Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now

Many a time we have seen people talking about losses in investing world and hence people seek to invest in low risk fixed income instruments such as the ongoing tax-free bonds. No doubt it is a good idea to invest in the ongoing long term tax free bond issues such as India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), given the lower risk of default and a possibility to earn capital gains over the next couple of years as the interest rates are expected to come down. But that does not mean one should bet his all monies on one such idea. It has been observed that investors redeem money from equities as they obtain the cost of buying shares with rising markets, which they subsequently invest in bonds.
 
Such a tendency can be counterproductive if it is contradicting the ideal asset allocation of an investor. Consider an example, if an individual aged 30, who plans to retire at the age of 60, is redeeming all his money from equity mutual funds and parking it in tax-free bonds. This is not a wise idea. It is better to stick to asset allocation and keep rebalancing it at regular interval, let’s say once in a year.
 
If you are young, and has some appetite for risk you should ideally have some exposure to equities. It is better to consider investing at least 50% of money in equities with the long-term view. An aggressive individual may have up to 75% of his money in equities, whereas a conservative investor may choose to keep his equity exposure to 10% of total portfolio value. Whatever be the case an allocation to equity is a must along with fixed income exposure.
 
An important point to note here is to understand that volatility in markets are but violent waves in a sea which rise and go, but eventually subside giving tranquility of mind. So, one should not be much affected by intermittent volatility in the equity markets. One should learn to live with it. Fixed income as an asset class can offer you predictable returns in short to medium term with a little volatility a! s compared to equity, but in the long term it can generate almost nil returns when adjusted to inflation.
 
Also fixed income investors should never forget the time-tested wisdom in the financial markets: it is difficult to predict interest rates in the long-term but it is easy to predict long-term expected returns from equities. If you are investing for the long-term, typically more than five years, do not go overboard on fixed income.

Hot Regional Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. (BIN)

Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. operates as a vertically integrated non-hazardous solid waste management company in North America. It operates through three segments: Canada, the U.S. south, and the U.S. northeast. The company provides waste collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services to commercial, industrial, municipal, and residential customers in 13 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and 6 Canadian provinces. It also owns and operates a power generating plant fuelled by landfill gas; and generates and sells methane gas. The company was formerly known as IESI-BFC Ltd. and changed its name to Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. in May 2011. Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is based in Vaughan, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Keep in mind, though, this is a sectorwide problem, not just one affecting Waste Management. Canada's Progressive Waste Solutions (NYSE: BIN  ) delivered an 11% increase in first-quarter revenue but succumbed to a decrease of 0.5% in recycling revenue because of lower realized metal prices. �

Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: Ishares Msci Emu Index (EZU)

iShares MSCI EMU Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the European Monetary Union (EMU) markets, as measured by the MSCI EMU Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the equity market of the EMU member countries, which includes those members of the European Union who have adopted the Euro as its currency. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Component companies are adjusted for available float and must meet objective criteria for inclusion in the Index. The Index is reviewed quarterly.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dave and Donald Moenning]

  At the beginning of the year, those seeing the glass as at least half-empty were expecting Europe (EZU) to drag the economies of the world into recession, China's (FXI) economic growth to tank, the unrest in the Middle East to become a huge problem, the Fed to make a mistake, earnings to soften and the politicians in Washington to send the U.S. into a depression.

Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: Colonial Municipal Income Trust (CMU)

MFS High Yield Municipal Trust operates as a nondiversified, closed-end management investment company. The trust invests primarily in medium and lower quality bonds and notes issued by or on behalf of state and local government units. Its portfolio primarily comprises investments in health care, tax-backed, utilities, transportation, housing, education, industrials, resource recovery, industrial, manufacturing, oil and gas, and refunded/escrowed sectors. Columbia Management Advisors, Inc. serves as the investment advisor of the trust. The trust was formerly known as Colonial Municipal Income Trust and changed its name to MFS High Yield Municipal Trust in 2007. MFS High Yield Municipal Trust was founded in 1987 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul McWilliams]

  Marvell (MRVL) is clearly carrying a big zit on its forehead from the ongoing legal battle with Carnigie Mellon University (CMU). A jury awarded CMU damages slightly in excess of $1B, and the judge could triple that.

Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: Greengro Technologies Inc (GRNH)

GreenGro Technologies Inc., formerly Authoriszor Inc., provides management services for the planning, construction, staffing and operation of medical marijuana dispensaries, and nurseries on behalf of non-profit patient co-operatives. Through long term contracts, the Company operates non-profit centers, returning all unused patient contributions, on a pro-rata basis to each co-op member in the form of additional product. In February 2010, Authoriszor Inc. completed the acquisition of GreenGro Technologies, Inc., and CannovaHealth, a clinic management company. In September 2011, the Company acquired Vertical Hydrogarden, Inc.

