Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In 2015

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In 2015: Fluidigm Corporation(FLDM)

Fluidigm Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of microfluidic systems for growth markets in the life science and agricultural biotechnology (Ag-Bio) industries. The company?s proprietary microfluidic systems consist of instruments and consumables, including chips (integrated fluidic circuits) and reagents. Its technology enables customers to perform and measure various biochemical reactions on samples smaller than the content of a single cell by utilizing minute volumes of reagents and samples; and rapid preparation of multiple samples in parallel for next generation DNA sequencing. The company?s products include the BioMark HD system, which performs high-throughput gene expression analysis using real-time and end point PCR, SNP genotyping, single-cell analysis, and digital PCR using TaqMan, EvaGreen dye, and other chemistries; The EP1 System that performs end point PCR and is commonly used in production settings for Ag-Bio, digital PCR, and c opy number variation experiments using TaqMan, EvaGreen dye, and other chemistries; and the Access Array system that enables automated sample preparation and tagging for next generation DNA sequencers. The company serves pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, diagnostic laboratories, and Ag-Bio companies. Fluidigm Corporation distributes its instruments and supplies through direct field sales and support organizations in North America, Europe, and Japan; and through distributors or sales agents in parts of Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. The company was formerly known as Mycometrix Corporation and changed its name to Fluidigm Corporation in April 2001. Fluidigm Corporation was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Fluidigm (Nasdaq: FLDM  ) reported earnings on May 1. Here are ! the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Fluidigm beat slightly on revenues and exceeded expectations on earnings per share.

• [By John Kell]

  Bio-technology company Fluidigm Corp.(FLDM) agreed to acquire DVS Sciences Inc. for about $208 million to expand its portfolio of single-cell technology products. DVS manufactures and distributes bioanalytical products for biological research and future clinical applications. Shares dropped 2.3% to $40.02 premarket.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Basic guidelines
  In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Fluidigm (Nasdaq: FLDM  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Fluidigm doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, pretty well. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 24.0%, and inventory increased 14.4%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue expanded 32.8%, and inventory increased 14.4%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 7.2%, and inventory grew 2.8%.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Fluidigm (NASDAQ: FLDM  ) , a manufacturer of microfluidic systems for the biotech, pharmaceutical, and academic research sectors, shot higher by as much as 14% after reporting its first-quarter-earnings results.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-high-tech-stocks-to-invest-in-2015.html

GAO: Trusted-traveler programs are popular

Enrollment in trusted-traveler programs to win expedited processing at border crossings quadrupled during the last five years, according to a Government Accountability Office report Friday.

But Customs and Border Protection has had trouble keeping up with the applications, according to the 76-page report.

Global Entry, a program to expedite the return of air travelers from overseas, led the way by topping 1 million members by January, according to the GAO.

The other programs are Nexus with 950,393 members for crossing the northern border, Sentri with 369,745 members for crossing the southern border and Fast with 78,414 members among commercial truckers at northern and southern borders.

With nearly 1 million people entering land, sea and air borders each day, the advantage to the expedited programs is getting through customs and immigration lines faster.

Global Entry costs $100 for five years. Applicants provide biographical information and travel history for a criminal-background check, then fingerprints and an interview.

If successful, participants can swipe their passport at an airport kiosk, which digitally takes their customs declaration, and then skip the line processing hundreds of other people from the flight.

"Trusted travelers generally experience shorter wait times than regular travelers," the GAO said.

Customs and Border Protection calculated it saved $15.5 million in personnel costs at border inspection booths last year, according to Jim Crumpacker, director of Department of Homeland Security's office dealing with the GAO.

Of the 31 airports with kiosks, the biggest share of travelers using Global Entry are Houston's Bush and Raleigh-Durham at 5% and Chicago's O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Newark, Salt Lake City and Washington's Dulles at 4%.

Customs and Border Protection is also allowing citizens of Germany, Qatar, Panama and the United Kingdom to participate in Global Entry, and has agreements to include Israel and Saudi Arabi! a.

Trusted traveler programs have become popular. Applications grew to 895,830 last year from 233,833 in 2009, according to GAO.

Enrollments grew to 857,529 last year from 209,117 in 2009, GAO said.

The use of Global Entry kiosks nearly doubled to 1.9 million entries last year from 1.1 million in 2012. But there is room for growth, with 77 million entries from aboard at airports last year.

By August 2013, Customs and Border Protection had a backlog of 90,000 applications awaiting vetting and 33,000 applicants awaiting interviews. At that point, the agency reduced the maximum length of interviews to 15 minutes from 20.

The agency also eliminated interviews for renewals that didn't have any derogatory material against the applicant. One enrollment center holds group briefings for new members about how the programs work.

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Big Lots Inc (BIG)

Big Lots, Inc., incorporated in May 2001, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a North America's closeout retailer. At January 28, 2012, the Company operated a total of 1,533 stores in two countries: the United States and Canada. The Company operates in two segments: U.S. and Canada. The merchandising categories include Consumables, Furniture, Home, Seasonal, Play n' Wear, and Hardlines & Other. The Consumables category includes the food, health and beauty, plastics, paper, chemical, and pet departments. The Furniture category includes the upholstery, mattresses, ready-to-assemble, and case goods departments. The Home category includes the domestics, stationery, and home decorative departments. The Seasonal category includes the lawn and garden, Christmas, summer, and other holiday departments. The Play n' Wear category includes the electronics, toys, jewelry, infant accessories, and apparel departments. The Hardlines & Other category includes the appliances, tools, p aint, and home maintenance departments. On July 18, 2011, the Company acquired Liquidation World Inc. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened 92 stores, acquired 89 stores and closed 46 stores.

All of the Companys stores are located in North America and has an average store size of approximately 29,900 square feet, of which an average of 21,600 square feet is selling square feet. The 54 owned stores are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. At January 28, 2012, the Company owned or leased approximately 9.4 million square feet of distribution center and warehouse space. The Company leases and operates two regional distribution centers in Canada located in British Columbia and Ontario. Of its 1,533 stores, 33% operate in four states California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida, and net sales from stores in these states represented 36% of its fiscal 2011 net sales.

Adv! isors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Big Lots (NYSE: BIG  ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, and investors haven't been certain lately about which direction the stock is likely to go. Having rebounded from its worst levels a year ago, the stock is still well off levels it hit in early 2012, and with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) and Target (NYSE: TGT  ) fighting to capture more cash-strapped shoppers, Big Lots faces competition on all fronts.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/10-best-promising-stocks-for-2015.html

10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2015

10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2015: International Montoro Resources Inc (IMT)

International Montoro Resources Inc. is engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties, focusing on projects in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, Canada. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Malachite Project (New Brunswick). The Company holds a 50% interest in the Red Lake Project (Ontario), the Malachite property consists of 62 claim units comprising 1,352.25 hacteres. The Crackingstone River Project (Saskatchewan) consists of 750 hectare claim block in northern Saskatchewan near Uranium City. The Cup Lake/Donen Claims located in the Greenwood Mining District of B.C. On May 24, 2012, the Company acquired a 100% interest in four mineral claims representing 1,065.10 hactares, which were located in the middle of the west side of the Tacheeda Lake claim block. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  British American Tobacco Plc and Imperial Tobacco Group Plc (IMT) each lost at least 1.5 percent as American peer Philip Morris International Inc. forecast 2014 profit growth below its long-term target. Antofagasta Plc (ANTO) and Vedanta Resources Plc (VED) followed miners lower, sliding at least 2 percent. Johnson Matthey Plc (JMAT) gained 3.9 percent after posting better-than-forecast profit and raising its dividend.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/10-best-up-and-coming-stocks-to-invest-in-2015.html

Best European Stocks For 2015

Best European Stocks For 2015: Fresenius Medical Care Corporation (FMS)

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, a dialysis company, provides products and services for patients with chronic kidney diseases. As of May 12, 2011, it provided dialysis care services to 216,942 patients through its network of 2,769 dialysis clinics primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa. The company also develops and manufactures various dialysis products, including hemodialysis machines, dialyzers, hemofilters, dialysis fluid filters, tubing systems, fistula needles, dialysis related equipment, acute hemodialysis machines, plasma filters, acute tubing systems and cassettes, catheters, and related disposable products for chronic hemodialysis, acute therapy, home therapy, and therapeutic apheresis, as well as dialysis drugs. In addition, it provides laboratory services. Fresenius Medical sells its products through distributors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap dialysis stock Rockwell Medical Inc (NASDAQ: RMTI) looks set to decline when the market opens after Brean Capital initiated coverage with a sell rating and a price target of $4.00, meaning it might be time to take a closer look at what is going on with the stock along withthe performance of large cap dialysis stocks DaVita Healthcare Partners (NYSE: DVA)and Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS) along with small cap dialysis stocks NxStage Medical, Inc (NASDAQ: NXTM).

