Top Promising Stocks To Own For 2014

Source: Apple.

There are already plenty of reasons why Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) new Apple Pay service, set to launch today, looks poised to succeed where all others before it have failed. Apple Pay's economics, security, and experience all appear far more promising than what's currently available in the market.

But there's one more thing.

Less regulatory burden
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple will face significantly less regulatory burden than rivals like eBay's PayPal or Google Wallet. Apple won't need to set up anti-money laundering compliance programs, which are costly and time-consuming. Such programs are required for companies that offer financial services where money is being stored.

Source: Google.

Since Apple Pay is not storing funds, and instead only transmitting tokenized payment information, it's only considered a "payment enabler" and is free from these regulatory requirements. Thanks to its broad range of partnerships with all of the major financial institutions, including banks and payment networks, these partners operate the underlying payment infrastructure while Apple only facilitates payments. Apple is not directly involved in the movement of funds, which is where the regulatory oversight typically comes into play.

Top 5 Small Cap Companies To Invest In Right Now: HD Supply Holdings Inc (HDS)

HD Supply Holdings, Inc., incorporated on June 18, 2007, is an industrial distributor in North America. It operates in four segments: Facilities Maintenance, Waterworks, Power Solutions and White Cap. Facilities Maintenance distributes maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products, provides value-add services and fabricates custom products to multifamily, hospitality, healthcare and institutional facilities. Waterworks distributes complete lines of water and wastewater transmission products, serving contractors and municipalities in the water and wastewater industries for non-residential and residential uses. Power Solutions distributes electrical transmission and distribution products, power plant MRO supplies and smart-grid products, and arranges materials management and procurement outsourcing for the power generation and distribution industries. White Cap distributes specialized hardware, tools, engineered materials and safety products to non-residential and residential contractors.

Maintenance, Repair & Operations

In the Maintenance, Repair & Operations market sector, the Company�� Facilities Maintenance, Crown Bolt and Repair & Remodel business units serve customers across multiple industries by primarily delivering supplies and services needed to maintain and upgrade multifamily, hospitality, healthcare and institutional facilities. Facilities Maintenance and Crown Bolt are distribution center based models, while Repair & Remodel operates through retail outlets primarily serving cash and carry customers.

Infrastructure & Power and Specialty Construction

In the Infrastructure & Power market sector, Waterworks and Power Solutions support both established infrastructure and new projects by meeting demand for critical supplies and services used to build and maintain water systems and electrical power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. In the Specialty Construction market sector, White Cap and Creative Touch Interiors (! CTI) serve professional contractors and trades by meeting their distinct and customized supply needs in non-residential, residential and industrial applications. White Cap is its primary business unit serving this sector through the broad national presence of its regionally organized branch distribution network.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mani]

  The long-term set up for HD Supply Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:HDS) appears to be favorable, primarily driven by prospective U.S. non-residential construction recovery and rapid balance sheet deleveraging in the future.

Top Promising Stocks To Own For 2014: iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF)

iShares Lehman 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the intermediate-term sector of the United States Treasury market as defined by the Lehman Brothers 7-10 Year U.S. Treasury Index (the Index). The Index includes all publicly issued, United States Treasury securities that have a remaining maturity of between 7 and 10 years, are non-convertible, are denominated in United States dollars, are rated Baa3 by Moody�� Investors Service or BBB- by S&P, are fixed rate, and have more than $250 million par outstanding. Excluded from the Index are certain special issues, such as flower bonds, targeted investor notes (TINs), and state and local government bonds, and coupon issues that have been stripped from assets that are already included in the Index.

The Index is a market capitalization-weighted index. The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Dowdee]

  For comparison with bonds and equities, I also included the following ETFs in the analysis:

  iShares Barclays 7 to 10 Year Treasury Bond (IEF). This ETF tracks the performance of intermediate-term treasury bonds and yields 1.7%. iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT). This ETF tracks the performance of long-term treasury bonds and yields 2.9%. iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bonds (HYG). This ETF tracks the performance of high yield corporate bonds. It yields 6.4%. SPDR S&P 500 (SPY). This ETF tracks the performance of the S&P 500 equity index and yields 2%.

