsourcing, LAN and WAN outsourcing, database and telecom outsourcing, and application monitoring and management services to automotive, chemical, media, and financial enterprises; and virtualization design, integration, and deployment services for servers, storage, networks, and end user clients. Sify has approximately 1,278 e-Ports in 200 towns and cities; and serves 1,06,000 broadband subscribers through 1500 cable TV Operators. The company, formerly known as Sify Limited, was founded in 1995 and is based in Chennai, India.

Hot Performing Stocks To Watch Right Now: Infosys Technologies Limited(INFY)

Infosys Ltd. provides information technology (IT) and consulting services worldwide. It offers IT services, such as application, architecture, independent validation and testing, information management, infrastructure, packaged application, SOA, systems integration, and knowledge services; product engineering services, manufacturing process and plant solutions, and product lifecycle management services; and consulting services in the areas of information and technology strategies, product innovation, next generation commerce, process excellence, and learning and complex change. The company also provides business process outsourcing solutions in the areas of business platforms, customer service outsourcing, finance and accounting, human resources outsourcing, legal services, sales and fulfillment, and sourcing and procurement outsourcing. In addition, it offers collaborative analytics solutions; digital consumer platform; Finacle universal banking solution; iProwe, a Web ac cessibility assessment product; mConnect, a real-time enterprise middleware; and research and analytical support services. Further, the company offers unified communications and collaboration solution that streamlines business processes between employees, customers, and suppliers; iTransform that helps healthcare organizations accelerate transition to new platforms; and supply chain visibility and collaboration product suite. It serves aerospace and defense, airlines, automotive, banking, capital markets, communication services, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, education, energy, healthcare, high technology, hospitality and leisure, insurance, life sciences, logistics and distribution, publishing, resources, utilities, and retail industries. Infosys Ltd. has a strategic partnership with Alstom SA. The company was formerly known as Infosys Technologies Limited and changed its name to Infosys Ltd. on June 16, 2011. Infosys Ltd. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered i n Bengaluru, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Overall, the most popular emerging market ETFs experienced much sharper declines than the less-than-1% drop the Dow posted this week. Vanguard Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: VWO  ) and iShares Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: EEM  ) were both down just under 3% for the week. But when you drill down to look for particular culprits in the emerging markets, you don't have to look very far to find that it was generally a broad-based decline:

  In China, more concerns about a slowdown in the manufacturing industry put pressure on stocks. The Shanghai index didn't move much, but one key ETF tracking the Chinese market sank nearly 4% in response to the news, largely on weakness in telecom giant China Mobile (NYSE: CHL  ) , which plays a commanding role in many emerging market-focused ETFs.
  � Indian stocks suffered from some of the same macroeconomic issues, with the Bombay market's index down about 3% and ETF tracking the market falling 4% to 5%. The Indian finance minister responded to the decline, which many blamed on Fed Chair Ben Bernanke's comments, by saying, "We think that Bernanke's statement has been misunderstood or misinterpreted." Yet that didn't seem to appease investors in outward-directed industries like Infosys (NYSE: INFY  ) , whose IT offerings require health activity levels not just in India but in the U.S. and other customer-heavy countries as well.
  � Stocks in Mexico suffered declines of almost 5%, retracing some ground after an extraordinarily strong stretch of gains on optimism about the country's ability to reinvigorate its economy beyond its core reliance on petroleum and to resolve ongoing conflicts with drug cartels.