Medical marijuana (medical cannabis) is an alternative method to other forms of medication used to manage or alleviate pain without the undo side-effects caused by the prescription medication being used to treat an illness. The Company stands ready to assist in patient care co-operatives throughout the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  If it seems like the buzz surrounding marijuana stocks like Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA), Hemp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:HEMP), and GreenGro Technologies, Inc. (OTCMKTS:GRNH) has been a little louder than usual the last few days, you're not crazy - it has been louder, and particularly bullish. GRNH shares advanced 37% in December. HEMP is up 166% for the past two weeks. MJNA has jumped 47% in just the past couple of days. Well, as it turns out, it's not just mere coincidence that GreenGro Technologies, Hemp, Medical Marijuana, and a bunch of other cannabis-related names have perked up of late. And, odds are pretty good they'll all continue to do well (even of the pace slows a bit) in 2014.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  But, as the Huffington Post points out, most of the companies that stand to benefit are very small–they make micro caps look big–trade over the counter–good bye liquidity. That includes transaction-processing company MediSwipe (MWIPD), GreenGro Technologies (GRNH) Medbox (MDBX), which makes dispenser for high-risk drugs, and GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPRF).

Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: 21Vianet Group Inc.(VNET)

21Vianet Group, Inc. provides carrier-neutral Internet data center services in China. It provides hosting and related services, managed network services, and cloud computing infrastructure, enhancing the reliability, security, and speed of its customers' Internet connections through 21Vianet's Internet infrastructure. The company?s customers locate their servers and networking equipment in 21Vianet's data centers and connect to China's Internet backbone through 21Vianet's fiber optic network. In addition, its managed network services enable customers to deliver data across the Internet in a faster and reliable manner through its data transmission network and proprietary BroadEx smart routing technology. The company operates 51 data centers located in 33 cities in China with approximately 6,600 cabinets under management. 21Vianet serves a diversified base of approximately 1,400 customers that span various industries ranging from Internet companies to government entities an d blue-chip enterprises to small- to mid-sized enterprises. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jason Shubnell]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology stocks gained Friday, with Parametric Sound (NASDAQ: PAMT) leading advancers after the company provided post merger update and outlook. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from 21Vianet Group (NASDAQ: VNET), BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY), Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ), and Veeco Instruments (NASDAQ: VECO).
  In trading on Friday, utilities shares rose by just 0.06 percent. Among the sector stocks, Exterran Partners LP (NASDAQ: EXLP) was down more than 4.8 percent, while PG&E (NYSE: PCG) tumbled around 3.75 percent.
  Top Headline
  BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) posted a narrower-than-expected fourth-quarter loss.
  BlackBerry posted a quarterly net loss of $423 million, or $0.80 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $98 million, or $0.19 per share. Its loss from continuing operations came in at $423 million, or $0.80 per share, compared to a year-ago profit of $94 million, or $0.18 per share. BlackBerry�� adjusted loss from continuing operations came in at $0.08 per share.
  Its revenue slipped 64% to $976 million. However, analysts were estimating a loss of $0.56 per share on revenue of $1.17 billion. BlackBerry sold around 3.4 million smartphones in the quarter.
  Equities Trading UP
  Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) shares shot up 3.64 percent to $27.44 after the company posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Monday, technology shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 1.18 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from WebMD Health (NASDAQ: WBMD) and 21Vianet Group (NASDAQ: VNET). Telecommunications services shares gained by just 0.35 percent in the US market today.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded 21Vianet Group (NASDAQ: VNET) from ��eutral��to ��utperform.��The target price for 21Vianet Group has been raised from $27 to $36.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  21Vianet Group (NASDAQ: VNET) was down, falling 7.66 percent to $16.99 after the company reported its unaudited Q3 financial results. Pacific Crest downgraded the stock from Outperform to Sector Perform.

Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: Sunedison Inc (SUNE)

SunEdison Inc, formerly MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., incorporated on October 1, 1984, is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of silicon wafers. The Company is a developer and seller of photovoltaic energy solutions. Through Solar Materials and Solar Energy (SunEdison), it is a developer of solar energy projects. The Company operates in two segments: semiconductor materials and solar energy. The Company�� Solar Energy segment includes the operations of its old Solar Materials segment, as well as its SunEdison business. In the Semiconductor Materials, the Company offers wafers with a variety of features. The Company�� wafers vary in size, surface features, composition, purity levels, crystal properties and electrical properties.

