Yellen, who is now the Fed's vice chairman, is expected to win confirmation to succeed Ben Bernanke after his second four-year term expires in January. She would become the first woman in the world to head a major central bank.
Republicans Bob Corker, Tennessee; Mark Kirk, Illinois, and Tom Coburn, Oklahoma, broke with other GOP members to support Yellen. Democrat Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., was the only Democrat to vote against Yellen's nomination. Corker had opposed her nomination for vice chair in 2010.
"Dr. Yellen understands the challenges facing our economy and the balance the Fed must strike as we navigate the path back to full employment," committee Chairman Tim Johnson, D-S.D., said in a statement. "Dr. Yellen also showed in her testimony that she understands the importance of completing ongoing Wall Street Reform rulemaking and of the Fed's regulatory role in supervising the riskiest banks.
Top 10 Rising Companies To Own For 2015: OGE Energy Corporation(OGE)
OGE Energy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and energy services provider that offers physical delivery and related services for electricity and natural gas primarily in the south central United States. The company is involved in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy in Oklahoma and western Arkansas; and gathering, processing, transporting, storing, and marketing of natural gas. It furnishes retail electric service in 268 communities and their contiguous rural and suburban areas. OGE Energy Corp. operates coal-fired and natural gas-fired units, as well as wind-powered units. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 12 generating stations with an aggregate capability of 6,790 megawatts; and a transmission system comprising 51 substations and 4,258 structure miles of lines in Oklahoma, and 7 substations and 279 structure miles of lines in Arkansas. Its distribution system consisted of 353 substations , 27,854 structure miles of overhead lines, 1,895 miles of underground conduit, and 10,120 miles of underground conductors in Oklahoma, as well as 37 substations, 2,250 structure miles of overhead lines, 212 miles of underground conduit, and 572 miles of underground conductors in Arkansas. The company also owned approximately 6,019 miles of intrastate natural gas gathering pipelines in Oklahoma and Texas; approximately 2,250 miles of intrastate natural gas transportation pipelines in Oklahoma; and 2 underground natural gas storage facilities and 8 operating natural gas processing plants in Oklahoma. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, oilfield, public authorities, and street light operators. OGE Energy Corp. was founded in 1995 and is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
Enable Midstream Partners�(NYSE: ENBL), a joint venture by affiliates of�CenterPoint Energy�(NYSE: CNP),�OGE Energy�(NYSE: OGE) and ArcLight Capital Partners. Enable Midstream Partners is one of the largest midstream partnerships in the US, with oil and gas midstream assets that extend from western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle to Alabama and from Louisiana to Illinois
10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: QSC AG (QSC)
QSC AG is a Germany-based telecommunications provider that offers enterprise customers and resellers a range of broadband communication services, from site networking to voice and data services. The Company operates in three business segments: Direct Sales; Indirect Sales, and Resellers. The Direct Sales segment (former Managed Services) focuses on larger and mid-size enterprises, and includes the business of subsidiaries INFO AG and IP Partner. The Indirect Sales segment focuses on regional partners that offer a portfolio of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products, solutions and services, including Internet Service Providers (ISP), as well as voice and data services. The Resellers segment focuses on ISPs and telecommunication carriers that do not have an infrastructure of their own and primarily address residential customers. The Resellers segment also includes conventional voice business. In August 2013, it merged with INFO AG. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Morgan]
QSC AG (QSC), a provider of telephony and data services to small and medium-sized businesses, jumped 9.5 percent after posting an increase in quarterly net income. Deutsche Boerse AG (DB1) retreated 2.7 percent after Equinet Bank AG downgraded the shares to sell.
10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: First Cash Financial Services Inc (FCFS)
First Cash Financial Services, Inc., incorporated on April 24, 1994, is an operator of retail-based pawn and consumer finance stores in the United States and Mexico. As of February 18, 2013 , the Company had approximately 829 locations twelve states in United States and 24 states in Mexico. The Company's primary business is the operation of pawn stores, which engage in retail sales, purchasing of secondhand goods and consumer finance activities. The pawn stores generate retail sales from the merchandise acquired through collateral forfeitures and over-the-counter purchases from customers. Pawn stores are also a convenient source for small consumer loans to help customers meet their short-term cash needs. Personal property, such as jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods and musical instruments are pledged as collateral for the loans. In addition, some of the Company's pawn stores offer consumer loans or credit services products.