  But there were some relatively bright spots in other emerging markets. Brazilian stocks were actually up a bit on the week, as the nation found itself better insulated from all the happenings in Asia related to China and Japan. Russian stocks also remained relatively stable,

• [By Aaron Smith]

  The government accused software developer Infosys (INFY) of using workers with B-1 visas, which only allow temporary entry into the U.S. for business purposes, to perform skilled labor jobs.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (TATASTEEL.NS)

Tata Steel Limited manufactures and sells steel products in India and internationally. The company provides steel products to vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers, and aerospace sector; structural frames, infrastructure, building envelope, and internal fit out application products used for heating and ventilation, and partition walls; hot rolled coil products and high-gloss pre-finished steel perforated blanks primarily for use in domestic appliances, lighting, furniture and office equipment, racking and shelving, battery cases, bake-ware, enamel-coated applications, and decorative pre-finished metals; hot rolled and cold rolled sheets, wire rod and wire, sections, plate, bearings, and tubes for engineering companies; agricultural implements; wire products for use in farming and fencing; and engineering services, including testing, erection, and commissioning, and business consulting services. It also offers tinplate, ECCS, and Protact polymer-coated steel product s for canmaking industry; formable steels for large and intermediary steel drums, and small pails for industrial packaging sector; strip and coil, quenched and tempered plate, and special profiles for track shoe and forklift masts, as well as engineered steel bars and tubes for lifting and excavating sector; welded pipeline packages and prefabricated structural products for wind, and oil and gas structures; light fabricated systems for solar farm foundations; semi finished steel components for drilling and power generation; plates, bulb flats, angles, tubes, sections, and bars for shipbuilding; rail sections sizes, steel sleeper, noise reduction systems, other specialised track, and rail products for rail sector; steel plate and sections, armoured steel, blast protective structures, perimeter security, and anti-attack vehicle barriers, as well as engineering consultancy and solutions to defense and security sector. The company was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Mumb ai, India.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (EPIC.BO)

Epic Energy Limited provides energy management solutions in India and internationally. It operates in two divisions, Energy Conservation, and Solar and Wind Energy. The Energy Conservation division principally offers power conditioner and energy saver that reduces the unbalance current and the neutral current, and neutral shifting problems in the transformers, as well as reduces the system current and ensures that the impedance matching is achieved for the load, and accordingly the optimum power is transferred. The Solar and Wind Energy division provides solar products, including solar water heaters, solar lanterns, and solar street lights, as well as solar inverters, solar radio plus torches, solar cool caps, and solar fans, and solar home generators; and wind products, including wind solar hybrid for remote power solutions. This division caters to energy needs of remote households, street lighting, telecommunication, and defense sectors. In addition, Epic Energy offers v arious services, including design, supply, and implementation of SCADA for power utilities and process industries; energy and power quality solutions; energy audit services; and custom products and systems for automatic meter reading. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Mumbai, India.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (TECHM.NS)

Tech Mahindra Limited provides information technology (IT) services to the telecommunications industry worldwide. Its IT solutions comprise consulting services, such as strategy planning, assessment, procurement, and re-engineering solutions, as well as planning, audits, and best practices; system integration and transformation services; managed services, including application management, infrastructure management, revenue management, and mobile virtual network enabler services; application development, maintenance, and support services; B/OSS solutions; and business intelligence and data management solutions. The company also offers network solutions and services, including network lifecycle, network integration and testing, data quality management, managed network, and network solutions; and infrastructure management services comprising data centre, managed network, application support, and end user services. In addition, it provides security services, such as security g overnance and compliance, application security consulting, network and system security, business continuity and DR consulting, identity and access management, managed security, security products, and cloud security solutions; business process outsourcing (BPO) services, including customer relationship management, F and A, data analytics, and human resources and enterprise management; value added services comprising enterprise mobility, content, and embedded services; and product engineering services consisting of signaling and switching, wireless infrastructure, hardware and embedded systems, and network management, as well as access, datacom, and transport. Further, the company offers business process management, cloud computing, SAP, and applications testing services, as well as portal solutions. It serves telecom service providers, telecom equipment manufacturers, BPOs, independent software vendors, and non telecom vertical customers. The company was founded in 1986 and i s based in Pune, India.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (NESTLE.BO)

