Risky stocks power market well past year's lows

Risky stocks are powering Wall Street's run back to new highs, a sign speculation is playing a prominent role in the market's rise.

The Standard & Poor's 500 hung just below a new high Tuesday following the market's powerful 6% rally from its low this year on Feb. 3. Massive gains in stocks considered to be the U.S. market's riskiest, such as biotechs and cyclical companies that need economic growth, are the driving forces.

"It's 'game on' for the market, and it's 'risk on' for what's rewarding investors," says David Sowerby of Loomis Sayles.

MARKETS TUESDAY: U.S. stocks slip

The market's run-up from the Feb. 3 lows shows that speculation is definitely making a comeback. Among the signs:

• The biotech surge. Among the biggest darlings of the stock markets' rise this year are companies working on breakthrough treatments for everything from hepatitis C to cancer. The SPDR S&P Biotech exchange traded fund is up 18.9% this year. The gains by biotech have been so strong that the health care sector is the second best of the 10 in the S&P 500, gaining 7.7%. "Biotech is on fire," says Sam Stovall of S&P Capital IQ. "Biotech is bigger than it used to be. It has the critical mass to push the group."

• The rise of cyclicals. Consumer discretionary, materials and energy stocks have been the best performers coming off the markets' Feb. 3 lows this year. Each of these sectors are heavily reliant on a strong economy for their revenue and earnings to be strong, says Scott Wren of Wells Fargo Advisors. Given that the economy is expected to post good but not fast growth this year, investors are wisely betting on cyclical stocks to be positioned for the gains, he says. "The top sectors are sensitive to the recovery," Wren says. "That what we expect from this rally."

• Big performance from small stocks. Shares of small-cap companies are turning into a bright spot for the market again this year. The Vanguard Small-Cap ETF is up 7.7% from the February lows, pull! ing ahead of the gain by the broader S&P 500. Smaller stocks are typically favorites of investors looking for big gains and willing to take extra risk.

All 10 sectors of the market are higher from the February lows, Stovall says. Utilities, financials and consumer staples are the worst groups, and they're still up 4.2%, 4.8% and 5.1%, respectively. These groups are laggards because safety and dividends are out of style with investors now that markets are soaring, he says.

As long as the Federal Reserve remains friendly to growth by not tightening too quickly, and earning growth remains strong, small companies and cyclical stocks are in the sweet spot to benefit, Sowerby says. "We have a market that is embracing stocks were earnings are growing or expected to improve," he says.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now

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Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: IEC Electronics Corp (IEC)

IEC Electronics Corp. (IEC) is a provider of electronic contract manufacturing services (EMS) to advanced technology companies. The Company specializes in the custom manufacture of circuit cards and system-level assemblies; an array of cable and wire harness assemblies, and precision sheet metal components. The Company utilizes automated circuit card assembly equipment together with a manufacturing stress testing methods. On December 17, 2010, IEC acquired Southern California Braiding, Inc. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include IEC Electronics Wire and Cable, Inc. (Wire and Cable), IEC Electronics Corp.-Albuquerque (Albuquerque) and Southern California Braiding, Inc. (SCB).

The Company manufactures a range of assemblies that are incorporated into many different products, such as military and defense systems, transportation products, wireless communication systems, and medical systems and instruments. The Company supports multiple divisions and product lines for many of its customers and frequently manufactures successive generations of products.

The Company competes with Flextronics International LTD., Benchmark Electronics, Inc. and Plexus Corp.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Micron Technology Inc.(MU)

Micron Technology, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and marketing of semiconductor devices worldwide. Its products include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products that provide data storage and retrieval, which include DDR2 and DDR3; and other specialty DRAM memory products, including DDR, SDRAM, DDR and DDR2 mobile low power DRAM, pseudo-static RAM, and reduced latency DRAM. The company also offers NAND flash memory products, which are electrically re-writeable and non-volatile semiconductor devices that retain content when power is turned off. In addition, it provides NOR flash memory products that are electrically re-writeable and non-volatile semiconductor memory devices; phase change memory products; and image sensor products. Micron Technology?s products are used in a range of electronic applications, including personal computers, workstations, network servers, mobile phones, flash memory cards, USB storage devices, digital still c ameras, MP3/4 players, and in automotive applications. It sells its products to original equipment manufacturers and retailers through internal sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors, as well as through a Web-based customer direct sales channel. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Crum]

  Pandora Media Inc. rose (P) 3% to close at $32.44 a share; Western Digital Corp. (WDC) ended the day up by 3.3% at $85.65, Micron Technology Inc. (MU) rose 5% to $21.73 a share, and IBM Corp. (IBM) shares added almost 2% to end the day at $189.71.

Top Investments In 2015: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASX)

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. is principally engaged in the manufacture, assembly, processing, testing and distribution of integrated circuits (ICs). The Company provides semiconductor packaging and testing services, including plastic leaded chip carriers (PLCCs), quad flat packages (QFPs) and flip chip packaging technology, among others, which are applied in the manufacture of household electrical appliances, communication devices, automobile components, personal computers, set top boxes, servers, memory integrated circuits (ICs), mobile phones, digital cameras, game consoles, projectors, high definition (HD) televisions, wireless communication network products and power management ICs, among others. The Company operates its businesses primarily in Taiwan, Europe and the Americas. In August 2010, the Company acquired a 100% interest in EEMS Test Singapore.

The Company is focused on packaging and testing logic semiconductors. The Company offers its customers turnkey services, which consist of packaging, testing and direct shipment of semiconductors to end users designated by its customers. The Company�� global base of over 200 customers includes semiconductor companies across a range of end use applications, including Altera Corporation, ATI Technologies, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited and Microsoft Corporation. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company�� packaging revenues accounted for 77.7% of its net revenues and its testing revenues accounted for 20.1% of its net revenues.

Packaging Services

The Company offers a range of package types to meet the requirements of its customers, with a focus on packaging solutions. Within its portfolio of package types, the Company focuses on the packaging of semiconductors. These include advanced leadframe-based package types, such as quad flat package, thin quad flat package, bump chip carrier and quad flat no-lead package, and package types based on substrates, such a! s flip-chip ball grid array (BGA) and other BGA types, as well as other packages, such as wafer-bumping products. Leadframe-based packages are packaged by connecting the die, using wire bonders, to the leadframe with gold wire. The Company�� leadframe-based packages include quad flat package (QFP)/ thin quad flat package (TQFP), quad flat no-lead package (QFN)/microchip carrier (MCC), advanced quad flat no-lead package (AQFN), bump chip carrier (BCC), small outline plastic package (SOP)/thin small outline plastic package (TSOP), small outline plastic j-bend package (SOJ), plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) and plastic dual in-line package (PDIP). Substrate-based packages employ the BGA design, which utilizes a substrate rather than a leadframe. It also assembles system-in-a-package products, which involve the integration of more than one chip into the same package. The Company�� substrate-based packages include Plastic BGA, Cavity Down BGA, Stacked-Die BGA, Flip-Chip BGA and land grid array (LGA).

The Company�� wafer-level packaging products include wafer level chip scale package (aCSP) and advanced wafer level package (aWLP). The Company offers module assembly services, which combine one or more packaged semiconductors with other components in an integrated module to enable functionality, typically using surface mount technology (SMT) machines and other machinery and equipment for system-level assembly. End use applications for modules include cellular phones, personal digital assistant (PDAs), wireless local area network (LAN) applications, bluetooth applications, camera modules, automotive applications and toys.

The Company provides module assembly services primarily at its facilities in Korea for radio frequency and power amplifier modules used in wireless communications and automotive applications. Interconnect materials connect the input/output on the semiconductor dies to the printed circuit board. Interconnect materials include substrate, which is a multi-layer m! iniature ! printed circuit board. The Company produces substrates for use in its packaging operations.

Testing Services

The Company provides a range of semiconductor testing services, including front-end engineering testing, wafer probing, final testing of logic/mixed-signal/radio frequency (RF) and memory semiconductors and other test-related services. The Company provides front-end engineering testing services, including customized software development, electrical design validation, and reliability and failure analysis. The Company provides final testing services for a variety of memory products, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), single-bit erasable programmable read-only memory semiconductors and flash memory semiconductors.

