Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Invest In 2014

I just bought shares of a fund aimed at generating income and lowering volatility, by owning securities with wide valuations and above-average dividend; it can be considered a stock hedge fund for the retail investor, suggests Vivian Lewis, editor of Global Investing.

Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Equity Income Fund (EXG) favors active management in a declining market based on CIO Michael Wilson's strategy for closed end funds.

Morgan Stanley recently rated overweight, based on the fund's actively-managed strategy. EXG uses covered calls to boost income and lower portfolio volatility.

Writing calls is a good strategy for boosting income, but you have to focus on it. The fund, run by the same two managers since its founding in 2007, is focused.

EXG is largely invested in non-US shares (mostly continental and about 10% UK) and writes calls on broad foreign equity index options (usually slightly out of the money).

The calls are offset by its portfolio of high-yielding foreign blue chip individual company stock. The current top positions in the fund include Royal Dutch, Nestle, Roche, Vodafone, HSBC, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, BP, Unilever, Bayer, Astra Zeneca, Diageo, and ABB.

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Watch Right Now: ParkerVision Inc.(PRKR)

Parkervision, Inc. engages in the design, development, and sale of proprietary radio frequency (RF) technologies and products for use in semiconductor circuits for wireless communication products in the United States. The company provides its wireless technologies for processing RF waveforms in wireless applications. Its technology applies to transmit and receive functions of a radio transceiver. Its transmit portion of the technology, Direct2Power, enables the transformation of a baseband data signal to an RF carrier waveform at the desired power output level in a single unified operation. The company?s receiver portion of the technology, Direct2Data, enables the direct conversion of an RF carrier to a baseband data signal. It also provides engineering consulting and design services to its customers to assist them in developing prototypes and/or products incorporating its technologies. The company licenses its intellectual property and sells integrated circuits for incor poration into wireless devices designed by its customers. It primarily focuses on incorporating its technologies into mobile handsets, as well as to other wireless products that are related to networks serving mobile handsets, such as data cards, femtocells, and machine-to-machine and embedded applications. The company?s technology is also used in non-cellular radio applications comprising military radios. In addition, Parkervision, Inc. develops wireless radio modules for mobile handset and data card applications through a joint development and marketing agreement with LG Innotek Co., Ltd. It serves mobile handset manufacturers and their chipset suppliers in the mobile handset industry. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  I hate to be the one to say I told you so, but, I told you so. It's Vringo, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNG) all over again. What's that? The euphoria - the certainty - that drove ParkerVision, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRKR)� shares from a price of $2.46 to a high of $7.78 in just seven trading days, only to see it all come crashing down on the 8th day. PRKR plunged to a close of $2.90 on the 8th day (yesterday) when the gamble didn't pan out for speculators who were sure it would. Score another one for not picking stocks like you were tossing a coin.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  I don't come hear to pat myself on the back, however. I come hear to let you know the same conditions that made American Community overbought and ripe for a reversal and suggested Real Goods Solar, Inc. was ready to rally are now saying - respectively - ParkerVision, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRKR) shares are due for a pullback and Arca Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:ABIO) is on the verge of a big bullish thrust.

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Invest In 2014: Global Sources Ltd.(GSOL)

Global Sources Ltd. operates as a business-to-business media company primarily in greater China. It provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. The company offers trade information using online media, print media, and face-to-face events. Its products and services comprise online product information and listing services; organizing trade shows; and advertising and marketing creative services; trade publications in print and digital formats; and china sourcing reports. The company uses English-language media to facilitate trade from Greater China to the world, as well as utilizes Chinese-language media to enable companies to sell to, and within, Greater China. It delivers information on approximately 5.7 million products and approximately 262,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly print and 18 digital magazines, approximately 90 sourcing research reports, and 73 specialized trade shows a year in 9 cities. The company was founded in 1970 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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 Global Sources (Nasdaq: GSOL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Invest In 2014: Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. (GPRE)

Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. engages in the production, marketing, and distribution of ethanol and related distillers grains in the United States. It also involves in grain warehousing and marketing; selling and servicing agronomy and petroleum products; the production and sale of corn oil; and the marketing and distribution of company-produced and third-party ethanol and distillers grains. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nickey Friedman]

  Other biofuel companies
  Unlike KiOR, Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ: REGI  ) and Green Plains Renewable Energy (NASDAQ: GPRE  ) are ending the year with stock prices at more than double where they started it due to their excellent operational performance. For example, last quarter Renewable Energy Group reported revenue leaped 42% to $458.4 million. Net income had a dramatic turnaround, from a loss of $6.9 million to positive $78.5 million or $2.31 per share, though $42.1 million of that was an IRS tax benefit. Analysts expect Renewable Energy Group to report positive EPS of $1.66 next year while KiOR is expected to lose nearly a buck per share.

• [By Tristan R. Brown]

  Three months ago I wrote that the stock performance YTD of independent ethanol producer Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) was an "aberration", especially in light of the performance of its industry peers' shares. The discrepancy between Pacific Ethanol's share price and those of its peers has only grown more pronounced since July (see figure). Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) and REX American Resources (REX) have continued to greatly outperform the S&P 500. Even Biofuel Energy, which fell behind on its interest and debt payments over the summer and is facing a shareholder-ruining liquidation, has seen its share price perform significantly better than Pacific Ethanol's in 2013. The oddest part about the stock's performance over the last three months, however, is that the period has been marked by multiple positive announcements from the company. It late July it reported its first positive EPS in almost two years for Q2 (0.07). Its Q2 EBITDA of $3.8 million was its highest since Q4 2011. Its current ratio is well above its previous lows, its ratio of total assets to total liabilities is increasing, and its total shareholders' equity is at a 3-year high. Despite these improvements, the company's price/book ratio is a mere 0.77.