In March 2012, the Company acquired three Dallas-area pawn stores. In June 2012, the Company acquired 24 pawn stores located in the states of Colorado (13), Kentucky (seven), Wyoming (three) and Nebraska (one). In June 2013, First Cash Financial Services Inc announced the acquisition of 19 format U.S. pawn stores located in Texas.
Pawn Merchandise Sales
The Company's pawn merchandise sales are primarily retail sales to the general public from its pawn stores. The items retailed are primarily used consumer electronics, jewelry, household appliances, tools, musical instruments, and sporting goods. The Company also melts down certain quantities of scrap jewelry and sells the gold, silver and diamonds in commodity markets.
The Company acquires pawn merchandise inventory primarily through forfeited pawn collateral and, to a lesser extent, through purchases of used goods directly from the general public. Merchandise acquired by the Company through forfeited pawn collateral is carried in inventory at the amount of the ! related pawn loan, exclusive of any accrued service fees. The Company does not provide financing to customers for the purchase of its merchandise, but does permit its customers to purchase merchandise on an interest-free layaway plan. Should the customer fail to make a required payment, the item is returned to inventory and previous payments are forfeited to the Company. Interim payments from customers on layaway sales are credited to deferred revenue and subsequently recorded as income in which final payment is received or when previous payments are forfeited to the Company.
Pawn Lending Activities
The Company's pawn stores make small loans to their customers in order to help them meet short-term cash needs. All pawn loans are collateralized by personal property such as jewelry, electronic equipment, household appliances, tools, sporting goods and musical instruments. Pawn loans are non-recourse loans and the pledged goods provide the only security to the Company for the repayment of the loan. At the time a pawn transaction is entered into, an agreement, commonly referred to as a pawn ticket, is delivered to the borrower for signature that sets forth, among other items, the name and address of the pawnshop, borrower's name, borrower's identification number from his/her driver's license or other identification, date, identification and description of the pledged goods, including applicable serial numbers, amount financed, pawn service fee, maturity date, total amount that must be paid to redeem the pledged goods on the maturity date, and the annual percentage rate. Pledged property is held through the term of the loan, unless the pawn is paid earlier or renewed. The typical loan term is generally one month plus an additional grace period (typically 30 to 90 days). The Company contracts for pawn loan fees and service charges as compensation for the use of the funds loaned and to cover direct operating expenses related to the transaction and holding the pledged property. These pa! wn loan f! ees and service charges accounted for approximately 26% of the Company's revenue from continuing operations during the year ended December 31, 2012 .
Credit Services and Consumer Loan Activities
The Company has significantly reduced its U.S.-based consumer loan activities, primarily from payday lending, over the past several years. In September 2012, the Company closed seven of its consumer loan stores located in the Texas cities of Austin and Dallas. The Company offers a fee-based credit services organization program (CSO Program) to assist consumers, in Texas markets, in obtaining extensions of credit. The Company's consumer loan and pawn stores in Texas offer the CSO Program, and, in Texas, credit services are also offered via an Internet platform. Under the CSO Program, the Company assists customers in applying for a short-term extension of credit from an independent, non-bank, consumer lending company (the Independent Lender) and issues the Independent Lender a letter of credit to guarantee the repayment of the extension of credit.
The Company subsequently collects a percentage of these bad debts by redepositing the customers' checks, ACH collections or subsequent cash repayments by the customers. The profitability of the Company's credit services operations is dependent upon adequate collection of these returned items. The Company also offers an automobile title lending product under the CSO Program. These credit services fees accounted for approximately 8% of the Company's revenue from continuing operations during 2012 . In Mexico, the Company also offers an installment loan product with a term of 365 days and bears weekly service fees of 7% on the loan amount. These consumer loan fees accounted for less than 1% of the Company's revenue from continuing operations during 2012 .