The Company provides a range of additional test-related services, including burn-in testing, module sip testing, dry pack, tape and reel, and electric interface board and mechanical test tool design. The Company offers drop shipment services for shipment of semiconductors directly to end users designated by its customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Advanced Semiconductor Engineering�(ASX) builds and distributes integrated circuits and other electronics. It�� not as sexy as some mobile chipmakers, but thankfully it doesn�� have to be — ASX is simply capitalizing on the general demand for microchips in everything from cars to computers to TVs.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Sunedison Inc (SUNE.N)

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 cust omers 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 des igned for certain specialized applications requiring high ! re! sistivity 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 (Recu rrent Energy), Phoenix Solar, BELECTRIC, JUWI Solar Gmb! h, an! d ! Solar C! ity.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Intermolecular Inc (IMI)

Intermolecular, Inc. (Intermolecular), incorporated on June 16, 2004, is engaged in research and development and time-to-market for the semiconductor and clean-energy industries. The Company, through paid collaborative development programs (CDPs) with its customers, develops technology and intellectual property (IP) for its customers focused on advanced materials, processes, integration and device architectures. The Company provides its customers with technology through various fee arrangements and grants them rights to associated IP, primarily through royalty-bearing licenses. Through paid CDPs and its own development, the Company has established a portfolio of greater than 1,000 patents and patent applications. Its approach is broadly applicable to high-volume integrated device markets, which include the markets for semiconductors, flat glass coatings and glass-based devices, solar cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), flat-panel displays, advanced batteries and other energy efficiency applications.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company targets large, high-volume semiconductor and high-growth emerging clean energy markets, including DRAM, non-volatile memory (including flash memory and embedded memory), complex logic, flat glass coatings and glass-based devices, solar cells, LEDs and other energy efficiency applications. The Company�� customers include ATMI, Inc. (ATMI), Elpida Memory, Inc. (Elpida), First Solar. Inc. (First), GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd (GLOBALFOUNDRIES), Guardian Industries Corp. (Guardian), SanDisk Corporation (SanDisk), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba). For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company has received the majority of its revenue from customers in DRAM, flash memory, complex logic and energy-efficient applications in flat glass. The elements in HPC platform include Tempus HPC processing, automated characterization, and informatics and analysis software. Tempus HPC processing are used to process ! different experiments consisting of combinations of materials, processing parameters, sequencing and device structures. Automated characterization systems are used to characterize the substrates processed by its Tempus HPC processing tools. Informatics and analysis software are used to automate experiment generation, characterization, data analysis and reporting.

The Company�� HPC platform consists of its Tempus HPC processing tools, automated characterization and informatics and analysis software. The Company�� platform is purpose-built for Research and Development (R and D) using combinatorial process systems. Combinatorial processing is a methodology for discovery and development that employs parallel and other high-throughput experimentation, which allows R and D experimentation to be performed at speeds up to 100 times faster than traditional methods. The Company�� processing tools allows performing up to 192 experiments on a single substrate.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Intermolecular (NASDAQ: IMI) shares touched a new 52-week low of $4.84. Intermolecular shares have dropped 45.09% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 26.39% in the same period.

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  ARM Holdings Plc (ARM) lost 2.6 percent, leading European technology companies lower before it publishes half-year results next week. IMI Plc (IMI) gained 2 percent as Citigroup Inc. listed the engineering company among its most preferred stocks.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Intermolecular Inc (IMI.O)

Intermolecular, Inc. (Intermolecular), incorporated on June 16, 2004, is engaged in research and development and time-to-market for the semiconductor and clean-energy industries. The Company, through paid collaborative development programs (CDPs) with its customers, develops technology and intellectual property (IP) for its customers focused on advanced materials, processes, integration and device architectures. The Company provides its customers with technology through various fee arrangements and grants them rights to associated IP, primarily through royalty-bearing licenses. Through paid CDPs and its own development, the Company has established a portfolio of greater than 1,000 patents and patent applications. Its approach is broadly applicable to high-volume integrated device markets, which include the markets for semiconductors, flat glass coatings and glass-based devices, solar cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), flat-panel displays, advanced batteries and other energy efficiency applications.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company targets large, high-volume semiconductor and high-growth emerging clean energy markets, including DRAM, non-volatile memory (including flash memory and embedded memory), complex logic, flat glass coatings and glass-based devices, solar cells, LEDs and other energy efficiency applications. The Company�� customers include ATMI, Inc. (ATMI), Elpida Memory, Inc. (Elpida), First Solar. Inc. (First), GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd (GLOBALFOUNDRIES), Guardian Industries Corp. (Guardian), SanDisk Corporation (SanDisk), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba). For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company has received the majority of its revenue from customers in DRAM, flash memory, complex logic and energy-efficient applications in flat glass. The elements in HPC platform include Tempus HPC processing, automated characterization, and informatics an d analysis software. Tempus HPC processing are used to proc! e! ss different experiments consisting of combinations of materials, processing parameters, sequencing and device structures. Automated characterization systems are used to characterize the substrates processed by its Tempus HPC processing tools. Informatics and analysis software are used to automate experiment generation, characterization, data analysis and reporting.

The Company�� HPC platform consists of its Tempus HPC processing tools, automated characterization and informatics and analysis software. The Company�� platform is purpose-built for Research and Development (R and D) using combinatorial process systems. Combinatorial processing is a methodology for discovery and development that employs parallel and other high-throughput experimentation, which allows R and D experimentation to be performed at speeds up to 100 times faster than traditional methods. The Company�� processing tools allows performing up to 192 experiments on a single substrate.

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Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Texas Instruments Incorporated(TXN)

Texas Instruments Incorporated engages in the design and sale of semiconductors to electronics designers and manufacturers worldwide. The company?s Analog segment offers high-performance analog products comprising standard analog semiconductors, such as amplifiers, data converters, and interface semiconductors; high-volume analog and logic products; and power management semiconductors and line-powered systems. Its Embedded Processing segment includes DSPs that perform mathematical computations to process and enhance digital data; and microcontrollers, which are designed to control a set of specific tasks for electronic equipment. The company?s Wireless segment designs, manufactures, and sells application processors and connectivity products. Its Other segment offers smaller semiconductor products, which include DLP products that are primarily used in projectors to create high-definition images; and application-specific integrated circuits. This segment also provides handhe ld graphing and scientific calculators, as well as licenses technologies to other electronic companies. The company serves the communications, computing, industrial, consumer electronics, automotive, and education sectors. Texas Instruments Incorporated sells its products through a direct sales force, distributors, and third-party sales representatives. It has collaboration agreements with PLX Technology Inc.; Neonode, Inc.; and Ubiquisys Ltd. The company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.53 per share on revenue of $3.23 billion. TI shares gained 4.04% to close at $10.30 on Friday.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Next Monday, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise.

• [By Diane Alter]

  Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September

  Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packaging products in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: China Electronics Corporation Holdings Co Ltd (85)

China Electronics Corporation Holdings Company Limited is an investment holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in design, research and development and sale of integrated circuits. The Company�� integrated circuits design business consists of the design of integrated circuits chips and the development of application system. Its products are used in smart cards, such as identity cards, social security cards, telecommunications cards and electric cards. Its products are also applied in wireless local area networks (WLAN). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company obtained 17 new patents, and registered another 16 computer software copyrights and 11 integrated circuits layout designs. Its subsidiaries include CEC Integrated Circuit (Beijing) Co., Ltd, CEC Huada Electronic Design Co., Ltd and others.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSM)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based company principally engaged in the research, development, manufacture and distribution of integrated circuit (IC) related products. The Company operates its businesses through wafer manufacture, mask production, wafer testing and packaging components. The Company also involves in the provision of production management, customer services and design services. Its products and services are applied in the manufacture of personal computers and peripheral products, information related products, wire and wireless communication systems, automobile and industrial equipment, as well as consumer electronic products, such as digital disk players, digital televisions (TVs), game consoles, digital cameras, among others. Its customers include Altera, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Analog Devices, Freescale, NXP and Texas Instruments, among others. In July 2010, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. acquired mechanical and engineering equipment from ASML HONG KONG LTD. In September 2010, the Company acquired a set of equipments from ASML HONG KONG LTD. In December 2010, the Company acquired a set of equipment from TOKYO ELECTRON LTD., KLA-TENCOR CORP. and NOVELLUS SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL,B.V. In January 2011, the Company announced that it had acquired a set of equipment from KLA-TENCOR CORP., a set of equipment and facility, and another set of equipment from VARIAN SEMI. EQUIP. ASSOCIATES GmbH. In March 2011, the Company acquired a set of equipments from Rudolph Technologies, Inc.In March 2011, the Company acquired a set of equipments from Rudolph Technologies, Inc. In May 2011, it acquired a set of equipments form APPLIED MATERIALS SOUTH EAST ASIA PACIFIC LTD., Hamatech APE Gmbh and CO. KG, TOKYO ELECTRON LTD., DAINIPPON SCREEN MFG. CO., LTD., and VARIAN SEMI. EQUIP. ASSOCIATES GMBH.

