Job creation last month was shockingly weak, but analysts couldn't really explain why –- other than to blame the weather -- which left investors unsure how to react Friday. Many analysts say the numbers are likely to be revised higher next month, and in the end, market reaction was muted. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) lost ground for a third straight day, declining nearly 8 points, but the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 4, and the Nasdaq composite index (^IXIC) rose 18 points. Target (TGT) lost more than a point after saying the data breach that began on Black Friday was much worse than previously thought. The company now says as many as 70 million customers had personal information stolen. Target also lowered its fourth quarter outlook, partly because sales slumped after the data breach was first revealed. Sears (SHLD) tumbled by around 13.5 percent. It expects a big quarterly loss as sales fell during the holiday shopping season. Several smaller, specialty retailers also fell: Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) slid 16 percent, Five Below (FIVE) fell 7 percent, Shoe Carnival (SCVL) lost 5 percent, and Conn's (CONN) lost 2 percent. But Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) jumped 12 percent. It raised its earnings forecast as sales were not as bad as expected. Elsewhere, Alcoa (AA) fell about 5.5 percent. It's not quite the economic bellwether it used to be, but the aluminum giant still matters, and its net came in a bit shy of expectations. YRC Worldwide (YRCW) tumbled 13 percent after workers rejected a contract offer. That has raised fears the trucking company could be forced into bankruptcy. On the upside, the weak jobs report could keep mortgage rates from rising, and that boosted housing stocks. KB Homes (KBH) rose 3 percent, William Lyons up 4 percent, and Lennar (LEN) was up 2 percent. And on Thursday we reported that shares of Intercept Pharmaceuticals nearly quadrupled in price on news of a positive clinical study for its liver drug. Well, it soared another 61 percent Friday. The stock has gone from about $70 a share on Wednesday to close the week at $444 a share. What to Watch Monday: The Treasury Department releases the federal budget for December at 2 p.m. Eastern time. -.
Hot Long Term Stocks For 2015: Ishares Trust S & P500/Bar (IVW)
iShares S&P 500 Growth Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poor's 500/Citigroup Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization growth sector of the United States equity market. It is a subset of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and consists of those companies exhibiting the strongest growth characteristics in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, representing approximately 49% of the market capitalization of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy in seeking to track the Index. Barclays Global Fund Advisors (BGFA) serves as an advisor to the Fund.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
3. U.S. equities record another good year despite enduring a 10% correction – Another 10% correction call, followed by a bull market resumption…. Doll expects that market gains will depend more on earnings growth rather than further multiple expansion. He also would use pullbacks as buying opportunities as most fundamentals continue to improve.
ETF Recommendation: SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEArca: SPY) for broad market, or iShares S&P 500 Growth (NYSEArca: IVW) for a growth focus.4. Cyclical stocks outperform defensive stocks – This puts consumer discretionary, energy, financials, industrials, technology and materials all doing better than consumer staples, healthcare, telecom, and utilities. Doll also prefers a free cash flow yield to dividend yield and dividend growth over dividend yield.
Top 5 Trucking Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD)
iShares iBoxx $ InvesTop Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund, formerly known as iShares GS $ InvesTop Corporate Bond Fund, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the corporate bond market as defined by the iBoxx $ Liquid Investment Grade Index (formerly the GS $ InvesTop Index) (the Index). The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index.
The Index measures the performance of a fixed number of highly liquid investment-grade corporate bonds. The Index is a rules-based index consisting of up to 100 highly liquid, investment-grade, United States dollar-denominated corporate bonds that seek to maximize liquidity while maintaining representation of the corporate bond market. The Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chuck Saletta]
Where to invest?
Domestic stocks. The Vanguard Total Market (NYSEMKT: VTI ) ETF is a one-stop-shop that gives you access to around 99.5% by market cap of the publicly held U.S. stocks traded on major exchanges. A mere 3% turnover and microscopically low 0.05% expense ratio makes this a low-cost way to invest in the overall stock market. Investment-grade bonds. The iShares iBoxx $Invest Grade Corp Bond � (NYSEMKT: LQD ) ETF owns nearly $24 billion worth of investment-grade corporate bonds. A small 4% turnover and low 0.15% expense ratio make this a low-cost way to get bond exposure. Real estate. The SPDR Dow Jones REIT (NYSEMKT: RWR ) ETF has a bit over $2 billion invested in real estate investment trusts, attempting to match the Dow Jones Select REIT index. With a reasonable 7% turnover and a still pretty low 0.25% expense ratio, this is a reasonable way to get real estate exposure without turning yourself into a landlord. Foreign stocks. Vanguard's Total International Stock Index (NASDAQ: VXUS ) ETF has nearly $90 billion in foreign stocks under its control, owning pieces of more than 6,100 stocks from 45 countries. With a mere 3% turnover and low 0.16% expense ratio, it's one of the lowest-cost ways to get your hands on foreign companies without being an international accounting expert. Inflation-protected government bonds. The iShares Barclays TIPS Bond (NYSEMKT: TIP ) ETF has around $20 billion invested in U.S. Treasury inflation-protected bonds. With a low expense ratio of 0.2% and a reasonable 10% turnover rate, it's a decent way to get exposure to inflation-protected bonds. Note, though, that
There are countless possibilities for building your retirement portfolio to cover Social Security's gap, depending on your personal risk tolerance, timeline, and need for cash. Here are decent index-style ETFs across various asset types to consider when building your plan: - [By Eric Mancini]
A good example of this low duration advantage is 2013. The U.S. investment grade bond index, with the I-Shares Iboxx ETF (NYSE: LQD) as a reference, was down 2.2 percent on a total return basis, while the Chinese renminbi-denominated investment grade index, using the Power Shares Chinese Dim Sum ETF (NYSE: DSUM) as the proxy, was up 6.3 percent!