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
First Cash Financial Services (NASDAQ: FCFS ) is becoming a pawn star. The company announced it has acquired a set of 19 large-format pawn shops in Texas, most of which operate under the Valu + Pawn brand name. The price was around $70 million in cash, funded for the most part under the company's revolving credit facility.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of First Cash Financial Services (NASDAQ: FCFS ) plunged as low as 14% today after the consumer finance company cut its short-term guidance outlook.
- [By Victor Selva]
We can appreciate that Capital One麓s ROE is lower than that of American Express, Discover Financial Services, First Cash Financial Services (FCFS) and Nelnet Inc. (NNI).
10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: Intersections Inc.(INTX)
Intersections Inc. provides subscription based consumer protection services and other consumer products and services primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Consumer Products and Services, Online Brand Protection, and Bail Bonds Industry Solutions. The Consumer Products and Services segment offers credit reports; daily, monthly, and quarterly monitoring of subscriber?s credit files; reports and monitoring services based on additional information sources; and credit scores and credit score analysis tools, credit education, identity theft recovery services, identity theft cost reimbursement, and software and other technology tools to protect against identity theft. Its products and services also include consumer discounts on healthcare, home, and auto related expenses; access to professional financial and legal information; and life, accidental death, and disability insurance, as well as distributes online privacy protection software. This seg ment markets its products and services to credit card, direct deposit, or mortgage issuing financial institutions. The Online Brand Protection segment provides online brand protection services, including online channel monitoring, auction monitoring, and other services to corporate brand owners or law firms, as well as offers forum, blog, and newsgroup monitoring. The Bail Bonds Industry Solutions segment offers automated service solutions for the bail bonds industry, which include accounting, reporting, and decision making tools that allow bail bondsmen, general agents, and sureties to run their offices, to exercise operational and financial control over their businesses, and to make underwriting decisions. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
Frank Micelotta/Invision/The Associated PressIn a new Netflix sitcom, Lily Tomlin (left) and Jane Fonda play former foes who unite when their husbands desert them. An identity theft specialist lost its identity, a soda maker teamed up with an old-school appliance brand, Walmart made a play for video games, Netflix announced a new show and yet another online service upped its subscription price. Here's a rundown of the week's smartest moves and biggest blunders in the business world. Netflix (NFLX) -- Winner The leading video service keeps building its digital catalog of original content. Netflix announced on Wednesday that it will be the home of "Grace and Frankie," a new sitcom starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin that's partly the handiwork of "Friends" creator Marta Kaufman. The first season will debut next year. We naturally won't know until we dive into the 13 half-hour episodes come 2015 if the show is any good, but that's also the point of Netflix beefing up its portfolio of first-run shows introduced exclusively on Netflix. Walmart Stores (WMT) -- Loser The world's largest retailer is getting into the video game resale business. Walmart announced on Tuesday that it will begin accepting trade-ins at most of its stores next week. The discounter will swap the games for in-store credit. It will then send off the trade-ins to get refurbished. It will start offering the pre-owned wares later this year. The market is playing this out to be a big hit for GameStop (GME), but let's not kid ourselves. GameStop's sales of pre-owned games fell sharply in 2012 and have gone on to decline in each of 2013's first three quarters. Walmart won't make things easier, but this was already a fading market. Too many new systems rely on digital delivery, making physical discs and their eventual resale obsolete. Walmart's late to the game. SodaStream International (SODA) -- Winner Making soda at home is as popular as ever, and niche leader SodaStream is getting a boost wi
10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: Sterlite Industries(India)