TSMC's customers include semiconductor companies, ranging from fabless semiconductor and systems companies, such as Advanced Micro Devices, In! c., Altera Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor Inc., MediaTek Inc., nVidia Corporation and Qualcomm Incorporated, to integrated device manufacturers, such as LSI Corporation, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Inc. Fabless semiconductor and system companies accounted for approximately 80%, and integrated device manufacturers accounted for approximately 20% of its net sales as of December 31, 2009.

The Company manufactures semiconductors using CMOS and BiCMOS processes. The BiCMOS process combines the speed of the bipolar circuitry and the power consumption and density of the CMOS circuitry. It uses the CMOS process to manufacture logic semiconductors, memory semiconductors, including static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, mixed-signal/ radio frequency (RF) semiconductors, which combine analog and digital circuitry in a single semiconductor, micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS), which combines micrometer featured mechanical parts, analog and digital circuitry in a single semiconductor, and embedded memory semiconductors, which combine logic and memory in a single semiconductor. The BiCMOS process is used to make high-end mixed-signal and other types of semiconductors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Rumor has it that the two frenemies will put some distance between them. Taiwanese tech publication DigiTimes has long suggested that Apple's core chips might find a new home in massive chip foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM  ) -- and now the publications claims that it's a done deal.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  The Korea Times is reporting that�Apple� (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) has cut Samsung out of producing its next-generation A7 chip. The Mac maker continues to diversify its component supplier base away from Samsung. Apple has already begun moving display sourcing to�LG Display� (NYSE: LPL  ) . The A7 business is reportedly going to�Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing� (NYSE: TSM  ) and its 20-nanometer process. The transition could hurt Samsung, since it would be left with excess unused. Samsung has supposedly been trying to grow its business with�NVIDIA� (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) to mitigate the risk of losing some Apple business.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Advantest Corp (ATE)

Advantest Corporation, incorporated in December 1954, is a part of Advantest group. The Company operates in three segments: semiconductor and component test system segment; mechatronics system segment, focusing on peripheral devices including test handlers and device interfaces, and services, support and others segment. The semiconductor and component test system segment provides customers with test system products for the semiconductor industry and the electronic component industry. The mechatronics system segment focuses on peripheral devices to the semiconductor and component test systems. The services, support and others segment consists of comprehensive customer solutions provided in connection with the semiconductor and component test system and mechatronics system segments, support services and an equipment lease business.

Semiconductor and Component Test Systems Segment

Semiconductor and component test systems are used during the semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing process to confirm that a semiconductor functions properly. Semiconductor and component test systems consist of test systems for memory semiconductors and test systems for non memory semiconductors. Advantest�� test systems for memory semiconductors are test systems designed to test high-speed/high performance dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductors used in equipment such as personal computers and servers, as well as flash memory semiconductors used in digital consumer products.

Test systems for memory semiconductors consist of a mainframe and one or more test heads. During testing, a device interface is attached to the test head. During the front-end testing process, wafers are loaded by a prober and are connected to the test system for memory semiconductors through the device interface. Electric signals between the die and the test systems for memory semiconductors are transmitted through probe pins located in the device interface and tested. After front-end te! sting is completed, the wafer is diced into separate dies and properly functioning dies are packaged. During back-end testing, test handlers are used to load these packaged devices onto the test heads, and electric signals are transmitted between the devices and the test heads via the device interface and tested. The test results are analyzed by the test systems for memory semiconductors��hardware circuits and software programs. Customized software programs for each semiconductor are required to analyze the semiconductor tests and test data.

Advantest�� main product lines of test systems for memory semiconductors are the T5500 series, the T5300 series and the T5700 series. The T5593 is a test system targeted at the market for high speed memory semiconductors, such as DDR2- Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) and Synchronous Graphics Random Access Memory (SGRAM). The T5383 is a multi-functional test system for memory semiconductors that reduces testing costs for semiconductor manufacturers. Advantest�� main line of test systems for non memory semiconductors relates to test systems for SoC semiconductors, test systems for liquid crystal display (LCD) driver integrated circuits and test systems for semiconductors used in car electronics. The T6577 test systems for SoC semiconductors in the T6500 series were primarily developed to test micro controller unit (MCU) and SoC semiconductors that control digital consumer products at the production lines. The T6300 series are test systems for LCD driver integrated circuits used with high-definition LCD displays. The T7721, T7722 and T7723 are test systems for non memory semiconductors for mixed signal integrated circuits. The T8571A is a test system for non memory semiconductors that is primarily used to evaluate and analyze CCDs which are image sensors.

Mechatronics System Segment

The Main products in the Mechatronics System Segment are test handlers which handle semiconductor devices and automate the te! sting, an! d device interfaces which are the interfaces with devices being tested. Test handlers are used with semiconductor and component test systems to handle, condition temperature, contact and sort semiconductors and other electronic components during the back-end testing of the semiconductor manufacturing process. Advantest�� test handlers are sold primarily in conjunction with the sale of its semiconductor and component test systems. The M6242 test handler for test systems for memory semiconductors, including DDR-3SDRAM, can handle up to 512 semiconductors at a time. Advantest�� test handlers for non memory semiconductors, including SoC semiconductors, are the M4841, the M4741A and the M4742A, among others.

Advantest develops and manufactures device interfaces for semiconductor and component test systems and supplies device interfaces, such as high performance and high density connectors, socket boards and sockets. For test systems for memory semiconductors, Advantest provides motherboards capable of handling a maximum of 512 semiconductors at a time. For test systems for non memory semiconductors, Advantest provides motherboards that are compatible with a maximum of 3,072 signals. Advantest also provides motherboards designed for use in front-end testing. Advantest provides custom manufacturing of socket boards and performance boards for each device under test in accordance with customers��specifications.

Advantest provides sockets for test systems for memory semiconductors. Advantest provides low-inductance (0.4nH) sockets and fine pitch (0.4mm) sockets for semiconductors that are becoming more high-speed and more compact in size. Advantest provides carrying and contacting mechanism components compatible with each device under test for test handlers for memory semiconductors and test handlers for non memory semiconductors.

Services, Support and Others Segment

In the services, support and others segment, Advantest has focused on maintenance serv! ices, suc! h as installation and repair of Advantest�� products. It also focused on lease and rental services of its products as a part of Advantest�� effort to provide customers with comprehensive solutions.