Top 5 Trucking Stocks To Buy Right Now: Financial Institutions Inc.(FISI)
Financial Institutions, Inc. operates as the holding company for Five Star Bank that provides consumer and commercial banking, and financial services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses in central and western New York. Its deposit accounts consist of noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, money market, club, individual retirement, and other qualified plan accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, one-to-four family residential mortgages, consumer automobile loans, recreational vehicle loans, boat loans, home improvement loans, closed-end home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, collateralized and uncollateralized personal loans, deposit account collateralized loans, commercial and agricultural working capital and revolving lines of credit, commercial and agricultural mortgages, equipment loans, and crop and livestock loans. It operates throug h a network of approximately 51 offices and 70 ATMs in 14 contiguous counties of western and central New York. The company, through its other subsidiary, Five Star Investment Services, Inc., provides brokerage services. Financial Institutions, Inc. was founded in 1931 and is based in Warsaw, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GURUFOCUS]
Financial Institutions Inc. (FISI) operates as the holding company for Five Star Bank that provides various banking and financial services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 6% to $0.19 per share. The dividend is payable payable Oct. 2, 2013 to shareholders of record as of Sept. 12, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.9%.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Financial Institutions Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI) was started as Buy with a $24 price target by Sterne Agee.
Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) was reiterated as Buy and added to the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.
Top 5 Trucking Stocks To Buy Right Now: Guidewire Software Inc (GWRE)
Guidewire Software, Inc. (Guidewire), incorporated in 2001, is a provider of system software to the global property and casualty insurance industry. The Company�� solutions serve as the transactional systems-of-record for, and enable the functions of a property and casualty insurance carrier�� business, such as underwriting and policy administration, claims management and billing. Guidewire has developed a suite of configurable applications that are delivered through a Web-based interface and can be deployed either on-premise or in cloud environments. Its Guidewire InsuranceSuite includes Guidewire PolicyCenter, Guidewire ClaimCenter and Guidewire BillingCenter applications, which enable a range of property and casualty insurance operations. The Company derives its revenues from licensing software applications, providing maintenance support and providing professional services, principally consisting of implementation and training services. Guidewire�� license revenues are primarily generated through annual license fees. In May 2013, Guidewire Software Inc acquired Millbrook Inc.
Guidewire PolicyCenter
Guidewire PolicyCenter is the Company�� underwriting and policy administration application that serves as a system-of-record that supports the policy lifecycle, including product definition, underwriting, quoting, binding, issuances, endorsements, audits, cancellations and renewals. PolicyCenter integrates the underwriting process of evaluating risks and establishing the appropriate policy terms and pricing.
Guidewire ClaimCenter
Guidewire ClaimCenter is the Company�� claims management application for claim intake, assessment, settlement and processing of claim-related financial transactions. ClaimCenter provides property and casualty insurance carriers with the tools built within a business rules-based claims application.
Guidewire BillingCenter
Guidewire BillingCenter is its billing and receivables management a! pplication. It automates the billing lifecycle, enables the design of a range of billing and payment plans, manages agent commissions and integrates with external payment systems. BillingCenter handles direct and agency billing for all property and casualty insurance lines of business, and its dual-entry accounting core integrates with a property and casualty insurance carrier�� general ledger.
The Company competes with Accenture, Computer Sciences Corporation, MajescoMastek, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, AQS, Inc., OneShield, Inc., StoneRiver, Inc., Oracle Corporation, Pegasystems Inc. and SAP AG.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE) provides system software to the property and casualty insurance industry, primarily in the United States, Canada and Australia. It provides Internet-based software platforms for core insurance operations, including underwriting and policy administration, claim management and billing. Deutsche Bank sees the stock climbing to $50, while consensus target is $47. The Deutsche Bank price target is the highest on Wall Street.
- [By Rebecca McClay]
In earnings news today, a few companies are reporting after the closing bell, including H & R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), which is up about 1%. Pike Electric Corp. (NYES: PIKE), Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), and Sigma Designs Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM) are also reporting quarterly earnings late this afternoon.
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