Sterlite Industries (India) Limited operates as a non-ferrous metals and mining company in India and internationally. It engages in the smelting and processing of copper and production of copper byproducts. The company?s primary products consist of copper cathode and continuos cast rods, as well as by products comprise sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoro silicic acid, gypsum, ferro sand, and slime. It also owns the Mt. Lyell copper mine at Tasmania in Australia, as well as owns various zinc assets, including Skorpion Zinc in Namibia; Black Mountain Mines in South Africa; and Lisheen Mines in Ireland. In addition, the company produces aluminum from its bauxite mines. Its aluminum products include aluminum ingots and wire rods; rolled products, such as coils and sheets; and vanadium sludge as a by-product. Further, the company smelts and produces lead and zinc, as well as produces and sells sulphuric acid to fertilizer manufacturers and other industries; and silver ingots primarily to industrial users. It operates three lead-zinc mines in the state of Rajasthan, northwest India. Additionally, it involves in power generations business. As of March 31, 2011, the company had a power generation capacity of 1,041 MW from its thermal power plants and wind power plants. The company was formerly known as Sterlite Cables Limited and changed its name to Sterlite Industries (India) Limited in 1986.The company was incorporated 1975 and is based in Mumbai, India. Sterlite Industries (India) Limited is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources plc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sy Harding]
Those largest holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor, Petroloeo Brasileiro (Brazil), China Mobile, China Construction Bank, CNOOK (China Offshore Drilling), Gazprom OAO (Russia), America Movil (Mexico), Sasol Ltd. (South Africa), Hon Hai Precision (Taiwan), and Infosys (India).
- [By Rajhkumar K Shaaw]
BNP Paribas Securities (Asia) Ltd., Macquarie Capital Securities (India) Pvt. and Ambit Capital Pvt. cut their Sensex targets as the Reserve Bank of India unexpectedly increased its benchmark interest rate to stem a record decline in the rupee and curb consumer prices in the world�� second-most populous nation. Strategists reduced their average profit estimate by 4.5 percent as higher borrowing costs threaten to worsen the slowest economic expansion since 2009.
10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: Commercial Bancshares Inc (CMOH)
Commercial Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company�� banking subsidiary, The Commercial Savings Bank (the Bank), is engaged in the business of commercial and retail banking, with operations conducted through its main office and branches located in Upper Sandusky, Ohio and neighboring communities in Wyandot, Marion and Hancock counties. The Bank provides customary retail and commercial banking services to its customers, including acceptance of deposits for demand, savings and time accounts, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and servicing of such accounts; commercial, consumer and real estate lending, including installment loans, and safe deposit and night depository facilities. Commercial Financial and Insurance Agency, LTD is its wholly owned subsidiary. The Bank also owns a 49.9% interest in Beck Title Agency, Ltd.
Lending Activities
The Bank grants residential, installment and commercial loans to customers located primarily in the Ohio counties of Wyandot, Marion and Hancock and the surrounding area. Commercial loans are primarily variable rate and include operating lines of credit and term loans made to small businesses primarily based on the ability to repay the loan from the cash flow of the business. Commercial real estate loans are primarily secured by borrower-occupied business real estate, and are dependent on the ability of the related business to generate adequate cash flow to service the debt. Residential real estate loans are made with primarily variable rates and are secured by the borrower�� residence. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 75.5% of the Company�� loan and lease portfolio consisted of commercial, construction and commercial real estate loans.
Investment Activities
Securities are classified as available for sale. Securities available for sale are carried at fair value. The securities available for sale include obligations of the United Sates Government and federal agencies, obligations of ! state and political subdivisions, and mortgage-backed securities. As of December 31, 2011, total securities available for sale were approximately $24.5 million, which included approximately $4.06 million of obligations of the United Sates Government and federal agencies, approximately $14.3 million of obligations of state and political subdivisions, and approximately $6.4 million of mortgage-backed securities.
Sources of Funds
As of December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately $259.1 million of deposits, which included approximately $ 38.1 million of noninterest-bearing demand, approximately $103.7 million of interest-bearing demand, approximately $ 86.9 million of savings and approximately $ 30.2 million of time deposits $100,000 and greater. As of December 31, 2011 the Company had no borrowings with Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Doug Hughes]
Commercial Bancshares (CMOH) operates as the holding company for The Commercial Savings Bank, with just over $300,000 in assets and $259,000 million in loans. This small, but very strong bank had 5% loan growth last year and net charge-offs of just 0.23%.