  To analyze the risks and return of floating rate CEFs, I used the Smartfolio 3 program (smartfolio.com), using data over the past 6 years. The results are shown in Figure 1, which plots the rate of return in excess of the risk free rate of return (called Excess Mu on the charts) against the historical volatility.

• [By Donald van Deventer]

  Long-duration Treasury Exchange-Traded Funds: (TLH), , (IEF), (DTYL), (DLBL), (ILTB), (TENZ), (ITE), (TLO), (EDV), (VGIT), (VGLT), (TMF), (TYD), (LBND), (UBT), (UST), (TMV), (TYO), (DSTJ), (DSXJ), (SBND), (PST), (DTYS), (DLBS), (TBF), (TTT), (TYNS), (TYBS), (TBX).

• [By John Maxfield]

  And finally, the yield on the 10-year Treasury has shot up -- meaning that the underlying bond prices have declined. Nearly a year ago, the benchmark security yielded less than 1.5%. Today, it's yielding more than 2.6%. It follows, then, that the prices of ETFs holding longer-duration Treasuries have responded in kind. Among others, the iShares Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury (NYSEMKT: IEF  ) is off by 6.9% since the beginning of May. And on the other side of the equation, funds that are short government bonds like the ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury (NYSEMKT: TBT  ) are in the midst of an impressive rally.

• [By Matthew McCall]

  The iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (NYSE: IEF) is down 3.5 percent in the last two months and is trading at three-month low. Since hitting an all-time high in 2012 the ETF is down 10 percent, however the downtrend may only be in the early stages. If interest rates on the 10-year move back to where they were in 2007 it would send IEF down another 20 percent.

Top Promising Stocks To Own For 2014: Getty Realty Corp (GTY)

Getty Realty Corp. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States specializing in the ownership, leasing and financing of retail motor fuel and convenience store properties and petroleum distribution terminals. The Company�� properties are located in 21 states across the United States with concentrations in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic regions. Its properties are operated under a variety of brands, including Getty, BP, Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Chevron, Valero, Fina and Aloha. It owns the Getty trade name in connection with its real estate and the petroleum marketing business in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. was in possession of 797 properties representing approximately 69% of its 1,149 owned and leased properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 996 properties and leased 153 properties. Nine of the properties it owns is petroleum distribution terminals. In January 2011, it acquired fee or leasehold title to 59 Mobil-branded gasoline station and convenience store properties and also took a security interest in six other Mobil-branded gasoline stations and convenience store properties in a sale/leaseback and loan transaction with CPD NY Energy Corp. (CPD NY), a subsidiary of Chestnut Petroleum Dist. Inc. In may 2013, the Company acquired 36 properties located in the metro New York and Washington, D.C. Beltway. The acquisition includes 16 Mobil branded properties in metro New York, and 13 Exxon and 7 Shell branded properties within the Washington, D.C. Beltway.

The Company leases or sublets approximately 20 of its properties for such uses as fast food restaurants, automobile sales and other retail purposes. The Company leases or sublets its properties primarily to distributors and retailers engaged in the sale of gasoline and other motor fuel products, convenience store products and automotive repair services who are responsible for managing the operations conducted at these properties and for the payment of taxes, m! aintenance, repair, insurance and other operating expenses related to these properties. The operators of its properties are primarily distributors and retailers engaged in the sale of gasoline and other motor fuel products, convenience store products, and automotive repair services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Real estate investment trust Getty Realty (NYSE: GTY  ) will pay a second-quarter dividend of $0.20 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after it increased it 60% from $0.125 per share, the company announced yesterday.