• [By Charles Carlson, CEO and Portfolio Manager, Horizon Investment Services]

  For investors looking for growth but also income, I especially like three health-care related stocksFresenius Medical (FMS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), and Smith & Nephew (SNN).

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Dialysis provider DaVita Healthcare Partners (DVA) soared almost 8.9% to close at $61.55 after the market le! arned that Medicare funding cuts would come in lower than expected. Rival Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) rose 7.2% on the same news.

• [By Ben Eisen]

  DaVita (DVA) gained 8.9% and Fresenius (FMS) rose 7.2%.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-european-stocks-for-2015-2.html

Hot Railroad Companies To Own In Right Now

Hot Railroad Companies To Own In Right Now: Cinemark Holdings Inc(CNK)

Cinemark Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the motion picture exhibition business. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 436 theatres with 4,983 screens in 39 states of the United States, as well as in Brazil, Mexico, and 11 other Latin American countries. The company is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  As movie-theater operator Cinemark (NYSE: CNK  ) exits the Mexican market, another "gringo" is expanding to fill the gap -- from even farther north of the border.

source from USA Best Stocks:http://www.usabeststocks.com/hot-railroad-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Could Zinc Be The Next Base Metals Star?

A combination of Indonesian ore restrictions, and fears over possible trade sanctions on Russian miners, has seen nickel emerge as the base metals suite's darling during 2014. The metal has advanced 40% since the turn of the year, breaching 27-month peaks above $21,000 per tonne in the process, and more strength looks on the agenda as these supply concerns rumble on.

But for many, a backcloth of declining supply levels is also expected to propel zinc prices skywards in the near future. Bank of America-Merrill Lynch expects the galvanising metal to breach $2,400 per tonne as soon as next year, a sizeable 15% improvement if realised and with many tipping further price growth further out.

Market deficit poised to worsen in coming years

Like nickel, the zinc market is beset by worries over production levels over both the short and near term. However, wider macroeconomic fears have constrained zinc's price performance in recent months, and prices are essentially flat from those recorded at the start of 2014 around $2,100 per tonne.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Own For 2015

Still, a spate of mine closures scheduled from the middle of next year looks set to become an increasingly-significant price driver. MMG Limited, one of the planet's biggest zinc producers and owner of the Century mine in Queensland — by far Australia's largest zinc project — expects zinc production from the asset's open pit to range between 465,000 and 480,000 tonnes this year.

This marks a significant decline from 488,233 tonnes in 2013 and 514,707 tonnes in the previous year, and last output from the project is anticipated during the middle of 2015. This downtrend is mirrored by numerous other major projects across the globe. On top of this, the effect of reduced commodity prices on capital expenditure across the mining community is stymieing the development of the next generation of 'super projects.'

Meanwhile, a steady improvement in the global economy continues to bolster demand for the metal, which is used predominantly in battery production as well as to coat iron and steel to protect against corrosion. Galloping automobile demand in emerging markets, in addition to resurgent car sales in Western Europe and North America, has proved pivotal in driving zinc demand higher.

And significantly, a backdrop of rising construction activity in China — the Asian country is responsible for almost half of total zinc consumption — and surging domestic demand for electrical goods also bodes well for metal prices. Indeed, the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) estimates that Chinese apparent demand rose 7.6% last year versus 3.4% in the US and 4% in Japan.

Latest forecasts from metals specialists Sucden Financial and FastMarkets point to a 5% improvement in zinc demand in 2014, to 13.6 million tonnes, outstripping an anticipated 4% output advance to 13.5 million tonnes. These figures push last year's market deficit to 120,000 tonnes from 68,000 tonnes in 2013.

This trend of buoyant consumption outstripping production increases has been the story of the zinc market during recent years — next year's projected deficit compares markedly with oversupply of 375,000 tonnes in 2011, based on ILZSG figures, and 248,000 tonnes in 2012.

Although zinc stocks remain relatively plentiful — material currently held in London Metal Exchange warehouses currently stands at around 735,000 tonnes — levels have collapsed 25% during the past six months and now stand at their lowest since the autumn of 2011.

Of course the prospect of vast quantities of zinc being released onto the market from China is a very real threat, as the metal's role as collateral for a range of financing activities comes under greater regulatory scrutiny.

But as global metal consumption looks set to gallop steadily higher, and output from key mines is not likely to be replaced for some time, in my opinion zinc looks set to enjoy solid long-term price appreciation.

Michigan men finding success in failure talks

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An entrepreneur told a Detroit audience about how he had failed as a father, husband and businessman.

In the crowd sat a riveted Jordan O'Neil. At least until the speaker intoned in the inevitable "but," followed by his tale of second-chance success.

"He basically told a story that grabbed the full attention of the 800 people in the crowd because it was so different," O'Neil said. "What if he had dropped the mic and walked off the stage — just left it there?"

Thus was born the idea for Failure: Lab. He gathered three friends and developed what would become an event featuring six speakers sharing 10-minute failures — straight with no "lessons learned" chaser. The audience is left to glean the meaning and encouraged to share its thoughts on social media as well as notecards that are collected afterward.

It's working, at least in O'Neil's home state of Michigan. During the past year, Failure: Lab has come to theaters in Grand Rapids, East Lansing and Detroit, and its return Friday to Grand Rapids is sold out. Now, his team believes stumbling self-help for the 21st century can succeed beyond its comfy confines — they're planning shows in New Orleans, Mexico City, Brooklyn, New York, and possibly Baghdad.

Failure: Lab's focus is meant to stand out in a crowded field of "idea conferences," such as the global juggernaut TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design). Following TED's lead, Failure: Lab now licenses the name and concept for shows worldwide.

"At first we were trying to hold it very tight, then we realized we have to let it fly," said O'Neil, who by day designs university community relations plans. "We can't continue to do it on our own."

Venture capitalists and entrepreneurs love to say there's no success without several failures, and an online search for "books on failure" finds titles such as "Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success" and "How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In."!

Yet even with failure blooming in business circles, there's a contradiction with a larger culture that prefers stories come with a moral. Jonathan Williams, a Failure: Lab co-founder, says the goal isn't "to glorify failure" but "to crush the stigma around it."

A recent show at Michigan State University proved succeeding at failure can be tricky, as some speakers slipped in lessons or sprinkled stories with triumphs.

Miz Korona, the rapper best known for being in the 2002 film "8 Mile," spoke that night of the lows following the high of appearing in the hit movie with Eminem.

"I am not the '8 Mile' lunch truck lady — I'm a struggling artist," she said, adding that "at the end of the day, I'm still in Detroit," working at a retail superstore and her "entourage" long gone.

She couldn't help offering advice, such as "Never let your friends become your manager if they don't know the business." Lessons shared by the audience and posted on Failure: Lab's website include, "Don't get reality and fiction mixed up" and "Being in 1 movie does not make 1 a movie star."

Other storytellers included author and journalist Mike Sager, who spoke of selfishness that led him to self-destructive behavior upon becoming a father, and Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis, who choked up as he lamented failing his family by working long hours yet says he feels guilty when he's home.

"It's so hard for people not to deliver some sort of lesson," O'Neil said. "We're getting better at coaching storytellers."

The speakers aren't the only ones who have struggled. O'Neil said a big sponsor from the first event loved it but lobbied for lessons.

"We said, 'We appreciate your support but it's really not the route we want to go,'" he said.

Christian Terwiesch, an author and professor at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, said Failure: Lab fills an educational niche and capitalizes on a business trend — demystifying the innovation process and "making failure ! much more! acceptable."

His advice as Failure: Lab seeks a global audience: Stay grounded with storytellers who aren't marquee names — and TED alums — like Bono or Bill Gates.

"Oftentimes it's much easier to talk about failures ... if you've just made a billion dollars," Terwiesch said.

O'Neil said he and his partners — Williams, Austin Dean and Brian Dokter — want to keep a local feel.

"We've had NBA players, Grammy winners ... and regular Joes," he said. "I think it's those regular Joes — they have the most powerful stories at each one."