10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (DBA)
PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust (the Trust). The Fund�� subsidiary is DB Agriculture Master Fund (the Master Fund), a separate series of DB Multi-Sector Commodity Master Trust (the Master Trust). The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the Shares) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the Authorized Participants) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The proceeds from the offering of Shares are invested in the Master Fund. The proceeds from the offering of Shares are invested in the Master Fund.
The Master Fund invests with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index Diversified Agriculture Excess Return (DBLCI Diversified Agriculture ER (the Index)) plus the excess, if any, of the Master Fund�� income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and other short-term fixed income securities over the expenses of the Fund and the Master Fund. The Index is calculated to reflect the change in market value of the agricultural sector. The commodities comprising the Index are corn, soybeans, wheat, kansas city wheat, sugar, cocoa, coffee, cotton, live cattle, feeder cattle and lean hogs (the Index Commodities). The Master Fund also holds United States Treasury Obligations and other short-term fixed income securities for deposit with the Master Fund�� commodity broker as margin. The Index is composed of notional amounts of each of the underlying Index Commodities.
DB Commodity Services LLC serves as the managing owner, commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund and the Master Fund. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the administrator of the Fund and the Master Fund.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
The PowerShares DB Agriculture fund (NYSEMKT: DBA) was trading down about 0.2% before the report, and remained flat at $25.44, in a 52-week range of $24.36 to $29.64.
- [By John Udovich]
Just when you think the global warming (excuse me, climate change)�warnings could not get anymore hysterical or�goofier (Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes have frozen over after all), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc (NYSE: CMG) is sounding the alarm (which may rally all of the Sofritas vegan tofu eaters of America)�over�its potential�threat�to�guacamole, but small cap avocado stock Calavo Growers, Inc (NASDAQ: CVGW) continues to grow investor returns no matter what the weather is doing and has outperformed PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (NYSEARCA: DBA).�First and as noted by ThinkProgress.org, Chipotle Mexican Grill�� latest Annual Form 8-K reported:
- [By Richard Stavros]
Whereas in the 1970s there were limited ways to hedge against inflation, now there is a cornucopia of currency and international commodities instruments that can not only hedge against inflation but other global shocks, such as market bubbles and even war.
And it is these very scenarios that investors have been worried about. Since the beginning of the year, stocks, bonds and just about any investment you can think of have gyrated wildly at various times amid concerns of war, inflation and the possibility that the U.S. equity market is overvalued and headed for a correction.
In response, some market analysts in Bloomberg news reports have offered any number of wildly unsubstantiated statements for why investors should ignore today’s perils. They dismiss the danger posed by Russia�� annexation of Ukraine�� Crimea region (��utin will stop short of other countries or war with the West��. They also argue that the Federal Reserve chairwoman misspoke (��anet Yellen really didn�� mean a rate hike is coming soon. Inflation is under control. It was a rookie mistake��.
For my money, here’s the most outrageous: The Shiller Cyclically adjusted P/E metric which has predicted the 1929, 2000 and 2007 downturns doesn�� apply (��uggests only a slightly expensive market with low to moderate returns going forward on average��.
With new records being set by the S&P 500 in the last few months, it stands to reason that some investors have not needed much convincing to stay all in and buying. This mindset has prevailed, even as the impact of a Russian war or conflict, runaway inflation or a market correction could be devastating to investor portfolios, taking years to recover.
If you��e never thought of certain investments as “insurance,” it�� time to start now. Protecting wealth is as important as building wealth. And as previously mentioned, we have found that the Inflation Survival Letter�� Thri - [By Paul Ausick]
The PowerShares DB Agriculture fund (NYSEMKT: DBA) traded up 2.17% for the week and closed on Friday at $28.43, in a 52-week range of $24.04 to $28.95. Shares posted an intraday high of $28.95 on March 13.
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