• [By STOCKPICKR]

   

  Green Plains (GPRE) produces, markets, and distributes ethanol in the U.S. This stock closed up 4.8% at $31.54 in Monday's trading session.

   

  Monday's Volume: 1.54 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 1.03 million
  
  Volume % Change: 50%

   

  From a technical perspective, GPRE spiked sharply higher here and broke out above some near-term overhead resistance at $30.94 with above-average volume. This spike higher on Monday is quickly pushing shares of GPRE within range of triggering of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if GPRE manages to clear Monday's intraday high of $31.89 to its 52-week high of $32.60 with high volume.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GPRE as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $30 or above its 50-day at $28.59 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 1.03 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then GPRE will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $35 to $40.

   

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Invest In 2014: Mastercard Incorporated(MA)

MasterCard Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides transaction processing and related services to customers principally in support of their credit, deposit access, electronic cash and automated teller machine payment card programs, and travelers? cheque programs. Its payment solutions include payment programs, marketing, product development, technology, processing, and consulting and information services. The company provides transaction processing services comprising transaction switching, which include authorization, clearing, and settlement; connectivity services, such as network access, equipment, and the transmission of authorization and settlement messages; and other payment-related services consisting of products used to prevent or detect fraudulent transactions, cardholder services, professional consulting and research services, compliance and penalty, account and transaction enhancement services, holograms, and publication services. MasterCard Incor porated manages and licenses payment card brands, including MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus. The company?s payment programs, which are facilitated through its brands, include consumer credit, debit and prepaid programs, commercial payment solutions, and contactless payment solutions. It serves approximately 22,000 financial institutions. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  By any account, 2013 has been a stellar year for shares of payment network MasterCard (MA) -- the $99 billion firm has seen its share price rally more than 68% in the last 12 months. Investors have some big tailwinds to thank for all that upside; and those macro factors aren't showing any signs of dying down as we head into another year.

  MasterCard is the second-biggest payment network in the world, with nearly a third of the world's credit and debit cards bearing its logo. Like larger competitor Visa (V), MasterCard is a payment network only - that means that it doesn't carry credit risk on its balance sheet from lending cash to consumers and businesses. MA only facilitates the transaction for a fee, which means that the firm's revenues are tied to global spending volumes, not debt levels. Card networks tend to have a positive feedback loop -- consumers choose MasterCard, for example, because it's accepted nearly universally, and merchants accept MasterCard because of the large numbers of consumers who carry the card. That makes it even more challenging for new competitors to break into the field.

  The big macro trend boosting MasterCard is the worldwide shift from cash to electronic payments. Despite the popularity of electronic card payments in countries like the U.S., the vast majority of worldwide transactions are still settled in cash. Because of the extra convenience and security of payment cards, that tide is turning - and MA and its competitors all stand to benefit from the growth.

  MasterCard's momentum still looks strong heading into 2014, and that makes this Rocket Stock worth a closer look as we head into a new year.

• [By DealNews]

  Ben Husmann/Flickr The words "friendly" and "fraud" may not seem to go together, but friendly fraud -- also known as chargeback fraud -- is a real problem for a lot of online merchants. Friendly fraud happens when a customer fraudulently reports to their financial institution that a charge on their credit card isn't legitimate; the customer will typically be refunded the money immediately, leaving the merchant on the hook for the cash. Friendly fraud may be intentional theft, like shoplifting, but some customers may do it accidentally -- reporting a charge because they don't realize another member of their household made the purchase or the charge information on their statement doesn't match up to a recognized retailer name, which can happen if the retailer uses a third-party payment system like PayPal. With identity theft at an all-time high and banks eager to reassure consumers that their identity (and their money) is safe with fraud protection guarantees, it's become increasingly easy for cardholders to use these protections to commit fraud. Retailers Shoulder the Burden Whether chargeback fraud is intentional or not, retailers are losing billions; Visa estimates $11.8 billion was lost to friendly fraud in 2012. For online merchants, who never physically swiped a card, it can be difficult to prove that a charge was legitimate -- making chargebacks a game of he said, she said, where the customer usually wins. What's more, if a merchant has more than 1 percent of their charges reversed as chargebacks, they can find themselves shut down by Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) -- which can mean going out of business entirely. As a result, businesses are fighting friendly fraud in a lot of different ways. To protect themselves from chargebacks, many merchants require customers to enter credit or debit card' security codes in order to prove ownership and physical access to the card. Some merchants will only ship to the address associated with a charge card, which ca

• [By Rich Smith]

  Good news
  The good news, though, is that in many cases at least you can get the same peace of mind from an extended warranty (even if you never get to use it) by simply buying with a credit card. Most products you buy, after all, come with a manufacturer's warranty built right in. And depending on the card you use to buy an item, MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) or Visa (NYSE: V  ) for example will often automatically double the length of any manufacturer's warranty, adding as much as a year to your warranty period free of charge.