Nestle India Limited engages in the manufacture and sale of various food products in India and internationally. The company offers milk products and nutrition products, beverages, prepared dishes and cooking aids, and chocolates and confectionery products. Its product line comprises milk cream and cereals, noodles, soluble coffees, and coffee blends and tea. The company provides its products primarily under the NESCAFE, MAGGI, MILKYBAR, MILO, KIT KAT, BAR-ONE, MILKMAID, and NESTEA brand names, as well as offers products of daily consumption and use under the NESTLE Milk, NESTLE SLIM Milk, NESTLE Fresh 'n' Natural Dahi, and NESTLE Jeera Raita brand names. The company is headquartered in Gurgaon, India. Nestle India Limited is a subsidiary of Nestle S.A.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (GLAXO.NS)

GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited, a research-based healthcare and pharmaceutical company, provides prescription medicines and vaccines in India. Its product portfolio comprises prescription medicines that range across various therapeutic areas, such as anti-infectives, dermatology, gynecology, diabetes, oncology, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, gastrointestinal, endocrine, immunosuppressant, nutritional, central nervous system, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases; and vaccines for the prevention of various diseases, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, invasive disease caused by H, influenza, chickenpox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, rotavirus, and cervical cancer. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Mumbai, India. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited is a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline plc.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Stewart Information Services Corporation(STC)

Stewart Information Services Corporation provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries. It operates in two segments, Title Insurance-Related Services and Real Estate Information. The Title Insurance-Related Services segment offers services that include searching for and examining documents, such as deeds, mortgages, wills, divorce decrees, court judgments, liens, paving assessments, and tax records, as well as provides titles insurance for residential and commercial properties, undeveloped acreage, farms, ranches, and water rights. This segment serves attorneys, builders, developers, home buyers and home sellers, lenders, and real estate brokers. The Real Estate Information segment offers products and services, which primarily include lender services, title technology, foreign and domestic government services, mapping, title information, Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 tax-deferred property e xchanges, pre-employment services, and online filing and transaction management. Its customers include mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, mortgage investors, government entities, commercial and residential real estate agents, land developers, builders, title insurance agencies, and others interested in obtaining property information, as well as accountants, attorneys, investors, and employers. The company has operations primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, central Europe, Mexico, central America, and Australia. Stewart Information Services Corporation was founded in 1893 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Tower Group has dropped 12% to $3.88 today at 11:39 a.m., while Stewart Information Services (STC) has dipped 0.1% to $31.16, the�Navigators Group�(NAVG) has fallen 1.4% to $54.78 and HCI Group�(HCI) has gained 1% to $38.16.

5 Best India Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Tata Motors Ltd(TTM)

Tata Motors Limited, an automobile company, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial and passenger vehicles primarily in India. The company offers cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses and coaches, and defense vehicles, as well as develops electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and public transportation. It also involves in distributing and marketing cars; and financing the vehicles sold by the company. In addition, the company engages in the provision of engineering and automotive solutions, as well as machine tools and factory automation solutions; construction equipment manufacturing; automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities; tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications; and automotive retailing and service operations. It offers its products and services through its dealership, sales, services, and spare parts network. The company also markets its commercial and passenger vehicles in Eu rope, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, and South America. The company was formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited and changed its name to Tata Motors Limited in July 2003. Tata Motors Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Mumbai, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CFA Institute Contributors]

  Tata Motors (TTM)

  Damodaran doesn't use standard regression betas. Instead, he uses an average of all the betas in a given industry. In this case, the law of large numbers is on the analyst's side. The standard error in a regression beta is typically too large to make any individual beta meaningful. In the case of Tata Motors, using an average of 111 publicly traded companies in the auto industry reduces the standard error of the beta by 90%, he said.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now

Visual effects have become virtually indistinguishable from the real thing in recent years. But now technology is conspiring to (small f) fool even the most discerning of experts.

At last week's annual conference of the National Association of Broadcasters, data storage specialist Fusion-io (NYSE: FIO  ) introduced a 1.6 terabyte version of its ioFX solid-state drive, which integrates with Hewlett-Packard's (NYSE: HPQ  ) Z class workstations for fast design and editing of visual effects.