Follow Jeff Karoub on Twitter @jeffkaroub

Top Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now

Top Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now: Accuride Corporation New (ACW)

Accuride Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in designing, manufacturing, marketing, and supplying commercial vehicle components in North America. The company offers heavy- and medium-duty steel and aluminum wheels, light truck steel wheels, and military wheels; and wheel-end components and assemblies, such as brake drums, disc wheel hubs, spoke wheels, disc brake rotors, and automatic slack adjusters. It also provides truck body and chassis parts comprising bumpers, fuel tanks, battery boxes and toolboxes, front-end cross members, muffler assemblies, and crown assemblies and components, as well as fenders, exhaust components, sun visors, windshield masks, step assemblies, brackets, fuel tank supports, inner-hood panels, door assemblies, dash panel assemblies, and various other components. In addition, the company offers ductile and gray iron casting of transmission and engine-related components, which comprise flywheels, and transmission and engine-relate d housings and brackets; and ductile and gray iron casting of industrial components, such as flywheels, pump housings, small engine components, and other industrial components. Accuride Corporation markets its products under Accuride, Gunite, Imperial, and Brillion brand names. It serves heavy- and medium-duty truck, and commercial trailer original equipment manufacturers (OEM); and aftermarket suppliers, including OEM dealer networks, wholesale distributors, and aftermarket buying groups. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Putnam]

  Because of a very leveraged balance sheet, the company—Accuride Corp. (ACW)—could not survive the 2008-09 recession, and it filed for bankruptcy in October 2009.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Basic guidelines
  ! In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Accuride (NYSE: ACW  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Accuride doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, pretty well. Trailing-12-month revenue decreased 14.3%, and inventory decreased 30.5%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue dropped 28.6%, and inventory dropped 30.5%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks healthy. Revenue grew 9.2%, and inventory dropped 6.1%.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-railroad-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015

If you are looking for the next small cap beverage stock that could turn into the next Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), under the radar beverage�companies like small caps National Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: FIZZ), Reed's, Inc (NYSEMKT: REED) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) could be just what you are looking for. I should point out that the beverage space is often a battle between David and Goliath as everyone, and especially�smaller players, must fight for every inch of shelf space. Nevertheless, the following small cap beverage stocks are at least holding their ground and putting up a good fight leading to profits for investors:

National Beverage Corp.�A leader in the development and sale of flavored beverage products and the fifth biggest beverage company in the USA, National Beverage Corp offers a�wide selection of flavored soft drinks, juices, sparkling waters and energy drinks. Brands would include Asante, Big Shot, Cascadia, Clear Fruit, Crystal Bay, Everfresh, Everfresh Lemonade, Everfresh Premier Varietals, Faygo, Home Juice, Home Juice Lemonade, LaCroix, Mega Sport, Ohana, Rip It, Rip It 2oz Shot, Rip It X, Ritz, Shasta, Spree, St. Nick�� and Sundance Naturals. Back in September, National Beverage Corp issued what has been described as the strangest earnings release ever that was entitled: "National Beverage Reports Less Than Typical Results." Both CNBC and Forbes picked up on it�(See: What are they drinking at National Beverage?�and A Soda CEO Pops Off With Wacky Comments About His Company's Stale Business) and not because revenues�fell 6% to $172 million, net income�fell 16% to $12 million and EPS�fell 16% to $.26 but because of�quotes like this from CEO Nick A. Caporella:�

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015: Rackspace Hosting Inc(RAX)

Rackspace Hosting, Inc. operates in the hosting and cloud computing industry. It provides information technology (IT) as a service, managing Web-based IT systems for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large enterprises worldwide. The company?s service suite includes dedicated hosting comprising customer management portal and other management tools that manage data center, network, hardware devices, and operating system software; and cloud computing that enables customers to provide and manage a pool of computing resources, as well as delivery of computing resources to business when they need them. It offers cloud servers, cloud files, and cloud sites, as well as cloud applications, such as email, collaboration, and file back-ups; and hybrid hosting that provides a combination of dedicated hosting and cloud computing services. The company also offers customer support services. It sells its service suite through direct sales teams, third-party channel partners, an d online ordering. The company was formerly known as Rackspace.com, Inc. and changed its name to Rackspace Hosting, Inc. in June 2008. Rackspace Hosting, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX  ) fit the bill? Let's look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Ouch, dude. That swan dive came from cloud computing specialist Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX  ) , based on a disappointing earnings report with a weak next-quarter outlook. The company is waist-deep in moving old customers over to the new OpenStack platform, leaving less resources for seeking out new contracts. So revenue jumped 20% year-over-year to $362 million, but Wall Street had expected $367 million. Rackspace rarely publishes quarterly guidance, but the second-quarter sales range provided this week sits 3% below analyst targets.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015: FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL)

FuelCell Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacturing, and sale of high temperature fuel cells for clean electric power generation primarily in South Korea, the United States, Germany, Canada, and Japan. The company offers proprietary carbonate Direct FuelCell Power Plants that electrochemically produce electricity from hydrocarbon fuels, such as natural gas and biogas. Its fuel cells operate on a range of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas, renewable biogas, propane, methanol, coal gas, and coal mine methane. The company also develops carbonate fuel cells, planar solid oxide fuel cell technology, and other fuel cell technologies. It provides its products to universities; manufacturers; mission critical institutions, such as correction facilities and government installations; hotels; and natural gas letdown stations, as well as to customers who use renewable biogas for fuel, including municipal water treatment facilities, br eweries, and food processors. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) shot up 11.81 percent to $3.03 after jumping 24.88% on Tuesday.

  Shares of Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO) were on the rise as well, gaining 11.33 percent to $24.12, despite little news on the name.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSteelcase, a leading maker of office furniture, reports this week; its earnings are a bellwether of how corporate America is faring. You can never know in advance all the news that will move the market in a given week, but some things you can see coming. From a pair of leading office furniture companies reporting on the same day to a popular used-car seller showing off its showroom, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- New Energy for the New Week: The new trading week kicks off with FuelCell Energy (FCEL) reporting. The builder of fuel cell power plants reports its latest quarterly results after the market closes on Monday. It's been 10 years since FuelCell completed its first commercial fuel cell plant installation. Business is starting to pick up, as it has as many orders over the past two years combined as it did during the eight previous years combined. Revenue should continue to grow as FuelCell grows closer to profitability. Tuesday -- Lone Wolf: Disney's (DIS) "The Lone Ranger" was a flop earlier this year. It failed to break $90 million in domestic box office receipts, and the $260 million it amassed in gross ticket sales worldwide wasn't enough to offset its massive production budget and cinematic distribution. Disney had fared well with Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski before. The two teamed up for the blockbuster success of Disney's "The Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series. It convinced a jaded audience to return to the local multiplex for a movie about swashbucklers. But it couldn't revive the Western genre this time around. Despite being a box office bomb, "The Lone Ranger" will get a chance at new life in the home market. It comes out on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday. Wednesday -- Office Space: When it comes to stocks, it's safe to say that Steelcase (SCS) and Herman Miller (MLHR) aren't exactly the busy bees of the exchanges. On a typical day you w

• [By James E. Brumley]

  For those of you that were lucky enough to read, and act on, my bullish call on ZBB Energy Corporation (NYSEMKT:ZBB) penned one week ago (almost to the hour), then congratulations - you're up 270%, give or take. Now get out. Seriously. I have a funny feeling that ZBB along with FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FCEL), Ballard Power Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:BLDP), and all the other names in the alternative electricity-production group are seeing their last hurrah today. The smart money is already thinking about getting out now, selling into the strength all the late-comers are creating for FCEL, BLDP, and its peers.

Top 10 Internet Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hot Topic Inc.(HOTT)

Hot Topic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mall- and Web-based specialty retailer in the United States. The company operates Hot Topic and Torrid store concepts, as well as an e-space music discovery concept, ShockHound. Its Hot Topic stores sell music/pop culture-licensed merchandise, including tee shirts, hats, posters, stickers, patches, postcards, books, novelty accessories, CDs, and DVDs; and music/pop culture-influenced merchandise comprising women?s and men?s apparel and accessories, such as woven and knit tops, skirts, pants, shorts, jackets, shoes, costume jewelry, body jewelry, sunglasses, cosmetics, leather accessories, and gift items for young men and women primarily between the ages of 12 and 22. The company?s Torrid stores sells casual and dressy jeans and pants, fashion and novelty tops, sweaters, skirts, jackets, dresses, hosiery, shoes, intimate apparel, and fashion accessories for various lifestyles for plus-size females primarily betw een the ages of 15 and 29. As of July 30, 2011, it operated 636 Hot Topic stores in 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada; 145 Torrid stores; and Internet stores, hottopic.com and torrid.com. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in City of Industry, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marshall Hargrave]

  In May True Religion (TRGL) announced a buyout offer from TowerBrook Capital for $826 million. Also in May, Rue21 decided to sell itself to Apax Partners for $2.2 billion. Before that, in March, Hot Topic (HOTT) announced that Sycamore Partners was buying out it out for $600 million.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015: InterDigital Inc.(IDCC)

Interdigital, Inc. engages in the design and development of digital wireless technology solutions. The company offers technology solutions for use in digital cellular and wireless products and networks, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and IEEE 802-related products and networks. It holds patents related to the fundamental technologies that enable wireless communications. The company licenses its patents to equipment producers that manufacture, use, and sell digital cellular and IEEE 802-related products; and licenses or sells mobile broadband modem solutions, including modem IP, know-how, and reference platforms to mobile device manufacturers, semiconductor companies, and other equipment producers that manufacture, use, and sell digital cellular products. InterDigital?s solutions are incorporated in various products comprising mobile devices, such as cellular phones, tablets, notebook computers, and wireless personal digital assistants; wireless infrastructure equipment, such as base stations; and components, dongles, and modules for wireless devices. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Wireless digital company Interdigital Inc.(IDCC) lost its patent-infringement case against a group of companies, including Nokia Oyj and Huawei Technologies Co., Bloomberg News reported. Shares dropped 11% to $28.50 premarket.