The Company competes with Teradyne, Inc., Verigy Ltd., LTX-Credence Corporation, Yokogawa Electronic Corporation, FROM30 CO., LTD., EXICON Ltd., UniTest Inc., Delta Design, Inc., Seiko Epson Corporation, Mirae Corporation, TechWing, Inc., TSE Co., Ltd. and Secron Co., Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Nissan's done better this year than electronics maker Advantest (NYSE: ATE  ) , but this stock absolutely blew up over the past week. Advantest's shares shot higher by more than 9%, wiping out pessimism over the company's weak earnings released a few weeks ago. Advantest's net loss and operating profit both fell below its guidance, and despite this week's investor optimism, the future's murky for this company. Financial site TheStreet downgraded the stock last week, citing Advantest's falling earnings, among other issues.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: China Electronics Corporation Holdings Co Ltd (0085.HK)

China Electronics Corporation Holdings Company Limited is an investment holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in design, research and development and sale of integrated circuits. The Company�� integrated circuits design business consists of the design of integrated circuits chips and the development of application system. Its products are used in smart cards, such as identity cards, social security cards, telecommunications cards and electric cards. Its products are also applied in wireless local area networks (WLAN). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company obtained 17 new patents, and registered another 16 computer software copyrights and 11 integrated circuits layout designs. Its subsidiaries include CEC Integrated Circuit (Beijing) Co., Ltd, CEC Huada Electronic Design Co., Ltd and others.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: NVIDIA Corp (NVD)

NVIDIA Corporation (NVIDIA), incorporated on February 24, 1998, is engaged in creating the graphics chips used in personal computers (PCs). The Company operates in three segments: graphics processing unit (GPU) Business, professional solutions business (PSB) and consumer products business (CPB). Its mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. Designers use GPUs to create visual effects in movies and create everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. NVIDIA solutions are based on two technologies: the GPU and the mobile processor. GPUs are the engines of visual computing, the science and art of using computers to understand, create and enhance images. It has three GPU product brands: GeForce, which creates visual experiences for gamers; Quadro, which is engaged in visual computing for designers and digital artists, and Tesla, which accelerates applications for scientists and researchers. Tegra is its mobile processor and is built for applications ranging from smartphones, tablets and notebook PCs to televisions and cars. During the fiscal year ended January 29, 2012 (fiscal 2012), it acquired Icera Inc.In fiscal 2012, it launched Project Maximus, which uses the compute power of Tesla with the visualization power of Quadro to merge the design and simulation stages into one workstation. In May 2012, the Company and Intellectual Ventures announced that they jointly acquired a set of patents developed and owned by IPWireless. The portfolio comprises approximately 500 patents granted and pending in the wireless communications area, including concepts in LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G/4G technologies.

GPU Business

The Company�� GPU business revenue includes primarily sales of its GeForce discrete and chipset products that support desktop and notebook PCs plus license fees from Intel and sales of memory products. It also accelerates video editing and high definition (HD), content creation by consumers. GeForce GPUs power PCs made by or distributed by ! PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), in the world. Its media and communications processor (MCP) chipsets primarily comprised of its ION motherboard GPUs, a product reaching the end of its life cycle.

Professional Solutions Business

The Company�� PSB consists of its Quadro professional workstation products and its Tesla computing products. Its Quadro products are designed to deliver the graphics performance and application compatibility for professionals. Tesla applies the processing power of its GPUs to general-purpose computing problems. Quadro products add functionality, such as photorealistic rendering, to computer-aided design workstations, and are used in professional video editing applications and for generating special effects in movies. Tesla is used in supercomputing centers and in oil exploration; other applications include accelerating drug discovery, weather simulations and derivative price modeling.

Consumer Products Business

The Company�� CPB includes its Tegra system-on-chip products for smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, and other similar devices, and Icera baseband processors. The Tegra revenues are generated by sales in smart phones and tablets. CPB also includes license, royalty, other revenue and associated costs related to video game consoles and other digital consumer electronics devices. NVIDIA Tegra mobile products implement design techniques, both inside the chips and at the system level. These technologies enhance visual display capabilities, connectivity and minimize chip and system-level power consumption. During fiscal 2012, it launched Tegra 3, quad-core mobile computing chip, bringing PC levels of performance within the power envelope of a cellular phone chip. It also launched DirectTouch.

The Company competes with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel, Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd., VIA Technologies, Inc., ARM Holdings plc, Broadcom Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor Inc., ! Fujitsu L! imited, Imagination Technologies Ltd., Intel, Marvell Technology Group Ltd., NEC Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Renesas Technology Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation, ST-Ericsson, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., Imagination Technologies Group plc., HiSilicon Technologies Co., Ltd., Mediatek, Qualcomm Incorporated, Spreadtrum Communications Co., Ltd and ST-Ericsson.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: NVIDIA Corp (NVDA.F)

NVIDIA Corporation (NVIDIA), incorporated on February 24, 1998, is engaged in creating the graphics chips used in personal computers (PCs). The Company operates in three segments: graphics processing unit (GPU) Business, professional solutions business (PSB) and consumer products business (CPB). Its mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. Designers use GPUs to create visual effects in movies and create everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. NVIDIA solutions are based on two technologies: the GPU and the mobile processor. GPUs are the engines of visual computing, the science and art of using computers to understand, create and enhance images. It has three GPU product brands: GeForce, which creates visual experiences for gamers; Quadro, which is engaged in visual computing for designers and digital artists, and Tesla, which accelerates applications for scientists and researchers. Tegra is its mobile processor and is built for a pplications ranging from smartphones, tablets and notebook PCs to televisions and cars. During the fiscal year ended January 29, 2012 (fiscal 2012), it acquired Icera Inc.In fiscal 2012, it launched Project Maximus, which uses the compute power of Tesla with the visualization power of Quadro to merge the design and simulation stages into one workstation. In May 2012, the Company and Intellectual Ventures announced that they jointly acquired a set of patents developed and owned by IPWireless. The portfolio comprises approximately 500 patents granted and pending in the wireless communications area, including concepts in LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G/4G technologies.

GPU Business

The Company�� GPU business revenue includes primarily sales of its GeForce discrete and chipset products that support desktop and notebook PCs plus license fees from Intel and sales of memory products. It also accelerates video editing and high definition (HD), content creation by consumers. GeForce GPUs power PCs made by or distributed! ! by PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), in the world. Its media and communications processor (MCP) chipsets primarily comprised of its ION motherboard GPUs, a product reaching the end of its life cycle.

Professional Solutions Business

The Company�� PSB consists of its Quadro professional workstation products and its Tesla computing products. Its Quadro products are designed to deliver the graphics performance and application compatibility for professionals. Tesla applies the processing power of its GPUs to general-purpose computing problems. Quadro products add functionality, such as photorealistic rendering, to computer-aided design workstations, and are used in professional video editing applications and for generating special effects in movies. Tesla is used in supercomputing centers and in oil exploration; other applications include accelerating drug discovery, weather simulations and derivative price modeling.

Consumer P roducts Business

The Company�� CPB includes its Tegra system-on-chip products for smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, and other similar devices, and Icera baseband processors. The Tegra revenues are generated by sales in smart phones and tablets. CPB also includes license, royalty, other revenue and associated costs related to video game consoles and other digital consumer electronics devices. NVIDIA Tegra mobile products implement design techniques, both inside the chips and at the system level. These technologies enhance visual display capabilities, connectivity and minimize chip and system-level power consumption. During fiscal 2012, it launched Tegra 3, quad-core mobile computing chip, bringing PC levels of performance within the power envelope of a cellular phone chip. It also launched DirectTouch.

The Company competes with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel, Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd., VIA Technologies, Inc., ARM Hol dings plc, Broadcom Corporation, Freescale Semiconducto! r Inc! .,! Fujits! u Limited, Imagination Technologies Ltd., Intel, Marvell Technology Group Ltd., NEC Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Renesas Technology Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation, ST-Ericsson, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., Imagination Technologies Group plc., HiSilicon Technologies Co., Ltd., Mediatek, Qualcomm Incorporated, Spreadtrum Communications Co., Ltd and ST-Ericsson.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA)