Why should investors care? �Like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) before it, Fusion-io is occupying niches such as creative design where its specialized technology can have a huge impact. It's a short leap from there to mass market adoption, especially with data volumes growing as fast as they have been, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video.

Do you believe Fusion-io will overcome its problems and transform data storage? Please watch and then leave a comment to let us know whether you would buy, sell, or short Fusion-io stock at current prices.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: NORCROS PLC ORD GBP0.10(NXR.L)

Norcros plc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of home consumer products in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and internationally. The company offers electric showers, mixer showers, power showers, and bathroom accessories; adhesives, grouts, surface preparation, and aftercare products for fixing ceramic and porcelain tiles, mosaics, natural stone, and marbles; and ceramic wall and floor tiles, and related products. The company engages in the retail sale of tiles and sanitaryware under Johnson, Tile Africa, and TAL brands. It operates 28 showrooms in South Africa and 1 in Namibia, as well as has 5 franchisees operating in South Africa and 1 in Mozambique. The company serves consumers, architects, designers, retailers, and wholesalers. Norcros plc is headquartered in Wilmslow, the United Kingdom.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ball Corporation (BLL)

Ball Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, supplies metal packaging to the beverage, food, and household products industries worldwide. It offers aluminum and steel beverage containers for producers of beer, carbonated soft drinks, mineral water, fruit juices, energy drinks, and other beverages. The company also provides two-piece and three-piece steel food containers and ends for packaging vegetables, fruit, soups, meat, seafood, nutritional products, pet food, and other products, as well as aerosol cans, paint cans, custom and specialty containers and decorative steel tins. In addition, the company provides various aerospace systems comprising spacecraft, instruments and sensors, radio frequency and microwave technologies, data exploitation solutions, and other aerospace technologies and products, as well as offers technical services and products to government agencies, contractors, and commercial organizations for a range of information warfare, electronic warfar e, avionics, intelligence, training, and space systems needs. Ball Corporation was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The larger award, for $10.9 million, was an option exercise on a cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide logistical support, analysis, and Type III anomaly support for the Space Based Space Surveillance Block 10 System. SBSS is a satellite-based system for tracking debris, spacecraft, and other space objects beyond Earth's atmosphere and free from interference from weather, atmosphere or time of day. Ball (NYSE: BLL  ) Aerospace built the satellite itself and its sensors, while Boeing has overall responsibility for the system. The current contract option runs through Dec. 20.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Ball (NYSE: BLL) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.93 per share on revenue of $2.26 billion.

  United Stationers (NASDAQ: USTR) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.99 per share on revenue of $1.33 billion.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Franklin Electric Co. Inc.(FELE)

Franklin Electric Co., Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and distribution of groundwater and fuel pumping systems. It operates in two segments, Water Systems and Fueling Systems. The Water Systems segment provides motors, pumps, electronic controls, and related parts and equipment primarily for use in groundwater, wastewater, and fuel transfer applications. Its motors and pumps are used principally for pumping fresh water and wastewater in various residential, agricultural, and industrial applications. This segment also offers electronic drives and controls for the motors, which control functionality and provide protection from various hazards, such as electric surges, over-heating, or dry wells and tanks. The Fueling Systems segment provides pumps, pipe, sumps, fittings, vapor recovery components, electronic controls, monitoring devices, and related parts and equipment primarily for use in submersible fueling system applications. It also integrates and sells motors and electronic controls produced by the Water Systems segment. The company sells its products and related equipment to specialty distributors, original equipment manufacturers, industrial and petroleum equipment distributors, and oil and utility companies through its sales force and independent manufacturing representatives primarily in the United States, Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and China. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Bluffton, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Franklin Electric (Nasdaq: FELE  ) .