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does InterDigital (NASDAQ: IDCC  ) fit the bill? Let's take a look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  InterDigital (NASDAQ: IDCC  ) is about to raise its global profile following an international patent licensing deal. The company announced that it has entered an agreement with Spain-based Teltronic Unipersonal for the latter to license a set of its 4G technologies. The terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Endeavor IP isn't the only publicly-traded intellectual property enforcement company out there. It is, however, the only one to focus on quality over quantity. Whereas other players like patent portfolio names like InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC) and Vringo, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNG) will literally buy patents by the hundreds - perhaps sometimes without even knowing what some of those patents even cover - in an effort to arm itself with any and every possible patent for any and every contingency. Most are likely worthless, which means companies like InterDigital or Vringo may have wasted shareholder money by buying IP that isn't capable of bearing revenue.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015: Panera Bread Company(PNRA)

Panera Bread Company, together with its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and franchises retail bakery-cafes in the United States and Canada. Its bakery-cafes offer fresh baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads, custom roasted coffees, and other complementary products, as well as provide catering services. The company also manufactures and supplies dough and other products to company-owned and franchise-operated bakery-cafes. As of March 29, 2011, it owned and franchised 1,467 bakery-cafes under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co., and Paradise Bakery & Cafe names. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Gallagher]

  Why don't we reach out to Monsanto (MON), Syngenta (SYT), Deere (DE), DuPont (DD), Kroger (KR), Kellogg (K), General Mills (GIS), and the other grocery chains, Wal-Mart (WMT), Target (TGT), Costco (COST), Panera (PNRA), Amazon (AMZN)…..you get the picture.

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Growth investing relies on a simple premise: Find great companies that will outperform over the long haul, outgrowing their premium valuations over time. This, of course, is easier said than done. In the video below, Fool contributor Daniel Sparks discusses a great way to tell the gold from the fool's gold. To illustrate, he takes a look at Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM  ) and Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA  ) .

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015: bebe stores inc.(BEBE)

bebe stores, inc. engages in the design, development, and production of women?s apparel and accessories. Its products include a range of separates, tops, dresses, active wear, and accessories in career, evening, casual, and active lifestyle categories. The company markets its products under the bebe, BEBE SPORT, bbsp, and 2b bebe brand names targeting 21 to 34-year-old woman. As of July 2, 2011, it operated 252 retail stores, and an online store at bebe.com in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Japan, and Canada, as well as 60 international licensee operated stores in south east Asia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Russia, Mexico, and Turkey. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Brisbane, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  bebe stores, inc. (Nasdaq:BEBE) reported that its Board of Directors declared bebe�� quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share. The dividend is payable on December 4, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 20, 2012

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Bebe Stores (NASDAQ: BEBE  ) were back in style today, gaining as much as 11% after receiving an upgrade from Janney Capital from Neutral to Buy.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Women's fashion leader bebe (NASDAQ: BEBE  ) has a new face on its board of directors. The specialty retailer announced Monday it has named Narry Singh to join the board, noting his contributions in the world of digital entertainment.

Morning MoneyBeat: Putting a Bow on Earnings Season

Morning MoneyBeat is the Journal’s pre-market primer packed with market updates, insights and must-read news links. Send us tips, suggestions and complaints: steven.russolillo@wsj.com

Click here to receive this morning newsletter via email

MARKET SNAP: At 6:00 a.m. ET, S&P 500 futures up 0.3%. 10-Year Treasury yield higher at 2.52%. Nymex up 77 cents at $103.10. Gold 0.1% lower at $1293.30. In Europe, FTSE 100 down 0.2%, DAX up 0.2% and CAC 40 flat. In Asia, Nikkei 225 down 0.2% and Hang Seng up 0.01%.

WATCH FOR:  No major economic data on dap. American Eagle, Booz Allen, Eaton Vance(EV), Hormel Foods(HRL), L Brands(LB), Lowe's(LOW), NetApp, PetSmart(PETM), Renren(RENN), Sina, Target, Tiffany, Trina Solar(TSL) and Williams-Sonoma(WSM) are among companies scheduled to report quarterly results.

THE BREAKFAST BRIEFING

Another earnings season is in the books. The good news: it wasn't nearly as bad as initially feared. The bad: profit growth and forward guidance don’t offer much to celebrate.

Companies have struck a cautious tone on their earnings projections for the current quarter and the rest of the year. With the economy stuck in a slow slog, the Federal Reserve paring back its stimulus and talk of rate increases ramping up, investors say earnings need to improve to justify the stock market’s latest run toward record levels.

Such a pickup may not be in the cards.

Some 473 companies in the S&P 500, or about 95% of the index, have reported quarterly results as of Tuesday morning. First-quarter profits rose just 2.0% from a year ago, according to John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet. That's better than the 1.3% decline analysts predicted heading into earnings season, but it's still well below the previous quarter's 8.5% growth rate.

Many companies blamed the cold, dreary winter weather for lackluster results. U.S. economic growth was barely positive in the first three months of the year, so poor corporate results get a pass. But as the weather improves, the hope is earnings will follow suit. Analysts forecast second-quarter profit growth of 6%, FactSet data show. Those projections could be too optimistic.

About three of every four companies that have given quarterly outlooks so far have predicted results below Wall Street estimates. That level of caution is actually better than the past few quarters, but it's still a historically high figure for negative guidance.

That's making some investors nervous.

Krishna Memani, chief investment officer at Oppenheimer Funds, which oversees about $237 billion, said investors are concerned that, after a weather-induced slowdown in the first quarter, there is still no clear sign the economy has started accelerating in the second quarter.

“We were looking for a recovery in retail sales and the economy, and we’re just not seeing it,” Mr. Memani told the WSJ.

Meanwhile, worries about interest rates are also weighing on the market. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Charles Plosser, a noted hawk, said Tuesday that the central bank may have to boost interest rates earlier than anticipated. The Fed has been gradually paring back on its highly stimulative bond-buying program this year, but most expect the Fed to keep short-term interest rates anchored near zero well into 2015.

Those comments helped spark a retreat in the stock market Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 137 points, 0r 0.8%, to 16374, its lowest close since April 25.

To be sure, the blue-chip average still only sits 2% off its all-time high. Volatility remains historically low, deal activity has picked up and few economists are forecasting a recession anytime soon. That backdrop suggests any decline in the stock market will likely be short and shallow.

Trading volume is expected to be light through the remainder of the week ahead of Memorial Day weekend (markets are closed Monday), which could make stocks susceptible to bigger swings.

But from a longer-term perspective, any substantial advance for U.S. stocks beyond these record levels will need to be supported by strong earnings growth. With the Fed pulling back on stimulus and the economy bouncing back from the brutally cold winter, it’s time for companies to step up.

Morning MoneyBeat Daily Factoid: On this day in 1980, the second "Star Wars" movie–"The Empire Strikes Back"–was released.

-By Steven Russolillo; follow him on Twitter @srussolillo.

–Tomi Kilgore contributed to this post.

STOCKS TO WATCH

Target is projected to report first-quarter earnings of 71 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by FactSet. "We remain concerned the departure of Gregg Steinhafel may foreshadow greater than expected difficulties in both markets. While the appointment of a new CEO and a resetting of expectations could prove a positive catalyst, the stock will likely confront further near-term challenges," said Bob Summers at Susquehanna International in a note.

Lowe's is forecast to post first-quarter earnings of 60 cents a share.

Williams-Sonoma is likely to report earnings of 44 cents a share in the first quarter. Analysts at UBS on Tuesday raised the stock's price target to $65 from $63 and maintained its rating at neutral.

MUST READS (LINKS)

Debt Rises in Leveraged Buyouts Despite Warnings: “Regulators have impressed upon banks that they aren’t happy with the amount of loans fueling takeovers by private-equity firms.”

Housing Investors Settle Into a Holding Pattern: “With bargains less plentiful, large housing investors are slowing property purchases and turning their focus to generating steady income from tenants.”

Credit Suisse CEO Nearly Lost Job During Tax Probe: “As a yearslong U.S. tax probe dragged on in recent months, board members at Credit Suisse(CSGN.VX) mulled actions that likely would have cost CEO Brady Dougan his job.”

Ahead of the Tape: With Target, It Helps to Aim Low: “Target’s perverse advantage going into its earnings report is that investors don’t expect much.”

GOP Sees Primaries Taming the Tea Party: “Republican leaders made significant strides in their effort to defang—or at least co-opt—the tea party as an insurgent political force.”