Top Promising Stocks To Own For 2014: Korian SA (KORI)

Korian SA is a France-based company that operates healthcare facilities and medical establishments. The Company's holdings include residential centers for the elderly (EHPAD), offering permanent social care and medical support; follow-up care and rehabilitation centers, including general and specialized centers. Korian SA's establishments are located in France, Italy and Germany via its subsidiaries, Segesta S.p.A., Phonix GmBH, Reacti Malt SAS, Sas La Normandie, Sa La Bastide de la tourne, Sas Mapadex La Roseraie, among others. In March 8, 2013, it finalized the acquisition of Curanum AG by Korian SA's Korian Deutschland AG. In February 2014, it announced the acquisition of a clinic in Florence and the sale of the psychiatry division in France comprising seven clinics and two nursing homes. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Korian (KORI) declined 3.8 percent to 24.35 euros. The merger with Medica will create the largest French operator of nursing homes. Medica holders will receive Korian stock valued at about 23.01 euros a share, the companies said in a statement today. That�� 15 percent above Medica�� closing price on Nov. 15. Medica shares added 2.4 percent to 20.50 euros.

Top Promising Stocks To Own For 2014: ProShares Ultra Dow30 (DDM)

ProShares Ultra Dow30 (the Fund) seeks daily investment results that correspond to twice (200%) the daily performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). The DJIA is a price-weighted index maintained by editors of The Wall Street Journal. The Index includes 30 large-cap, blue-chip United States stocks, excluding utility and transportation companies. Components are selected through a discretionary process with no predetermined criteria except that components should be established United States companies. The DJIA is not limited to traditionally defined industrial stocks, instead, the Index serves as a measure of the entire United States market, covering such diverse industries as financial services, technology, retail, entertainment and consumer goods. The Fund takes positions in securities and/or financial instruments that, in combination, should have similar daily return characteristics as 200% of the daily return of the Index. Its investment advisor is ProShare Advisors LLC. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  In stock valuation models, dividend discount models (DDM) define cash flow as the dividends to be received by the shareholders. Extending the period indefinitely, the fundamental value of the stock is the present value of an infinite stream of dividends according to John Burr Williams.

Top Promising Stocks To Own For 2014: Alon USA Partners LP (ALDW)

Alon USA Partners, LP (Alon USA), incorporated on August 17, 2012, owns and operates refining and petroleum products marketing business. Its integrated downstream business operates primarily in the South Central and Southwestern regions of the United States. It owns and operates a crude oil refinery in Big Spring, Texas with total throughput capacity of approximately 70,000 barrels per day (bpd). The crude oil pipelines the Company utilizes consist of the Amdel, White Oil, Mesa Interconnect, Centurion and Centurion Interconnect. Its Big Spring refinery produces ultra-low sulfur gasoline, ultra-low sulfur diesel, jet fuel, petrochemicals, petrochemical feedstocks, asphalt and other petroleum products.

During the year ended December 31, 2011 and the six months ended June 30, 2012, sour crude, such as West Texas Sour (WTS), represented approximately 80.4% and 80.4% of its throughput, respectively, and sweet crude, such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), represented approximately 15.8% and 17.1% of its throughput, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2011 and the six months ended June 30, 2012, the Company produced approximately 49.1% and 49.2% gasoline, 32.3% and 32.5% diesel/jet fuel, 7.1% and 6.4% asphalt, 6.0% and 6.0% petrochemicals and 5.5% and 5.9% other refined products, in each case, respectively. The Company distributes fuel products through a product pipeline and terminal network of seven pipelines totaling approximately 840 miles and six terminals that it owns or access.

The Company competes with Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  I warned last week that refiners would report relatively poor earnings for Q3, and refinery MLPs could take a hit, presenting a buying opportunity. On Nov. 6 Alon USA Partners (NYSE: ALDW) reported a loss for the third quarter of $16.1 million, or ($0.26) per unit, compared with net income of $120.4 million for the same period last year. Paul Eisman, CEO and president, cited the deteriorating margins that I discussed in last week’s issue: “Our third quarter results were impacted by a volatile and deteriorating margin environment resulting primarily from decreasing discounts for West Texas crude oil.”

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  How bad has this week been? Marathon Petroleum has fallen 4.3% through yesterday’s close, while HollyFrontier has dropped 2.5%, Valero Energy (VLO) has declined 3.5% and Alon USA Partners (ALDW) has slipped 5.7%. Western Refining (WNR) has weathered the selling and has ticked down just 0.3%.