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Margins matter. The more Franklin Electric (Nasdaq: FELE  ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Franklin Electric's competitive position could be.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: U.S. Bancorp(USB)

U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, provides various banking and financial services in the United States. It generates various deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market savings, and time certificates of deposit accounts. The company originates a portfolio of loans comprising commercial loans and lease financing; commercial real estate; residential mortgage; and retail loans consisting of credit cards, retail leasing, home equity and second mortgages, and other retail loans. It also offers wholesale lending, equipment finance, small-ticket leasing, depository, treasury management, capital markets, foreign exchange, and international trade services to middle market, large corporate, commercial real estate, and public sector clients. In addition, U.S. Bancorp provides telebanking and automated teller machine (ATM) services, as well as cash management services. The company, through other subsidiaries, provides trust, private banking, financial advisory, investment management, retail brokerage services, insurance, and custody and fund services; and payment services, including consumer and business credit cards, stored-value cards, debit cards, corporate and purchasing card services, consumer lines of credit, and merchant processing. U.S. Bancorp primarily serves individuals, estates, foundations, business corporations, and charitable organizations. It operates a network of approximately 3,031 banking offices and 5,310 ATMs. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Fox]

  Optimizing the branches
  The largest banks in the U.S. are categorized as having $50 billion or more in assets. With approximately $355 billion in assets, U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB  ) is certainly a large bank. However, it tends to have a regional focus instead of an omnipresent feel like some of the megabanks. For comparison, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) has over $2.2 trillion in assets and is one of the four largest banks in the country. This regional focus has enabled U.S. Bancorp to make its size go farther than the numbers indicate.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: GP Strategies Corp (GPX)

GP Strategies Corporation (GP Strategies), incorporated in 1966, is a global performance improvement solutions provider of sales and technical training, e-learning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. The Company operates in five segments: Learning Solutions, Professional & Technical Services, Sandy Training & Marketing, RWD and Energy Services. Its clients include companies and governmental and other commercial customers in a variety of industries. It serves companies in the automotive, steel, oil and gas, power, chemical, electronics and technology, manufacturing, software, financial, retail, healthcare and food and beverage industries, as well as government agencies. On December 31, 2011, GP Strategies Corporation merged with and into its operating subsidiary, General Physics Corporation (General Physics). On August 1, 2011, the Company acquired TK Holdings Ltd and its subsidiary Beneast Training Ltd. In September 2012, the Company acquired Rovsing Dynamics. In October 2012, it acquired BlessingWhite. In June 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired Prospero Learning Solutions. In June 2013, GP Strategies Corp announced that it has acquired Lorien Engineering Solutions (LES).

On April 15, 2011, the Company acquired the consulting business of RWD Technologies, LLC (RWD). On April 1, 2011, the Company acquired Ultra Training Ltd. On February 1, 2011, through its wholly owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Company acquired the training business and certain related assets of Cathay/Communication Consulting Limited. The Company conducts its business outside of the United States in over 40 countries primarily through its wholly owned subsidiaries located in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Singapore, China and India. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operates in five segments: Learning Solutions, Professional & Technical Services, Sandy Training & Marketing (Sandy), RWD and Energy Services. On October 1, 2011, the C! ompany made two management reporting changes, which resulted in a change to its segments. The Learning Solutions group and the Europe group, which were both formerly part of the Manufacturing & BPO segment are aggregated into a separate segment named Learning Solutions. In addition, the Manufacturing group, which was also part of the Manufacturing & BPO segment, assumed management responsibility for the former Process & Government group and this newly combined group is a separate reportable segment named Professional & Technical Services.

The Company offers a range of training business process outsourcing (BPO) services, including design, delivery and global management of comprehensive learning programs, to national and multinational businesses and government organizations and can deliver its services individually or as a complete, integrated training solution. The Company�� consulting, engineering, and technical support services range from traditional business consulting, which include lean enterprise consulting services, to specialized engineering and technical support services, such as design and evaluation services regarding facilities, processes and systems. The Company�� consulting and engineering customers typically operate in industries, such as oil and gas, power, chemical, aerospace, transportation and manufacturing industries, and include customers, such as Pratt & Whitney, General Dynamics Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Luminant Energy, NRG Energy and Ameren Energy.