BOE Minutes Indicate Emerging Divisions: ”For some Bank of England officials, the time to raise interest rates in the U.K. is getting closer, as minutes of the central bank’s May meeting record ‘a variety of views on the appropriate path of monetary policy.’”

Demand High as Fannie Mae(FNMA) Sets Price Range for Risky Securities: “Investors are clamoring to buy mortgage giant Fannie Mae’s $1.6 billion offering of derivative debt securities tied to the value of some of the riskiest mortgages it guarantees.”

Heard on the Street: Deal-Making Patience May Prove Dish’s Virtue: “AT&T’s offer to buy DirecTV(DTV) seems to narrow options for Dish. But Chairman Charlie Ergen still has cards to play.”

Copper Mining Squeezed by Tight Water Supply: “Freeport-McMoRan, one of the world’s top copper miners, has invested heavily to secure access to water as copper prices have fallen 32% from highs in 2011.”

Workers Try a New Tactic in Minimum-Wage Fight: “Stymied by Congress on their minimum-wage push, low-wage workers and even Obama administration officials are pleading for U.S. companies from McDonald's(MCD) to Wal-Mart(WMT) to raise wages voluntarily.”

Heard on the Street: Microsoft's(MSFT) Tablet Only Scratches the Surface: “Microsoft’s latest Surface tablet goes in an unexpected direction, but still isn’t enough to assure the tech giant a leading mobile-computing role.”

 

 

Stocks Fall as Retailers Tumble, Caterpillar Cracks

Yesterday, stocks overcame early weakness to finish in positive territory. Today, they’ll have their work cut out for them if they’re to repeat the feat, thanks to big drops in Caterpillar (CAT), United Technologies (UTX) and retailer likes TJX Companies (TJX), BestBuy (BBY) and L Brands (LB).

AP

The S&P 500 has fallen 0.5% to 1,875 at 12: 36 p.m., while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped 105.06 points, or 0.6%, to 16,406.80. The Nasdaq Composite has slipped 0.6% to 4,101.54, while the small-cap Russell 2000 has tumbled 1.4% to 1,098.35.

Caterpillar has fallen 2.5% to $102.81, making it the Dow’s biggest loser, after the mining company said machine sales had dropped 13% during the three months ended in April.

United Technologies has dropped 1.3% to $113.54. One of its units announced today that it had signed $10 billion of long-term agreements with suppliers.

Retailers have been hammered this morning thanks to poor earnings from the likes of TJX, which missed earnings forecasts and cut the top-end of its guidance. That caused TJX to drop 6.7% to $54.51.

The bad feeling carried over into Best Buy, which has dropped 5.1% to $24.80, and L Brands, which has fallen 3.8% to $55.74. Neither Best Buy nor L Brands had anything resembling meaningful news today, yet still found themselves among the five worst performers in the S&P 500 today.

Gluskin Sheff’s David Rosenbergbelieves stocks are still paying for the big gains in 2012 and 2013:

We have this other little matter on our hands, which is valuation. At 15.3x, the forward P/E multiple for the S&P 500, it is slightly ahead of the long-run mean for 14.7x. Certainly not a bubble, but not exactly inexpensive either. In this phase of the investment cycle when the Fed is accommodation and the economy is expanding, the S&P 500 is rising, but doing so at an 11% average annual rate. Recall that this is a market that zoomed ahead 20% in 2012 and then by 30% in 2013. In other words, the market has simply gone up too far, too fast–there is a ton of good news priced in at current levels. Do the math of where the S&P 500 would be today if it had risen the customary 11% annually over the past two years, we’d be talking about the S&P 500 hovering close to the 1,630 level. Not a prediction–just food for thought.

Interactive Brokers Andrew Wilkinson considers what it would take for the VIX to get back to 20:

The CBOE Vix index is higher by almost 2.0% at 12.66 although remains relatively low compared to its rollercoaster ride seen during the financial crisis. Indeed the 20.0 strike for the Vix is a significant watershed that would require a radical change of heart among investors before volatility benchmarks could break to the upside. Such a move would perhaps take a 10%+ global market correction and a lurch higher in geopolitical risk alongside unrequited attention of an economic slowdown. As accustomed as they are to buying the dip, right now, such a combination hardly seems to be at the fore of investors' minds. And so using that level to sell against is currently seen as helping offset the cost of lower strike strategies aimed at capturing a still decent and prolonged jump in volatility…

You know what they say: Always use protection.

U.S. accuses China of hacking American firms

WASHINGTON — The U.S. accused Chinese military officials of hacking into several U.S. enterprises, including Westinghouse and U.S. Steel, to steal "significant" amounts of trade secrets and intellectual property in an indictment made public Monday.

It is the first time the U.S. has charged a state actor in a criminal cyber espionage case.

The Chinese hackers, using military and intelligence resources, downloaded massive amounts of industrial information, including strategic plans, from U.S. businesses, the indictment said. In addition to Westinghouse Electric and U.S. Steel, victims included SolarWorld, United Steel Workers Union, Allegheny Technologies Inc.and Alcoa.

The indictment, out of western Pennsylvania, charges five military "hackers," officers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, with directing a conspiracy to steal information from six American companies in critical industries, including nuclear power, solar power and metals.

Federal authorities allegedly traced hackers to a single building in Shanghai. The hacking began in 2006 and continued until last month, federal authorities said. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin identified the hackers as unit 61398 of the Chinese military.

Attorney General Eric Holder called it a case of "economic espionage."

The case "represents the first ever charges against a state actor for this type of hacking," Holder said. "The range of trade secrets and other sensitive business information stolen in this case is significant and demands an aggressive response."

Holder said the Chinese hackers stole information that would give insight into "the strategy and vulnerabilities" of the American companies and give Chinese companies a competitive advantage.

In one instance, Carlin said hackers stole cost, pricing and strategy information from SolarWorld's computers, allowing Chinese competitors to price exports well below cost and take market share from SolarWorld. In another instance, ! hackers stole design plans from Westinghouse computers as the company was negotiating with a Chinese state-owned company to construct a nuclear power plant, he said.

Top Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now

"In the past, when we brought concerns such as these to Chinese government officials, they responded by publicly challenging us to provide hard evidence of their hacking that could stand up in court," Carlin said. "Well today, we are. For the first time, we are exposing the faces and names behind the keyboards in Shanghai used to steal from American businesses."

Deflating the Chinese Property Bubble

While Chinese property sales have been somewhat sluggish for nearly a year now compared to their historical average, they took a definite turn for the worse in April according to recently released data.

Government figures show that real estate sales fell by 7.8 percent in the first four months of this year while new construction starts were off by 22.1 percent. That's is potentially very bad news in a country where nearly 23 percent of gross domestic product is somehow tied to the real estate market, whether it's the construction, sale or furnishing of new buildings. Most significantly though, the slowdown seems to be spreading from third- or fourth-tier cities – the largest non-capital cities in a given province – to second- and even first-tier cities such as provincial capitals and Shanghai, Guangzhou, and even Beijing.

There are two primary factors driving the sales slowdown; over-construction and over-investment, which are two distinctly different issues.

Largely thanks to overzealous real estate developers, as recently as September, construction demand was slated to grow by about 8.5 percent annually through 2017. That demand was expected to be fairly evenly split between state-led programs to expand and modernize infrastructure such as roads and railways and residential buildings such as single-family homes and apartment buildings.

Much of that residential real estate boom has been justified by new household formation; a couple marrying, purchasing a home and striking out on their own. But for much of the past decade annual births in China have been holding steady at around 12 million, largely thanks to the country's one-child policy. As a result new household formation in the country has actually fallen by around 7 percent per year over the past two years as Chinese wait to get married (current average age at marriage is 25) thanks to both economic and social constraints.

At! the same time, the argument that ongoing urbanization will drive property demand is falling short. While it is true that rural migration has helped boost property demand in lower-tier cities, in tier-one and tier-two cities rural migrants are essentially priced out of the market.

But while real demand has been slackening, investment demand has continued to run apace. It is estimated that about 15 percent of total commercial home transactions in China are driven purely by investment demand. Those investors have essentially been refusing to move their real estate at a loss, as demonstrated by the fact that while prices in select cities have been falling – down as much as 15 percent in Beijing – nationwide home prices are holding relatively steady. Sellers are unwilling to lower their asking prices to move the property and buyers are unwilling to pay the current asking price.

On top of that, it is widely expected that a new property tax will be rolled out sometime in the next 18 months even as the government continues cracking down on the shadow banking sector, a key source of funding for property purchases. That is putting further pressure on the estimated inventory of 10 million empty residential units in the country.

That combination of demographic factors, new taxes and lending pressures led many analysts to estimate that the number of unoccupied units could reach 18 million within the next two or three years, creating a significant drag on the Chinese economy and setting up a situation eerily reminiscent of our own property bust here in the US.

The real question, though, is whether or not this will finally result in a hard Chinese economic landing. I tend to think it won't.