Semiconductor Materials

The Company�� monocrystalline wafers for use in semiconductor applications range in size from 100 millimeter to 300 millimeter and are round in shape for semiconductor customers because of the nature of their processing equipment. Its wafers are used as the starting material for the manufacture of various types of semiconductor devices, including microprocessor, memory, logic and power devices. In turn, these semiconductor devices are used in computers, cellular phones and other mobile electronic devices, automobiles and other consumer and industrial products. Its monocrystalline wafers for semiconductor applications include four general categories of wafers: prime, epitaxial, test/monitor and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.

The Company�� prime wafer is a polished, pure wafer with an ultraflat and ultraclean surface. The Company�� epitaxial (epi), wafers consist of a thin silicon layer grown on the polished surface of the wafer. Typically, the epitaxial layer has different electrical properties from the underlying wafer. This provides customers with isolation between circuit elements than a polished wafer. Its AEGIS product is designed for certain specialized applications requiring high resis! tivity epitaxial wafers and its MDZ product feature. The AEGIS wafer includes a thin epitaxial layer grown on a standard starting wafer. The AEGIS wafer�� thin epitaxial layer eliminates harmful defects on the surface of the wafer, thereby allowing device manufacturers to increase yields. The Company supplies test/monitor wafers to its customers for use in testing semiconductor fabrication lines and processes. An SOI wafer is a different starting material for the chip making process.

Solar Energy

The Company�� Solar Energy segment provides solar energy services that integrate the design, installation, financing, monitoring, operations and maintenance portions of the downstream solar market to provide a solar energy service to its customers. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison interconnected over 675 solar power systems representing 989 megawatt of solar energy generating capacity. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison had 73 megawatt of projects under construction and 2.6 gigawatts in pipeline. In support of its downstream solar business, its Solar Energy segment manufactures polysilicon, silicon wafers and solar modules. Additionally, its Solar Energy segment will sell solar modules to third parties in the event the opportunity aligns with itsinternal needs. It provides its downstream customers with a way to purchase renewable energy by delivering solar power under long-term power purchase arrangements with customers or feed-in tariff arrangements with government entities and utilities. Its SunEdison business is dependent upon government subsidies, including United States federal incentive tax credits, state-sponsored energy credits and foreign feed-in tariffs. The Company�� solar wafers are used as the starting material for crystalline solar cells.

The Company competes with Shin-Etsu Handotai, SUMCO, Siltronic and LG Siltron, SunPower Corporation, First Solar, Inc., Enerparc, Sharp Corporation (Recurrent Energy), Phoenix Solar, BELECTRIC, JUWI Solar Gmbh, and S! olar City! .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: SUNE  ) , announced an agreement with Fox Energy, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology, to manufacture 350 MW of solar modules. This is part of a virtual integration plan where SunEdison will have agreements with outside suppliers to provide product, allowing the company to focus on project installations.

• [By Rich Smith]

  MEMC (NYSE: SUNE  ) isn't MEMC anymore.

  Late last week, MEMC Electronic Materials confirmed that it will officially change its name to SunEdison today and adopt the "SUNE" ticker symbol for itself. Stockholder support for the change was said to be "overwhelming."

• [By Paul Ausick]

  We have tracked the short interest in the following North American Solar companies as of September 13: Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT), SunEdison Inc. (NYSE: SUNE) and SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR).

Best Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: International Rectifier Corporation (IRF)

International Rectifier Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets power management semiconductors worldwide. The company operates through six segments: Power Management Devices, Energy Saving Products, Automotive Products, Enterprise Power, HiRel, and Intellectual Property. The Power Management Devices segment provides power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), FETKYs, and DirectFETs for power supply, data processing, telecommunications, industrial, and commercial battery-powered systems. The Energy Saving Products segment provides analog high voltage integrated circuits (HVICs), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) platforms, digital control ICs, and IRAM integrated power modules for motor control appliances, industrial automation, lighting and display, audio, and video applications. The Automotive Products segment offers HVICs, intelligent power switch ICs, power MOSFETs, IGBTs, diodes, and advanced power modules for various automotive applications. The Enterprise Power segment offers DirectFET discrete products, digital PWM controllers, power monitoring products, voltage regulators, low voltage ICs, and PowIRstages primarily for applications in servers, storage, routers, switches, infrastructure equipment, notebooks, graphic cards, and gaming consoles. The HiRel segment provides RAD-hard discretes, RAD-hard ICs, power management modules, DC-DC converters, and high temperature converters for satellites and space exploration vehicles, military hardware, and other high reliability applications. The Intellectual Property segment sells and licenses technologies and manufacturing process know-how. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on International Rectifier (NYSE: IRF  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.