Learning Solutions

The Learning Solutions segment delivers training, curriculum design and development, e-Learning services, system hosting, training business process outsourcing and consulting services primarily to companies in the electronics and semiconductors, healthcare, software, financial and other industries as well as to government agencies. This segment�� ability to deliver a range of training services on a global basis allows it to take over the entire learning function f! or the cl! ient, including their training personnel.

Professional & Technical Services

The Professional & Technical Services segment is engaged in providing training, consulting, engineering and technical services, including lean consulting, emergency preparedness, safety and regulatory compliance, chemical demilitarization and environmental services primarily to companies in the manufacturing, steel, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, federal and state government agencies and government contractors. This segment also provides services to users of alternative fuels, including designing and constructing liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen fueling stations, as well as supplying fuel and equipment.

Sandy Training & Marketing

The Sandy segment provides custom product sales training and serving manufacturing customers in the United States automotive industry. Sandy provides custom product sales training designed to better educate customer sales forces with respect to new vehicle features and designs, in effect rapidly increasing the sales force knowledge base and enabling them to address detailed customer queries. In addition, Sandy helps its clients assess their customer relationship marketing (CRM) strategy, measure performance against competitors and connect with their customers on a one-to-one basis. This segment also provides technical training services to automotive customers.

RWD

The RWD segment provides human capital management and information technology (IT) consulting services, end user training, change management, knowledge management and operator effectiveness management solutions. The Segment operates in industries, such as manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, life sciences, consumer products, financial, telecommunications, services and higher education, as well as the public sector.

Energy Services

The Energy Services segment provides engineering services, products and training primarily! to elect! ric power utilities. The Company�� EtaProTM Performance Monitoring and Optimization System provides a suite of performance solutions for power generation plants and is installed at approximately 900 power generating units in over 30 countries. In addition to providing custom training solutions, this segment provides Web-based training through its GPiLearn portal to over 30,000 power plant personnel in the United States and in over 40 countries.

The Company provides custom training services and products to support existing, as well as the launch of new, plants, products, equipment, technologies and processes. The range of services includes fundamental analysis of a client�� training needs, curriculum design, instructional material development (in hard copy, electronic/software or other format), information technology service support and delivery of training. Training products include custom instructor and student training manuals, and instructional materials suitable for Web-based and blended learning solutions. The Company�� instructional delivery capabilities include traditional classroom, structured on-the-job training (OJT), just-in-time methods, computer-based, Web-based, video-based and the spectrum of e-Learning technologies.

The Company provides end-to-end business process outsourcing solutions, including the management of its customers training departments, as well as administrative processes, such as tuition assistance program management, vendor management, call center / help desk administration and learning management system (LMS) administration. The Company�� training BPO services encompass a spectrum of learning engagements from transactional multi-week assignments focused on a single aspect of a learning process to multi-year contracts where it manages the learning infrastructure of its customer. In addition, the Company automates a huge amount of its customers tuition reimbursement programs by utilizing its own software.

The consulting servi! ces inclu! de not only training-related consulting services, but also traditional business management, engineering and other disciplines. The Company also provides engineering consulting services to support regulatory and environmental compliance, modification of facilities and processes, plant performance improvement, reliability-centered maintenance practices and plant start-up activities. Consulting services also include IT consulting and enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation services, operations continuity assessment, planning, training and procedure development. Consulting products include training and reference materials.

The technical support services include procedure writing and configuration control for capital intensive facilities, plant start-up assistance, logistics support (inventory management and control), implementation and engineering assistance for facility or process modifications, facility management for high technology training environments, staff augmentation and help-desk support for standard and customized client desktop applications. Technical support products include the Company�� EtaPRO and Virtual Plant software applications that serve the power generation industry.