NVIDIA Corporation provides visual computing, high performance computing, and mobile computing solutions that generate interactive graphics on various devices ranging from tablets and smart phones to notebooks and workstations. It operates in three segments: Graphic Processing Unit (GPU), Professional Solutions Business (PSB), and Consumer Products Business (CPB). The GPU segment offers GeForce discrete and chipset products, which support desktop and notebook personal computers plus memory products. The PSB segment provides its Quadro professional workstation products and other professional graphics products, including its NVIDIA Tesla high-performance computing products used in the manufacturing, entertainment, medical, science, and aerospace industries. The CPB segment offers Tegra mobile products, which support tablets, smartphones, personal media players, Internet television, automotive navigation, and other similar devices. This segment also licenses video game consol es and other digital consumer electronics devices. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, add-in-card manufacturers, consumer electronics companies, and system builders worldwide that utilize its processors as a core component of their entertainment, business, and professional solutions. NVIDIA Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Graphics specialist and mobile chip maker NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) intends to return $1 billion of capital to investors this fiscal year, the company announced today.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Graphics chip and mobile processor producer NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) went the other way with its third-quarter results, missing sales expectations, and guiding revenue lower than the Street anticipated in the fourth quarter. It still managed, however, to vault higher by 7% on the day after raising its dividend by 13%, and topping EPS expectations in the third quarter. For the quarter, NVIDIA delivered adjusted EPS of $0.26, which topped expectations by $0.07, even with the aforementioned revenue miss. NVIDIA also announced a plan to return $1 billion in share buybacks and dividends to shareholders in 2015, and approved an additional $1 billion in share repurchases. Although revenue is expected to be flat quarter over quarter, I'm quite optimistic that the company's Tegra chips will be a big success in mobile, and would suggest NVIDIA remain a company you keep high on your watchlist

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  The first half of 2013 has been relatively slow for�NVIDIA� (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) , with shares mostly keeping pace with the broader market. This is expected, as the company made the conscious decision to delay the Tegra 4 time frame in order to focus on Tegra 4i. The graphics business continues to hold up admirably in the face of a slow PC market, as NVIDIA's target gamer market remains resilient.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Analog Devices Inc (ADI)

Analog Devices, Inc. (Analog Devices), incorporated on January 18, 1965, is engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of a range of analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing integrated circuits (ICs). The Company produces a range of products, including data converters, amplifiers and linear products, radio frequency (RF) ICs, power management products, sensors based on micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and other sensors, and processing products, including DSP and other processors, which are designed to meet the needs of a base of customers. The Company's products are embedded inside many different types of electronic equipment, including industrial process control systems; instrumentation and measurement systems; wireless infrastructure equipment, and aerospace and defense electronics. The Company designs , manufactures and markets a range of ICs, which incorporate analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing technologies. The Company's product portfolio includes both general-purpose products used by a range of customers and applications, as well as application-specific products. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired Multigig, Inc.

Analog Products

The Company's product portfolio includes several thousand analog ICs. The Company's analog IC customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and customers who build electronic subsystems for integration into larger systems. The Company is a supplier of data converter products. Data converters translate real-world analog signals into digital data and also translate digital data into analog signals. The Company is also a supplier of amplifiers. Amplifiers are used to condition analog signals. The Company provides precision, instrumentation, intermediate frequency/radio frequency (RF), broadband, and other amplifiers. The Company also offers a range of precision voltage references, which are used in a range of applications. The Company's analog product line also includes a range port! folio of RF ICs covering the RF signal chain, from RF function blocks, such as phase locked loops, frequency synthesizers, mixers, modulators, demodulators, and power detectors, to broadband and short-range single chip transceiver solutions.

The Company's RF ICs support the requirements of cellular infrastructure and a range of applications in the Company's target markets. Also within the Company's analog technology portfolio are products, which are based on MEMS technology. This technology enables the Company to build small sensors, which incorporate an electromechanical structure and the supporting analog circuitry for conditioning signals obtained from the sensing element. The Company's MEMS product portfolio includes accelerometers used to sense acceleration, gyroscopes used to sense rotation, inertial measurement units used to sense multiple degrees of freedom combining multiple sensing types along multiple axis, and MEMS microphones used to sense audio. The Company's current revenue from MEMS products is derived from the automotive end market. In addition to the Company's MEMS products, its other analog product category includes isolators. The Company's isolators have been designed for applications, such as universal serial bus isolation in patient monitors, where it allows hospitals and physicians to adopt the advances in computer technology to supervise patient health and wirelessly transmit medical records. In smart metering applications, the Company's isolators provide electrostatic discharge performance. In satellites, where any malfunction can be catastrophic, the Company's isolators help protect the power system while enabling designers to achieve small form factors. Power management & reference products make up the balance of the Company's analog sales. Those products, which include functions such as power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing and energy management, are developed to complement analog signal chain components across core market segments from micro power, en! ergy-sens! itive battery applications to power systems in infrastructure and industrial applications.

Digital Signal Processing Products

Digital Signal Processing products (DSPs) complete the Company's product portfolio. DSPs are optimized for numeric calculations, which are essential for instantaneous, or real-time, processing of digital data generated, from analog to digital signal conversion. The Company's DSPs are designed to be fully programmable and to execute specialized software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data. Programmable DSPs are designed to provide the flexibility to modify the device's function using software. The Company's DSP IC customers write their own algorithms using software development tools provided by the Company and third-party suppliers. The Company's DSPs are designed in families of products, which share common architectures and therefore can execute the same software across a range of products. The Company's customers use the Company's products to solve a range of signal processing challenges across its core market and segment focus areas within the industrial, automotive, consumer and communications end markets. As an integrated part of the Company's customers' signal chain, there are other Analog Devices products connected to its processors, including converters, audio and video codecs and power management solutions.

The Company competes with Broadcom Corporation, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Cirrus Logic, Inc., Microchip Technology, Inc., Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Infineon Technologies, ST Microelectronics, Intersil Corporation, Silicon Laboratories, Inc., Knowles Electronics, Texas Instruments, Inc. and Linear Technology Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Analog Devices (NASDAQ: ADI  ) has a new boss.

  On Monday, Analog announced it has confirmed 25-year company veteran and current interim Chief Executive Officer Vincent Roche as its new CEO.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Earnings Expected: From�Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), DSW Inc. (NYSE: DSW), Tiffany & Co., Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), TiVo Inc., Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADI), Hewlett-Packard Company.

Stocks Fall as Fed Minutes Stoke Rate Hike Fears

Stocks dropped today as minutes from last month’s Fed meeting spooked investors as JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Boeing (BA), Home Depot (HD), Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) and Comcast (CMCSA) fell.

The S&P 500 dropped 0.7% to 1,828.75 today–ending a three-day win streak–while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% to 16,040.56, its second consecutive loss. The 10-year yield rose 0.02 percentage point to 2.73%.

JPMorgan Chase fell 2.1% to $57.26, while Boeing dropped 1.7% to $128.39 despite receiving a large order. Home Depot declined 1.4% to $76.45 after housing starts fell 16% in January. Cliffs Natural Resources fell 3.4% to $21.96 and Comcast dropped 3.7% after the FCC proposed new net neutrality rules.

Interactive Brokers’ Andrew Wilkinson explains what spooked the market:

The minutes revealed itchy fingers regarding the desire to raise rates soon. One participant said that the real equilibrium rate had shifted higher, while two members noted that standard policy rules suggested that the fed funds rate should be lifted off its lower bound before the middle of this year. Others countered such arguments by disavowing such standard policy rules by claiming they were not appropriate in the current environment or because the equilibrium rate of interest was likely restrained by a variety of effects stemming from the financial crisis.

And just as when the Fed first discussed the possibility of tapering last year, the market has taken the dispute over rate hikes as its cue to sell.

Whether or not the Fed minutes were the actual catalyst, the market appeared to have been looking for a reason to fall after coming within a spitting distance of hitting all-time highs. Consider this from Wells Fargo’s Stuart Freeman and Scott Wren, and you’ll have a good sense of Wall Street sentiment right now:

Although the S&P 500 has climbed back near the record high, we still expect a good amount of volatility in coming months. It is likely the recent correction has not run its course. But volatility can bring opportunity. Leg into the market in coming months, especially on market pullbacks.

Volatility anyone?

Bangkok braces for more confrontation

BANGKOK--Thailand's capital is bracing for what could be another day of confrontation Wednesday after clashes between riot police and antigovernment protesters left at least four people dead on Tuesday.

After forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to work from a series of remote locations over the past few months after blockading her main offices in downtown Bangkok, demonstrators now aim to chase her out of her current office: the office of the permanent secretary for defense in the north of the city.

"Tomorrow we will go to Ms. Yingluck's lair!" said protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who urged supporters to provide vehicles to enable the demonstrators to get to the site in the north of the city.