For one thing, the property slowdown is largely being driven by government policy. Despite encouraging lenders to increase their activity in the real estate market, the government has begun requiring down payments of as much as 60 percent in top-tier cities in order to cool what had become clear! ly overhe! ated prices.

It is also cracking down on the shadow lenders in an attempt to reduce the systemic risk they pose to the country's financial system as the government focuses on its transition from an export- and investment-led to a consumption-driven economy. As that transition occurs, by necessity the country will have to absorb slower economic growth as the face of industry changes and excess housing inventory is absorbed.

Over the long-term, the property slowdown as a result of those reform measures is actually bullish. Even if GDP growth slows down to around 5 percent over the next few years, a sustainable 5 percent is much more attractive than a doctored 7 percent.

In the meantime though, I would avoid betting on a hard Chinese landing, a bet that has cost many investors dearly over the past few years. I would, however, avoid most of the leading Chinese real estate developers such as China Vanke (OTC: CVKEF) and Xinyuan Real Estate (NYSE: XIN) which are almost entirely dependent on the domestic markets.

Otherwise, companies focused on Chinese consumers and infrastructure-focused plays should continue to do well despite the deflating property bubble in the country. By and large, in a country of more than 1 billion people, the average middle-class Chinese isn't heavily involved in the real estate market and should not not (?)be greatly impacted by declining real estate prices, particularly as the government is likely to intervene again to prevent a hard landing.

At the same time, infrastructure development is a key element of the most recent 5-year plan, particularly railroad construction. Spending on those programs will remain largely sacrosanct, if for no other reason than to continue shoring up growth.

Insider trading: Ex-SAC trader gets prison

NEW YORK — Michael Steinberg, a former financial lieutenant of billionaire hedge fund manager Steven Cohen, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison Friday for his December conviction on insider-trading charges.

U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan also ordered Steinberg to pay a $2 million fine and forfeit the more than $365,000 in compensation he gained from the illegal trading. But Sullivan allowed Steinberg to remain free on bail pending appeal.

During a more than hour-long hearing in Manhattan federal court, Sullivan said he decided to impose a sentence lower than called for under federal guidelines based in part on the many letters of support and testimonials he received from the defendant's relatives and friends.

On the advice of his attorney, Steinberg did not speak during the hearing.

"I think that Mr. Steinberg has lived a life that by and large has not been just good, but very good," Sullivan said. But, the judge added, "there was insider trading here. There was a conspiracy. Not once or twice, but quarter after quarter."

Citing the nearly $1.8 million gain in Steinberg's portfolio from the illegal trading, Sullivan said "for most people on the planet" that total would represent "a lifetime of accumulating wealth."

Prosecutors had argued that Steinberg should spend as long as 6 1/2 years behind bars. Defense attorneys urged a sentence of no more than two years — less than half the time the U.S. Probation Office recommended in a pre-sentencing report.

The defense team plans to appeal the conviction in a case that helped contribute to the downfall of SAC Capital, the once-envied and highly profitable hedge fund founded by Cohen.

Steinberg, 42, is a Manhattan resident and father of two. He's one of eight former SAC Capital employees — and the closest to Cohen in the hedge fund's hierarchy — convicted on insider-trading charges.

A Manhattan federal court jury of nine women and three men found the ex-portfolio manager guilty in December a! fter prosecution evidence in a four-week trial showed he used illegally leaked information to trade shares of tech firms Dell and Nvidia. The data had been gathered by his former financial analyst, Jon Horvath, who pleaded guilty to insider trading and testified against Steinberg.

Defense attorney Barry Berke argued in a defense sentencing memorandum that Steinberg was "at least four steps removed" from the tech firm insiders who allegedly provided the information and wasn't involved in the events or payments that caused them to breach their fiduciary duties.

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Berke also highlighted some of those arguments during the sentencing hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonia Apps in turn argued in a prosecution sentencing memo that evidence showed Steinberg "incentivized" Horvath "to obtain illegal information that he could 'make money on.'"

Cohen has not been charged with criminal wrongdoing. But a pending Securities and Exchange Commission administrative proceeding alleges he failed to properly supervise employees who became involved in insider trading.

SAC Capital in November reached a record $1.8 billion settlement of insider-trading charges. The agreement with federal prosecutors forced the hedge fund to permanently cease handling investments for outside clients.

The hedge fund last month was transformed into a so-called family office that manages Cohen's estimated $9 billion to $11 billion personal fortune.

On Another Record Day for the Dow, Keurig Jumps As Fossil Falls

Stocks inched further into record territory today despite an underwhelming retail sales report, as the S&P 500 momentarily cracked the 1,900 barrier for the first time but finished up just 0.04% at 1897.45. Elsewhere, the Dow Jones Industrial Average  (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) gained 20 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.3% after yesterday's big rally. 

In the closely watched retail sales report, the Department of Commerce showed consumer-level purchases increasing just 0.1% in April, below estimates of 0.3%, but March's growth rate was revised upward from 1.2% to 1.5%. Core retail sales, which remove the volatile auto market, remained flat. While April's figure on its own could be discouraging, the jump in retail sales over the past two months still indicates solid economic growth, as has much of the data that's come out in the past few weeks.

Source: Fool Flickr.

Among today's big winners was Keurig Green Mountain  (NASDAQ: GMCR  ) , whose shares jumped 7.6% after Coca-Cola  (NYSE: KO  ) said it will up its stake in the single-cup coffee brewer from 10% to 16%. Back in February, Coke said it would share its beverage portfolio with Keurig for the upcoming Keurig Cold countertop soda machine and take a 10% stake in the Vermont-based coffee roaster. Coke said, "These incremental purchases demonstrate our continued belief that Keurig Green Mountain has substantial growth potential," and, unlike its initial investment, these shares will be purchased on the open market, which will likely drive Keurig's share price even higher. Soda consumption has been declining domestically and Coke is looking for new ways to juice its growth. The Keurig Cold machine won't be out until 2015, so its popularity remains a question mark, but Coke's willingness to invest another $1 billion into its new beverage partner is certainly a sign of confidence in its future success.  

Falling back after hours today was watchmaker Fossil  (NASDAQ: FOSL  ) , which dropped 5% after posting underwhelming guidance in its quarterly report. First-quarter results were better than expected for the fashion-accessory brand, as earnings came in at $1.22 per share, above estimates at $1.17, and revenue grew 14.1%, in part because of an extra week in the calendar, to $777 million, beating the consensus at $770.69 million. Sales grew across the board in the company's wholesale segment, and were particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific region and in jewelry sales. CEO Kosta Kartsotis noted progress in the company's international expansion, with "significant increases in both Europe and Asia." Shares dipped, however, as management saw current-quarter EPS of just $0.90-$0.97 against estimates of $1.16. The sell-off seems overdone, however, as the company's full-year earnings guidance of $6.90-$7.30 was in range of estimates of $7.20. With multiple growth channels and a consistent record of beating earnings estimates, Fossil still looks like a solid long-term bet going forward.

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Stocks: Dow ready for another record?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Markets look set to ignore rising tension in Ukraine Monday and the Dow Jones industrial average could power forward to new record highs.

Major world markets and U.S. stock futures were all moving up ahead of the opening bell, shrugging off Sunday's vote in a region of eastern Ukraine showing an overwhelming majority in favor of independence. Ukraine and several Western countries have condemned the referendum, organized by pro-Russian separatists.

The major U.S. stock indexes all pushed up Friday. The Dow's close of 16,583.3 narrowly topped the previous record set on April 30. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also closed firmly in positive territory.

There are no major quarterly results coming out Monday as earnings season draws to a close. But a number of retailers including Macy's (M, Fortune 500), Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) and J.C. Penney (JCP, Fortune 500) will report later in the week.

In economic news, the April Treasury budget will come out at 2 p.m. ET.

European Union foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Ukraine Monday but are unlikely to announce any new sanctions against Russia or separatist leaders before Ukraine's presidential election due on May 25.

5 Best Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now

European markets weren't making any big moves in morning trading. The CAC 40 in Paris was in negative territory, but other indexes were rising.

Most major Asian markets ended firmer. The Shanghai Composite index surged by just over 2% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose by 1.8%.

The Mumbai Sensex index also shot into record territory as India's marathon parliamentary elections come to an end. Exit polls are due to be published after the market close Monday.

5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Delafield, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- There isn't a day that goes by on Wall Street when certain stocks trading for $10 a share or less don't experience massive spikes higher. Traders savvy enough to follow the low-priced names and trade them with discipline and sound risk management are banking ridiculous coin on a regular basis.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

Just take a look at some of the big movers in the under-$10 complex from Thursday, including NewLead (NEWL), which is exploding higher by 39%; Chelsea Therapeutics (CHTP), which is skyrocketing to the upside by 31%; EnGlobal (ENG), which is ripping higher by 26%; and Ampio Pharmaceuticals (AMPE), which is trending higher by 21%. You don't even have to catch the entire move in lower-priced stocks such as these to make outsized returns when trading.