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 GP Strategies (NYSE: GPX  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Highpower International Inc (HPJ.W)

Highpower International, Inc., incorporated on January 3, 2006, is engaged in the production and sales of rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, lithium batteries and battery systems. The Company also recycles scrap battery materials through outsourcing and resells the recycled materials to some of its customers. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary is Hong Kong Highpower Technology Company Limited (HKHTC). HKHTC�� wholly owned subsidiaries Shenzhen Highpower Technology Company Limited (SZ Highpower), Highpower Energy Technology (Hui Zhou) Company Limited (HZ Highpower), Springpower Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited (SZ Springpower) and Icon Energy System Company Limited (ICON) and SZ Highpower�� wholly owned subsidiary Ganzhou Highpower Technology Company Limited (Ganzhou Highpower).

The Company�� Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are solutions for many applications. The Company�� Ni-MH rechargeable batteries offer capacity and ene rgy density. As a result, users can expect a longer time between charges and longer running time. The Company�� Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are available in both cylindrical and prismatic shapes. The Company produces Li-ion batteries and Li-polymer batteries with hundreds of different models and specifications. As of December 31 2011, the Company produced an average of 1,520,000 lithium battery units per month.

The Company�� batteries fall into two main categories, such as consumer batteries and industrial batteries. The Company�� consumer batteries category produces Ni-MH and lithium batteries, which offers power capacity, allowing for longer working time and shortened charging time during equivalent working periods. The Company produces A, AA and AAA sized batteries in blister packing, as well as chargers and battery packs. The Company�� industrial batteries are designed for electric bikes, power tools and electric toys. They are specifically designe d for high-drain discharge applications.

The! C! ompany competes with SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Panasonic, BYD Company Ltd., GPI International, Ltd., GS Yuasa Corporation, Desay Corp., Coslight Group, Tianjin Lishen Battery Co. Ltd. and ATL.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: The AES Corporation(AES)

The AES Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a power company in Latin America, Africa, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company owns and operates two businesses, Generation and Utilities. The Generation business owns and/or operates power plants to generate and sell power to wholesale customers, such as utilities and other intermediaries. It generates electricity through various sources, including coal, gas, fuel oil, biomass, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The Utilities business owns and/or operates utilities to distribute, transmit, and sell electricity to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental sectors. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned electricity generation and distribution facilities with a total capacity of approximately 40,500 megawatts and distribution networks serving approximately 12 million people in 28 countries. The AES Corporation was founded in 1981 and is based in Arlingto n, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Among utilities I think AES Corp (NYSE: AES), which just bumped up its dividend by 25 percent, looks great right now.

  Question: Why did UF wait so long to recommend a sell on Atlantic Power Corp (TSX: ATP, NYSE: AT)?

• [By Richard Stavros]

  In examining the top two stock sellers and top two stock buyers listed above, we illustrate how these companies are managing their efforts to return cash to shareholders (See Chart C). The chart clearly shows that those firms that were making stock buybacks had better shareholder yields than those that were making stock issuances, namely Otter Tail Corp (NYSE: OTTR) and The AES Corp (NYSE: AES).

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Pure Cycle Corporation(PCYO)

Pure Cycle Corporation, a vertically integrated water and wastewater service provider, engages in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of water and wastewater systems in the Denver metropolitan area. The company contracts with landowners, developers, home builders, cities, and municipalities using a water portfolio consisting of surface and ground water supplies, surface and aquifer storage, and reclaimed water supplies. It withdraws, treats, stores, and delivers water to customers; collects, treats, stores, and reuses wastewater; and treats and delivers reclaimed water for irrigation use by customers. The company offers water services to approximately 258 single family equivalent (SFE) water connections, as well as 157 SFE wastewater connections located in southeastern metropolitan area of Denver. It has water assets in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado; Arkansas River Valley in southern Colorado; and on the western slope of Colorado. The company was founded in 1976 and is based in Denver, Colorado.