"At 10 a.m. we will depart. If Ms. Yingluck flees from the defense building to Government House, we will follow her. We will pursue her everywhere, anywhere, anytime, all the time. We will not stand by at the stages any more. We are on a mission to follow and chase Ms. Yingluck the murderer out of the country. It is time to run this she-devil out our native land!"

It was a typically combative performance from Mr. Suthep, who previously has threatened to abduct Ms. Yingluck and hold her hostage until she resigns.

A former lawmaker and deputy premier who resigned from the opposition Democrat Party, was in little mood for compromise. He blamed Prime Minister Yingluck's government for using excessive force to break up monthslong protests on the streets of Bangkok. He also boasted of the demonstrators' fierce resistance in forcing police lines to retreat at the Phan Fa bridge district of Bangkok, close to some of the city's best known Buddhist temples and the Khao San Road backpacker street.

It is unclear whether Mr. Suthep and his thousands of followers will be able to get anywhere near Ms. Yingluck. Security forces have beefed up their response to the marathon protests in recent days. Nearly 200 people were arrested yesterday at two protest sites Tuesday. The number of demonstrators also has dwindled in past several weeks after earlier reaching as many as 200,000.

But the animus toward Ms. Yingluck and the man the protesters believe is really running Thailand--her brother, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup in 2006--remains unabated. Instead of the Shinawatras' vote-winning populist policies, they aim to install an unelected council to introduce political changes to peg back the influence of popular civilian leaders. Already, the demonstrators have prevented the conclusion of elections on Feb. 2, leaving Ms. Yingluck hanging on to power in a caretaker capacity.

And on Tuesday, Ms. Yingluck's problems worsened. The country's anticorruption agency said it plans to charge her with mismanaging a failing rice price support program that already has racked up paper losses of around $8 billion. Ms. Yingluck has defended the program, in which the government buys rice from farmers at up to 50% the market rate. On Tuesday she said there was no corruption involved in the program, and that it was designed to boost rural incomes.

The government, though, has been unable to sell much of the rice, undercut on the global market by cheaper alternatives from India and Vietnam.

Ms. Yingluck has been asked to attend the National Anti-Corruption Commission's hearings on Feb. 27. If she is found guilty, she will be suspended from duty and sent to an impeachment trial at a Senate which is only partially elected. That trial, if it happens, could take place before the national elections are scheduled to be concluded in April. The clock, it appears, is ticking louder for Ms. Yingluck.

Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@wsj.com

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

Delta’s December Revenues Show Big Jump, Outlook Improves for Q4

After reporting a 10% increase in passenger revenues for the month of December on Friday morning, Delta Air Lines Co. (NYSE: DAL) raised its estimate for the company's fourth quarter operating margin from 5.5% to a new range of 8% to 9%. Passenger unit revenue is expected to rise 3% compared with the year-ago fourth quarter while costs are expected to rise about 2%.

Delta had projected a gain of 7% to 9% for the month of December, but the timing of the Thanksgiving holiday probably pushed revenues associated with holiday travel into the first few days of December. Fuel costs were also $0.03 a gallon below the company's expected range of $3.03 to $3.08.

In late October, United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) projected that its unit revenues would decline by 1.2% to 1.4% for the full 2013 fiscal year and that fourth quarter revenues would rise by 2.5% to 3.5%. United's estimated its fuel costs at $3.10 to $3.15 per gallon.

American Airlines Group Inc. (NYSE: AAL) and Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) have not published revenue data or projections.

While Delta’s news is spreading good cheer and rising share prices today, all the airlines are wary of a coming increase in a federal tax they pay to support the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA). Congress approved an increase to the fees paid to the TSA as part of the budget deal it reached last month.

What's got the airlines stirred up is that a new tax might be assessed on the baggage and other fees that the airlines now charge passengers. Those fees have generated $31.5 billion in revenues for the airlines over the past seven years according to the Bureau of Transportation statistics, more than half that total from baggage fees.

The airlines argue that a typical $300 round-trip ticket already includes $60 in federal taxes and that will rise unless the airlines' lobbyists can convince Congress to back-off. The budget deal raises the TSA fee from $2.50 per one-way trip segment to a maximum of $5.00 to $5.60. The increase is expected to take effect in July and raise about $12.6 billion over 10 years.

For Delta, though, Friday is seeing the company's share price rise more than 5% in the noon hour, to $29.13 in a 52-week range of $12.55 to $29.44.

United is also getting a boost, up about 4.4% at $39.39 in a 52-week range of $23.62 to $40.19.

American Airlines is up nearly 5% at $26.62 in a range of $12.70 to $27.20, and Southwest Airlines is up about 2% at $19.25 after posting a new 52-week high of $19.31. Southwest's yearly low is $10.73.

Can rebounding stocks keep rebounding?

In the world of Wall Street chart-watching, stock market rebounds after major pullbacks are not all created equal.

We bring this public service announcement to you because the current market rebound from its Feb.3 low is currently under the microscope on Wall Street, but the jury is still out on whether this recovery has legs or is a merely a fake-out.

Some market bounces have staying power. Others do not.

There are "oversold bounces," which occur after stocks are pounded into submission in a short time span and then reverse course. These quick pops tend to be fleeting and often end prematurely, leaving bulls unsatisfied and forcing them to confront the prospect of a stock market transitioning from an uptrend to a downtrend.

TRACK YOUR STOCKS: Get real-time quotes with our free Portfolio Tracker

There are also "breakout" rallies, which not only erase all the losses from the preceding pullback, but also catapult major stock indexes like the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 to new record highs.

Whether the recent rally turns out to be just an oversold bounce, or the start of a move to new highs, remains to be seen. The big challenge for indexes like the Dow is that a record high closing level often acts like a price ceiling. And it's not always easy for prices to break out above old peaks.

All investors can do now is watch to see if the major indexes are successful in making new highs, or if they fail. Failure would be a bearish development.

Three Unexpected "Buys" (DPS, SIMG, SPG)

Quick - what do Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE:SPG), Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE:DPS), and Silicon Image, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIMG) have in common? If you said absolutely nothing, you'd be about 99% right. There's one common thing between SIMG, SPG, and DPS right now, however. What's that? All three stocks are on my personal "buy" list this week.

Every single week, I run a proprietary sort-and-scan of stocks that meet a strict set of fundamental as well as technical criteria. The goal is to find investing ideas that I wouldn't have otherwise found. Otherwise, it's too easy to fall into the trap of buying popular and well-covered (by the media) stocks rather than digging up my own undiscovered value... where the real opportunities are for investors. Truth be told, most of them end up being worthless. Enough of them look attractive enough, however, to explore as trade candidates. As you may have guessed, Silicon Image, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and Simon Property Group were the creme of the crop this week.

Truth be told, while I can appreciate the long-term momentum Dr. Pepper Snapple Group shares have been enjoying since 2010, I feel like DPS shares are a little - ok, a lot - overbought. The stock's quietly hitting all-time highs today, which generally isn't my favorite place to step into any name. On the other hand...

... it can't be denied that the company has done its part on the earnings front to justify record high levels for DPS shares. Dr. Pepper Snapple Group just posted its best quarterly earnings ever ($1.01), and the trailing P/E of 16.01 isn't out of line. It's just a little frothy for this kind of stock. All the same, I'd be willing to wade in.

If the name Silicon Image rings a bell, it might be because the SmallCap Network daily newsletter picked it as one if its hypothetical holdings a few days ago. I can see why they liked it. After a pretty significant pullback in 2011 and 2012, SIMG has been making higher lows, and doing its best to make higher highs. Though erratic, the long-term uptrend since mid-2012 is healthy enough to take a shot on here.

But what about the choppy earnings? SIMG seems like it's posted as many quarterly losses as it has gains since 2008. While the past has been hit and miss, 2014 is expected to be a breakout year for Silicon Image. The forward-looking P/E of 13.1 is based on expected earnings growth of 9% this year and growth of 11.2% next year. It's not a ton of growth, but the company's on pace to swing to a trailing-twelve-month profit sometime in the first half of 2014, and the market could go nuts if and when that happens. In fact, the chart says the market is already starting to whisper.