Low-priced stocks are something that I tweet about on a regular basis. I frequently flag high-probability setups, breakout candidates and low-priced stocks that are acting technically bullish. I like to hunt for low-priced stocks that are showing bullish price and volume trends, since that increases the probability of those stocks heading higher. These setups often produce monster moves higher in very short time frames.

>>5 Short-Squeeze Stocks Poised to Pop

When I trade under-$10 names, I do it almost entirely based off of the charts and technical analysis. I also like to find under-$10 names with a catalyst, but that's secondary to the chart and volume patterns.

With that in mind, here's a look at several under-$10 stocks that look poised to potentially trade higher from current levels.

Synta Pharmaceuticals

One under-$10 biopharmaceutical player that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Synta Pharmaceuticals (SNTA), which focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs for treating severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. This stock has been hit hard by the sellers so far in 2014, with shares down by 20%.

>>3 Hot Stocks Everyone Is Talking About

If you take a look at the chart for Synta Pharmaceuticals, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months, with shares moving between $3.91 on the downside and $4.47 on the upside. Shares of SNTA are starting to spike higher here just above that $3.91 low and it's beginning to move within range of triggering a breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SNTA if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.30 to $4.40 a share and then once it clears more resistance levels at $4.47 to its 50-day moving average of $4.54 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average action of 2.57 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then SNTA will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 200-day moving average of $5.46 to $5.51 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give SNTA a chance to tag $6 to $6.50 a share.

Traders can look to buy SNTA off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its recent low of $3.91 a share. One can also buy SNTA off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Forest Oil

Another under-$10 stock that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Forest Oil (FST), which is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids primarily in North America. This stock has been hammered lower by the bears so far in 2014, with shares off sharply by 35%.

>>3 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

If you take a glance at the chart for Forest Oil, you'll see that this stock gapped up huge on Tuesday back above its 50-day moving average with monster upside volume after the company reported earnings. That gap pushed shares of FST into breakout territory, since the stock took out some key near-term overhead resistance at $2.03 a share. Shares of FST are now starting to move within range of triggering another big breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance.

Market players should now look for long-biased trades in FST if it manages to break out above some key near-term overhead resistance at $2.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that registers near or above its three-month average volume of 5.90 million shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then FST will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from February that started near $3.30 a share. If FST fills that gap with strong upside volume, then this stock could easily tag $3.70 to $3.90 a share.

Traders can look to buy FST off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right around $2 a share. One can also buy FST off strength once it takes out $2.50 a share with strong upside volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Zagg

One under-$10 specialty retail player that's starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Zagg (ZAGG), which designs, produces and distributes mobile accessory solutions. This stock is up nicely over the last six months, with shares higher by just over 14%.

>>5 Big Trades to Fight the Selling

If you take a look at the chart for ZAGG, you'll see that this stock is spiking higher today and trending back above both its 200-day and 50-day moving averages. Shares of ZAGG are also starting to enter breakout territory, since the stock has traded above some near-term overhead resistance at $4.51 a share. That move is quickly pushing shares of ZAGG within range of triggering a much bigger breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance levels.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ZAGG if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.73 to $4.80 a share and then once it takes out some past resistance at $4.95 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 410,257 shares. If that breakout starts soon, then ZAGG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 52-week high of $5.93 a share.

Traders can look to buy ZAGG off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.18 to $4.17 a share. One can also buy ZAGG off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

RadioShack

Another under-$10 electronic stores player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is RadioShack (RSH), which is engaged in the retail sale of consumer electronics goods and services. This stock has been destroyed by the bears so far in 2014, with shares off sharply by 44%.

>>3 Stocks Spiking on Unusual Volume

If you look at the chart for RadioShack, you'll see that this stock has recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $1.28 to $1.31 a share. This bottom is coming after shares of RSH downtrended badly over the last two months, with shares falling from its high of $2.79 to its recent low of $1.28 a share. Shares of RSH are now starting to rebound off those recent lows and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance levels.

Market players should now look for long-biased trades in RSH if it manages to break out above its intraday high of $1.45 to some more near-term overhead resistance at $1.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average action of 3.43 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then RSH will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.70 to $1.80 a share, or even its 50-day moving average of $1.95 a share.

Traders can look to buy RSH off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right around those double bottom support zones at $1.31 to $1.28 a share. One can also buy RSH off strength once it starts to move above those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Sonus Networks

One final under-$10 communication equipment player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Sonus Networks (SONS), which provides networked solutions for communications service providers and enterprises. This stock has been trending higher over the last six months, with shares up around 11%.

If you take a glance at the chart for Sonus Networks, you'll see that this stock is spiking higher today back above its 200-day moving average of $3.27 a share. This spike higher is starting to push shares of SONS within range of triggering a big breakout trade above a key downtrend line. A break above that key downtrend line resistance could send shares of SONS soaring since the stock will clear both its 200-day and 50-day moving averages and potentially push the stock out of its recent downtrending chart pattern.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SONS if it manages to break out above its 50-day moving average at $3.40 a share and then once it clears more near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.46 to $3.58 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.80 million shares. If that breakout kicks off soon, then SONS will set up re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.78 to its 52-week high at $3.98 a share.

Traders can look to buy SONS off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $3.11 a share. One can also buy SONS off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

To see more hot under-$10 equities, check out the Stocks Under $10 Setting Up to Explode portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Under-$10 Stocks Triggering Breakout Trades

>>4 Big Tech Stocks on Traders' Radars

>>5 Big Charts Ready to Break Out in May

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.

Apache Corporation Posts Lower Q1 Revenue; Beats Estimates (APA)

Apache Corp (APA) reported its first quarter earnings before the opening bell on Thursday morning, posting results that easily beat analysts’ earnings estimates

APA's Earnings in Brief

Apache reported first quarter revenues of $3.68 billion, lower than last year’s Q1 revenues of $3.95 billion Adjusted net income for the quarter came in at $753 million, or $1.92 per share, which is down slightly from last year’s Q1 net income of $759 million, or $1.94 per share. APA beat analysts’ estimates of $1.62 EPS on revenues of $3.56 billion.

Top 5 Machinery Companies To Invest In 2015

CEO Commentary

Apache chairman, CEO and president G. Steven Farris had the following comments: “A record-setting performance by our Permian Region continues to drive strong overall results for the company. We remained the most active driller in onshore North America, operating an average of 82 rigs during the quarter.”

APA's Dividend

Apache most recently announced a dividend raise in February for its May 22 payout. The company raised its quarterly dividend to 25 cents from 20 cents. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in the coming weeks.

Stock Performance

Apache stock was inactive in pre-market trading. YTD, the company’s stock is up 2.67%.

APA Dividend Snapshot

As of Market Close on May 7, 2014

Click here to see the complete history of APA dividends.

Weaker Sales Slow Gains in Home Prices in March

Gregory Bull/AP WASHINGTON -- U.S. home prices rose at a slightly slower pace in the 12 months that ended in March, a sign that weak sales have begun to restrain the housing market's sharp price gains. Data provider CoreLogic (CLGX) says prices rose 11.1 percent in March compared with March 2013. Though a sizable increase, that was down a bit from February's 12.2 percent year-over-year increase. On a month-to-month basis, prices in March rose 1.4 percent from February. But CoreLogic's month-to-month figures aren't adjusted for seasonal patterns, such as warmer spring weather. Home sales and construction have faltered since last fall, slowing the economy. A harsh winter, higher buying costs and a limited supply of available homes have discouraged many potential buyers. Existing-home sales in March reached their lowest level in 20 months. Some signs suggest that buying might be picking up a bit as the spring season gets underway. Signed contracts to buy homes rose in March for the first time in nine months, the National Association of Realtors said last week. Even so, economists forecast that sales of existing homes will barely rise this year from 2013's pace of 5.1 million. Sluggish sales, in turn, will slow annual price gains this year to roughly 5 percent or 6 percent, economists predict. CoreLogic forecasts that prices will increase just 6.7 percent in the 12 months that will end next March. Higher prices typically encourage some homeowners to sell, yet the number of homes on the market remains low. CoreLogic's chief economist, Mark Fleming, said many homeowners might be reluctant to sell because they've locked in low mortgage rates and are hesitant to buy a home with a higher-rate mortgage. The Federal Reserve's bond-buying program helped reduce the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage to as low as 3.3 percent in early 2013. The average is now about 4.3 percent, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. Fleming calculates that about a third of homeowners with mortgages are paying rates below 4 percent. An additional 15 percent are paying around the current average of 4.3 percent. That means roughly half of homeowners with mortgages are paying rates at or below the current level -- roughly double the percentage of a year ago. Home prices in California have jumped 17.2 percent from a year ago, CoreLogic said. Nevada, at 15.5 percent, has posted the second-largest gain, followed by Georgia, at 12.4 percent; Hawaii, 12.3 percent; and Oregon, 12.2 percent. The Riverside-San Bernardino, California, metropolitan area reported the largest price gain over the past 12 months: 20.9 percent. It was followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach, with a 17.1 percent gain; Atlanta-Sandy Springs, 14.1 percent; Houston-Sugar Land, at 13.7 percent; and Chicago-Naperville, 11.3 percent. Home sales and construction began recovering about two years ago after being hammered by the housing bust and Great Recession. But a jump in mortgage rates last spring caused sales of existing homes to start falling in the summer.