Last but not least, Simon Property Group may not be a bargain at a trailing P/E of 37.5, but it is making progress on the income front. In fact, as the EPS line on the chart below clearly shows, SPG is making very rapid progress in terms of income.

The reason SPG is such a compelling buy right now is the tumble the stock took in the middle of last year. That dip simply lowered the price, and if you look closely at the chart of Simon Property Group, you'll see it's finally shrugged off that weakness and is all the way back in a bulls track. For perspective, though it's not shown on the chart, shares crossed above their 200-day moving average line this week.

For more trading ideas and insights like these, be sure to sign up for the free SmallCap Network newsletter. You'll get stock picks, market calls, and more, every day. Here's what you've missed recently.

Millionaires’ Favorite Alt Investment: Real Estate

Millionaire U.S. investors by a wide margin favor real estate as an alternative investment, according to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s latest Investor Pulse Poll.

Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents said they owned real estate, and 35% said they owned real estate investment trusts.

GfK Public Affairs polled 1,004 U.S. investors, age 25 to 75, with $100,000 or more in investable household financial assets during the fourth quarter. A third of those interviewed had $1 million or more in household financial assets, and only this subset of households was asked about alternative asset classes.

The survey also found that 57% of investors who received advice from a financial advisor said they were knowledgeable about alternative asset classes, compared with 30% who had not received professional advice.

“This finding underscores the important role financial advisors play in providing information and education about the potential use of alternative asset classes by suitable investors in an appropriately diversified investment plan,” Andy Saperstein, head of investment products and services for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, said in a statement.

After real estate and REITs, the next most popular alternative investment was collectibles — 34% of millionaires said they oened them. Twenty-eight percent own precious metals, 27% private equity, 17% real assets (oil, gas and mining), 16% private real estate funds, 16% hedge funds and 13% invest via venture capital.

As with actual ownership, real estate and REITs led the list of alternatives survey respondents expected to buy in 2014, followed by collectibles, private equity and precious metals.

Sixty-eight percent of investors who worked with financial advisors said their advisors were knowledgeable about alternative asset classes, and 41% said their advisors were “very knowledgeable.”

Natural-gas prices drop over 6%; oil inches higher

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Natural-gas futures dropped more than 6% on Wednesday, pulling back from a hefty rally in the previous session as traders gear up for the weekly U.S. inventory report due out Thursday.

Oil futures, meanwhile, finished with a modest gain after a U.S. government report showed that last week's crude supplies rose less than the market expected.

March natural gas (NGH14) fell 34.5 cents, or 6.4%, to settle at $5.03 per million British thermal units. It had touched a high of $5.737 and traded as low as $4.99. Prices on Tuesday jumped 9.6% to $5.375, which was the highest close in almost a week.

"The market got carried away again — buying momentum pushing us to a new [recent] high, before once again we see a swift and solid bout of profit-taking," said Matt Smith, author of energy and financial-market newsletter The Daily Distillation.

"This continues to feel like a short-term rally, with the feeling that we are going to charge lower again once outlooks moderate," he said. "Winter has to finish at some point — right?"

For now, the winter storms sweeping the U.S. have sent temperatures below freezing in many parts of the country and boosted the consumption of heating fuel.

Citi Futures analyst Timothy Evans estimated that the U.S. natural-gas supplies could see a substantial net withdrawal of 258 billion cubic feet for last week. Analysts polled by Platts forecast a decline of between 273 billion cubic feet and 277 billion.

The five-year average withdrawal stands at 143 billion cubic feet, Platts said, citing data from the EIA, which will release its supply data on Thursday morning.

Oil prices inch up

Crude-oil futures ended with a modest gain, after spending some time in negative territory.

March crude oil (CLH4) gained 19 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $97.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier topping $98. It was trading at around $97.91 shortly before the EIA data were released.

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Crude had held on to modest gains after payroll-management firm Automatic Data Processing estimated private-sector employers added a smaller-than-expected 175,000 jobs in January. After the Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing index climbed to 54% last month from 53% in December, oil prices edged up, then pulled back again.

Following the economic data, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said crude stockpiles rose 400,000 barrels for the week ended Jan. 31. Analysts polled by Platts were looking for a climb of 1.5 million barrels.

The American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry group, reported late Tuesday that crude stockpiles rose 384,000 barrels last week, according to sources.

Gasoline supplies rose by 500,000 barrels, the EIA reported — less than the 1.5 million-barrel climb expected by analysts surveyed by Platts. Distillate stockpiles fell 2.4 million barrels, a bit more than the expected decline of 2 million barrels.

Study: Government corruption rampant worldwide

The bloody civil war in Syria is having yet another impact: The nation is now considered one of the most corrupt in the world, according to newly released data from the anti-corruption group Transparency International.

The organization's annual "Corruption Perceptions Index," first published in 1995, is one of the most closely watched barometers of the issue. The group surveyed experts on public sector corruption in 177 countries, grading each nation on a scale of zero to 100, with zero being "highly corrupt" and 100 being "very clean."

Syria has never been considered particularly virtuous, but growing attention to the business dealings of President Bashar al-Assad and his associates helped its score plunge to 17 from 26 in 2012. The country now ranks near the bottom—tied with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for 168th place. It ranked 144th last year.

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But no nation has a monopoly on corruption, according to the study, which found that 70% of the countries scored 50 or below.

"The 'Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 demonstrates that all countries still face the threat of corruption at all levels of government, from the issuing of local permits to the enforcement of laws and regulations," Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International, said in a statement.

The U.S. turned in a mediocre performance, according to the study. The world's largest economy scored 73 in this year's index—identical to last year—which puts it in a tie with Uruguay for 19th place. Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Japan are among countries considered cleaner than the United States.

Transparency International and others have criticized the U.S. for relatively lax controls on money laundering. Other issues considered include campaign finance and government contracting. The U.S. has never finished higher than 14th (in 2000) and has come in! as low as 24th (2011), though the organization says year-to-year comparisons can be misleading because of changes in methodology.

This year's least-corrupt countries are Denmark and New Zealand, which both scored 91. The most corrupt are Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia, each scoring a mere 8 out of 100 points.

Russia matched last year's score of 28 points, finishing in a nine-way tie for 127th place. China improved by one point, for a score of 40, tying with Greece for 80th place.

That score is a marked improvement from a year ago, when Greece was in the depths of a financial crisis. The resulting reforms may have helped boost last year's score of 36 points, but it is still perceived to be the most corrupt country in the euro zone, the study said.

Global corruption

An alarming number of countries worldwide are infected with toxic levels of corruption, with more than two-thirds of the 177 nations included having unacceptably high levels of "abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery," according to a press release issued by Transparency International.

However, even top-performing nations struggle with undue influence exerted over government via backroom deals, campaign financing and awarding of government contracts.

Double-dealing, bribery and other forms of misconduct affect all categories and levels of government, ranging from a local municipal office issuing permits to a national government agency charged with enforcing laws and regulations. Controlling corruption in policing, justice systems and the activities of political parties is especially important, according to a press release that accompanied the results.

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The index is based on data collected over the past two years by 13 different entities, including the Economist Intelligence Unit, the World Bank, and World Economic Forum. It rates each cou! ntry exam! ined on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 ("very clean").

Any rating below 50 is considered more corrupt than clean.

Five European Union member states earned scores below 50, including Italy, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Notwithstanding the occasional crack-smoking mayor, Canada also outranks the U.S. with a score of 81.

Countries that improved their standings on the index this year include Myanmar, Brunei, Lesotho, Senegal, Nepal, Estonia and Latvia.

Others that have lost ground this year include high-ranking Australia, Slovenia and Iceland, as well as Spain, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Mali, Eritrea, Mauritius, Yemen, Guatemala, Madagascar and Congo Republic.

The index, of course, is not without its limitations. It measures only about half of the 322 countries around the globe and focuses only on corruption in the public sector (government agencies, justice system, etc.).

Transparency International warns that countries ranking at the bottom of the index are not necessarily the most corrupt societies overall.

"Corruption remains notoriously difficult to investigate and prosecute" and will likely stymie efforts to tackle international scourges such as extreme poverty, climate change and economic crisis, Transparency International said in a press release.

The group calls on international bodies such as the G20 to "crack down on money laundering, make corporations more transparent and pursue the return of stolen assets."

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

Is Anyone Really Surprised by the Recent Stock Market Sell Off?

I have to ask if anyone is really surprised by the recent stock market sell-off?!  While I don't believe I can accurately predict movements in any given stock market, or stock for that matter, I spent much of last year thinking the U.S. market was behaving strangely.  The chart below is of the daily stock price for SPY (an ETF that mimics the S&P 500).  What's odd to me isn't the osculation in the price — it's the scale of the return.  The S&P 500 returned around 30% last year. That's huge!  Returns like that make me take notice.  Did we pull returns from 2014, into 2013?  Is there euphoria in the market place?  Stocks just marched higher.  Always higher — in an unending line.  Only a few bumps along the way to interrupt the pattern.  Well we're having a few bumps again now, aren't we.  What's funny to me, though, is that the S&P 500 is only like 7% off its high price — but people are acting like we're down 50%.

Courtesy of Yahoo Finance

The thing that I find so irritating about the financial news media, which I try my best to avoid, is that 10% (or even greater) corrections are normal.  There are far more years that have corrections in the S&P 500, than there are that don't.  Furthermore, if you are happy with a particular investment, and are happy with the price you're paying for that investment — then it's GOOD news if the price goes down.  That means you should buy more because that particular company went on sale.  Today, just about everything became a little cheaper.

"Price is what you pay, value is what you get." — Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio)

I continued averaging into my positions in Vanguard's Emerging Market Index (VWO) and General Mills (GIS), with small buys in each today.  I think there is a fair chance that stock prices will continue to lower in the coming days, but I'm not certain of that.  If I was certain, I would wait in cash until just the right time, and buy at the absolute lowest price.  Unfortunately though, my crystal ball is broken.

I am however certain that I have cash I need to put to work, and I am very happy with my recent investments in Coca-Cola (KO), McDonalds (MCD), General Mills (GIS), Unilever (UL), and VWO.  Those purchases were sized such that I'm not yet to my target allocation, and I will continue buying as the stock prices go lower.

If past history was all there was to making money, the richest people would be         librarians." — Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio)

My apologies for all the Buffett quotes this afternoon, but I thought his dry and witty humor would be helpful.  So, going forward I'm continuing to watch and wait for additional good opportunities.  Unilever (UL), Chevron (CVX), Conoco Phillips (COP) and Target (TGT) all look like good candidates going forward.  A fair bit lower Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Proctor & Gamble (PG) and Pepsico (PEP), also look promising.

Market corrections, assuming we sell off to the correction point, also make me glad that I maintain a cash position in my investing accounts.  Cash serves two functions in my accounts: 1) It provides ballast in my portfolio, and 2) It allows me to invest when I see other opportunities.  This is why I let the cash build in my account for much of last year, and this is why I hope the sell-off continues.

What did you buy recently?  Which companies are you looking to invest in?

Disclosure:  I am long VWO, GIS, KO, MCD, CVX, COP, JNJ, PG and PEP. This discussion is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any securities.  I am not a financial professional.

About the author:Fast WeeklyThe Fast Weekly (fastweekly.blogspot.com) is a blog that discusses where I am finding opportunity in the markets and how I am capitalizing on those opportunities. I also include stories about me and my family, books I found useful, and important investment decisions.

Visit Fast Weekly's Website

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Real Time Picks	Buffett-Munger Screener
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UL STOCK PRICE CHART 38.01 (1y: -5%) $(function() { var seriesOptions = [], yAxisOptions = [], name = 'UL', display = ''; Highcharts.setOptions({ global: { useUTC: true } }); var d = new Date(); $current_day = d.getDay(); if ($current_day == 5 || $current_day == 0 || $current_day == 6){ day = 4; } else{ day = 7; } seriesOptions[0] = { id : name, animation:false, color: '#4572A7', lineWidth: 1, name : name.toUpperCase() + ' stock price', threshold : null, data : [[1359957600000,40.19],[1360044000000,40.62],[1360130400000,39.91],[1360216800000,39.57],[1360303200000,39.65],[1360562400000,39.52],[1360648800000,39.76],[1360735200000,39.57],[1360821600000,40.14],[1360908000000,39.79],[1361253600000,40.39],[1361340000000,40.4],[1361426400000,39.91],[1361512800000,40.23],[1361772000000,39.27],[1361858400000,39.07],[1361944800000,39.75],[1362031200000,39.85],[1362117600000,40.05],[1362376800000,40.32],[1362463200000,40.57],[1362549600000,40.38],[1362636000000,40.77],[1362722400000,40.89],[1362978000000,40.95],[1363064400000,40.9],[1363150800000,40.94],[1363237200000,41.35],[1363323600000,41.2],[1363582800000,41.24],[1363669200000,41.53],[1363755600000,41.73],[1363842000000,41.41],[1363928400000,42.03],[1364187600000,41.88],[1364274000000,41.79],[1364360400000,41.55],[1364446800000,42.24],[1364792400000,42.2],[1364878800000,42.61],[1364965200000,42.55],[136505160

Mid-Day Market Update: U.S. Stocks Turn Red; OmniVision Shares Tumble On Weak Outlook

Midway through trading Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.28 percent to 15,869.45 while the NASDAQ tumbled 0.17 percent to 4,030.50. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.32 percent to 1,789.49.

Top Headline
Express (NYSE: EXPR) issued a downbeat earnings forecast for the holiday quarter.

Express now projects a Q4 profit of $0.66 to $0.71 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $0.78 per share.

Express reported its Q3 net income of $19.3 million, or $0.23 per share, up from $17.4 million, or $0.20 per share, in the year-ago period. However, analysts expected a profit of $0.25 per share. Its sales climbed 7% to $503 million, while same-store sales gained 5% in the period.

Equities Trading UP
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: OMED) shot up 8.62 percent to $30.09 after the company initiated Phase 1B trial of WNT-parthway-target antibody. Jefferies lifted the price target on the stock from $27 to $46.

Shares of G-III Apparel Group (NASDAQ: GIII) got a boost, shooting up 10.65 percent to $64.50 after the company reported upbeat Q3 results and raised its FY14 forecast.

BRE Properties (NYSE: BRE) was also up, gaining 11.79 percent to $59.66 after Bloomberg reported that the company is working with Wells Fargo on a possible sale.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Express (NYSE: EXPR) were down 22.82 percent to $19.04 after the company reported downbeat Q3 earnings and issued a weak Q4 earnings forecast.

OmniVision Technologies (NASDAQ: OVTI) shares tumbled 6.32 percent to $14.98 after the company issued downbeat third-quarter forecast.

Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) was down, falling 7.90 percent to $51.16 after the company's CEO Edward Lampert cut his stake in the company to 48.4% from 55.4%.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded up 0.69 percent to $96.70, while gold traded up 0.39 percent to $1,225.60.

Silver traded up 1.34 percent Wednesday to $19.32, while copper rose 2.02 percent to $3.23.

Eurozone
European shares were lower today. The Spanish Ibex Index tumbled 0.58 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 0.16 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX dropped 0.87 percent and the French CAC 40 declined 0.57 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.30 percent.

Economics
The MBA's index of mortgage application activity dropped 12.80% in the week ended November 29.

Private-sector employers added 215,000 jobs in November, according to Automatic Data Processing. However, economists were expecting an addition of 170,000 jobs in the month.

U.S. trade deficit dropped 5.4% to $40.6 billion in October. However, economists were expecting the deficit to decline to $40.0 billion in the month. The nation's exports increased 1.8% to $192.7 billion, while imports rose 0.4% to $233.3 billion.

The ISM non-manufacturing index fell to 53.90 in November, versus a prior reading of 55.40. However, economists were expecting a reading of 55.00.

Sales of new US homes surged 25.4% to an annual rate of 444,000 in October, versus 354,000 in September. However, economists were expecting sales to total 419,000 in October.

Crude supplies declined by 5.6 million barrels for the week ended November 29, the US Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts were expecting a fall of 1.25 million barrels.

The Fed will release its Beige Book at 2:00 p.m. ET.

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

(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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