How to Get a Job in Value Investing

Someone who reads my articles asked me this question:

Hi Geoff,

…I'm a 33 year old Italian guy (so please excuse my English) and I have read your articles on Gurufocus since years.

…I've a question. I started to have an interest in stock market in 2007, and immediately I understood that the best approach was value. When I've read Graham I understood that stock market is job for my life and in 3 years I took a degree in economics… I would like (to) ask… you if in your opinion there is a place where a 33-year old guy could work as analyst to make experience and, why not, start my own hedge fund?

Thank you so much,

Mirko

That's a hard question to answer. There are lots of places out there. But there are also lots of would-be analysts looking for places to work.

I could give you a list of names of value-oriented investment firms. But it wouldn't do you much good. For one thing, my guess is that if you do end up getting a value investing related job sometime in the future it's as likely to be with a fund that doesn't yet exist as it is to be with someplace I could name now.

Your best chance to get seriously considered for the kind of job you want is if someone you know needs to build a research team from scratch. In fact, I witnessed this exact scenario happen last week. Somebody utterly unknown ended up at the top of the pile for an analyst job, because the guy heading the team knew him and thought he was good (great actually). Without that personal connection, there's no way he'd even have been considered for the job. And he would have had a much harder time filling an existing position. The lucky combination for him was that the position was brand new and he really impressed the right person ahead of time.

Of course, he didn't know that was the right person to impress when he impressed him. When he impressed the guy, there was no position. Because the guy he impressed wasn't even at that firm yet.

You see my point. People mov! e around.. It's easy to think you should focus on some place specific. But it's more effective to just go around impressing people with your amazing work regardless of who their current employer is and whether there's any hope of them hiring you right now. If you're really good, they'll remember you. And if they're really good, they'll get the chance to hire someone at some point.

Do you have any research to show people?

Your best bet is to do lots and lots of research for free and then let it get into the hands of someone who can hire an analyst. Are you reading a lot of value investing blogs – or just articles like mine?

Make sure you are reading blogs.

Try to talk to everybody whose work you respect by sending them an email. Share your best ideas with them. Send them research reports you've written that you know they'd be interested in reading. At first, they will be interested because you will send them a research report on a stock that you know is the kind of stock they're interested in. But, later, if your research is good they will want to read whatever you send them regardless of the kind of stock you choose to write about.

Do you have a blog? If not, you should definitely start a blog of your own. Write it in English. Just put a little "about me" section in the corner that mentions you're Italian. Readers will understand. They're more interested in your ideas than your grammar. Keep your ideas simple, clear, etc., and any problems with language will be a minor obstacle for readers to overcome. Obviously, you can write research in Italian. But, frankly, English is the lingua franca of stock research. You know English. So you should definitely write in English. That will help you get your research read by people who can help you out.

Having said that, you should take advantage of the fact that you are not just another American writing about stocks. The world has enough of those. You live in a place and have experience with places that most stock analysts do ! not have. ! If you know of interesting Italian companies – focus on them. I would say you should split your time evenly between Italian companies and companies that would interest anybody around the world. Switch off writing reports from one category to the next. Alternate from writing about Italian stocks and non-Italian stocks. You will attract readers from all around and you will become known specifically for writing about Italian companies – most of which will be new to your readers.

You should be on Twitter. Follow bloggers, article writers, etc. Tweet each article, report, etc. you write. [url=post.php?4]Submit to GuruFocus[/url]. Because of your concerns about writing in English and your interest in research, I would suggest only writing research-heavy articles. Stick to specific stocks. Include lots of tables. Make your points in bullets, lists, etc. And then proofread what you've written as best you can.

If you try to write more general articles about investment philosophies, how you think about investments, etc., you might feel your English is not good enough and it's hurting those kinds of articles. But, over time, you will feel comfortable putting your writing out there – in English – on any topic. So, eventually, you can write about any topics you want. But I'd start with specific stock research first. This is the best kind of writing for showcasing your skills anyway.

When you have a report about a specific company that might interest someone you should send them the report as a PDF attachment to an email. Start your email by (quickly) introducing yourself. Then flatter them a bit about how much you like their blog, articles, something they wrote, etc. Don't ever say anything untrue. Just omit references to anything you didn't like. The more personal and honest you can make this (very brief) intro about who you are and how you know them – the better. Okay. Then attach your report as a PDF. Say a few words about the stock and the report. Just enough to get them to open ! the repor! t. It's not necessary to "sell" the report very hard. If you sounded like a sane and interesting person and they're interested in the stock – they'll open the report. If you came off as a wee bit crazy, a tad boring, or you wrote about some stock they have no interest in – they won't read the report. So don't be a salesman. Just be yourself.

The two most important parts of all this are to interact as much as possible with the people you respect most and to keep putting out good work of your own.

If you do those two things, you'll have done everything you reasonably could to land your dream job.

Now, all of this is meant as a suggestion for your particular situation. I made these suggestions because I know you're:

1. A value investor

2. Interested in the stock market as your "job for life"

If you're just interested in finding any job related to Wall Street (and maybe making a lot of money) I'd probably have a different set of suggestions. My assumption here was that you're only interested in value investing. And you're interested in actual research and stock picking. That narrows the number of opportunities a lot.

On the other hand, the Internet is a very good place to learn about value investing and to connect with other value investors. Try to do both.

Don't quit your day job. Just set aside time to writing and reading about value investing every single day. It doesn't have to be a lot of time. You'll find you are extremely productive working just one hour a day writing about stocks if you really do put in an hour every day and you keep that time sacred and untouchable no matter what else is going on in your life. If you can do that, you can produce a ton of written material. Assuming you are good at the actual research part of the work, the stuff you write will be good. And people will be interested in the ideas you have. Anytime someone encourages you, keep sending them your stuff. And keep writing a blog of your own.

Try to spend all! your tim! e online at value investing sites. Don't waste time at other sites. You can spend your time here at GuruFocus or at the many excellent value investing blogs around the web like:

Whopper Investments

Value Uncovered

Oddball Stocks

Variant Perceptions

Interactive Investor Blog

And so on...

There are many, many excellent value investing blogs. Use a service like "Netvibes" to keep track of all the blogs you read. Read them whenever you get a chance. And then email the authors of the blogs you like best. Send them something that is impressive, thought out, etc. Do in-depth research on one of the stocks they wrote about. Or send them one of your own very best ideas. Don't send them your casual thoughts. You don't want them to think of you as someone to chat with. You want them to think of you as a thorough, insightful researcher.

Okay. Now how do you get a job?

Probably not the way you think. I've gotten several value investing-related job offers over the years – and none of them came from me actively seeking a particular position. Basically, I was referred by someone each time. There was probably a conversation where someone mentioned they really need another writer, analyst, fund manager, etc. and they didn't know where to find one. Someone else said: "I know." And they looked around for someone. In each case, the position was extremely specific. That's why they weren't looking to interview a hundred people. Two offers were from people specifically interested in someone who could invest in micro-cap stocks. Especially net-nets. And possibly worldwide. I've written about lots of micro caps, some net-nets, and I've mentioned that I'll buy them worldwide. I'm sure that's why I was considered for those jobs. Basically, it's just a really, really tiny pool of people who have dealt in stocks like that. So they couldn't have had very many people to choose from.

But to be honest, the biggest reason is obviously the writing. When people read a lot of ! things yo! u write, they start to think they know you. There's a tendency to believe the kind of writing I do a lot more than you believe a resume. There's just a feeling that you know the writer better.

Finally, because you're Italian you should look for anyone in Italy who is value oriented. It's a small group. Learn what you can about them. Strike up an online correspondence if you can. And, if you can't, follow everything they do. Become an expert on Italian value investors. It can't hurt.

Now, I'm sure there's some people reading this thinking I've just given you some very dumb advice. This is not the way to get hired.

That might be true. They're might be quicker paths.

But I do know some people who went from "didn't even know value investing existed" to being an analyst at a value-oriented firm in just a few years. What you did before you caught the value investing bug is not important. I know people with backgrounds ranging from math to law to engineering who became research analysts and – in one case – a fund manager.

So don't worry about your past. Just worry about doing best work you can and sharing it with the best value investors you know.

The important part is having good ideas. And sharing them.

Ask Geoff a Question about How to Get a Job in Value Investing
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