WellPoint Reaffirms FY2013 Outlook Below Analyst Estimates (WLP)

On Tuesday, health benefits company WellPoint, Inc. (WLP) reported that it has reaffirmed its full year outlook, which falls below analysts’ estimates.

The company reported in its SEC filing that it has maintained its FY2013 EPS estimate of at least $7.89 per share. This estimate includes net costs of 11 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, WLP expects to see EPS of at least $8.00 per share.

On average, analysts expect to see earnings of $8.26 per share for the full year.

WellPoint shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is up 42% YTD.

Merrill Edge Makes Big ETF Push

Merrill Edge says it has expanded its mass-affluent platform to include an ETF trading tool, and plans for more portfolio tools are in the works. Clients can trade ETFs online for $6.96, with 30 free online trades per month for some qualifying investors.

“This is part of our goal for Merrill Edge and especially for self-directed clients: Help them build portfolios with our capabilities around a selected list of ETFs and funds to choose from confidently and for good performance,” said Alok Prasad, head of Merrill Edge, in an interview with ThinkAdvisor.

Bank of America (BAC) launched Merrill Edge three years ago. The program now has about 1.6 million clients; some are self-directed investors, while others work with Merrill Edge advisors, mainly by phone.

“We are at $87 billion in assets as of August, with strong, 17% momentum in year-over-year growth, and we want to grow further,” said Prasad (right). “The Merrill Edge Select ETFs is part of our value proposition to make it easy and simple to invest with us.”

The ETF platform was launched in late August. It includes 61 products from Vanguard, iShares, State Street and other industry leaders, organized into five broad categories and 21 subcategories. Clients can select ETFs and work to rebalance their portfolio with these products in conjunction with Merrill Edge’s Asset Allocator Tool.

“It takes them through the process from start to finish,” explained Prasad.

When picking the 61 ETFs for the platform, Merrill looked as assets under management, since the larger funds have greater liquidity and better pricing, according to Paul Riley, managing director of Merrill Edge Product Solutions.

Tracking error, expense-ratio measures and bid-ask ratio spreads were also examined. “This way, we could get the highest liquidity and lowest cost in each category … ” Riley said, “and end up with a best-in-class group that’s unbiased in terms of the sponsor firms.”

Next Steps

Merrill Edge, which aims to attract as many Gen X and Gen Y clients as possible, will keep pushing out more online products, tools and information “to meet the goals of these investors,” Prasad said. “The demand is there.”

What’s likely to be the next Merrill Edge tool? “We are working on ideas for each of the asset classes, beyond mutual funds and ETFs,” he said. “We need to work with our Investment Management Group on the right protocols and framework to have the best in class, which gets harder in harder with alternative investments.”

Still, the Merrill Edge executive says, the group “just needs time to work through the models.”

“We have a road map to add incremental enhancements as we continue to grow …” added Reilly. “We could envision, say, adding [country or other specific ETFs], which would be more tactical purchases for clients to make, over time.”

Alternatives will be an option for Merrill Edge clients, Prasad stresses. “Yes, absolutely. It’s a matter of working through our processes. We will continue to expand the [product] list and make this part of the road map.”

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More from Janet Levaux on ThinkAdvisor:

 

 

5 Best Value Stocks To Own For 2014

Asian stocks rose for a fourth day, with Japanese shares gaining as the yen weakened after a report Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering a corporate-tax cut and data showed machinery orders beat estimates.

Honda Motor Co. (7267), which gets 83 percent of sales from overseas, increased 1.9 percent, pacing gains among Japanese exporters. Sony Financial Holdings Inc., the financial services unit of electronics maker Sony Corp., jumped 2.8 percent in Tokyo after proposing a higher dividend. Newcrest (NCM) Mining Ltd. slipped 2.3 percent as brokers cut ratings on shares of Australia�� biggest gold producer.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 0.9 percent to 135.24 at 7:43 p.m. in Hong Kong as more than six shares rose for every one that fell. Nine of 10 industry groups gained on the gauge, which posted its longest winning streak in six weeks.

��he yen returning to the 97 level is positive and a corporate tax cut would be reflected on company earnings directly, so its impact on the market would be huge,��Toshihiko Matsuno, a strategist at Tokyo-based SMBC Friend Securities Co., a unit of Japan�� second-biggest lender by market value, said by telephone. ��he U.S. economy isn�� doing too badly and the dollar was sold off too much.��

5 Best Value Stocks To Own For 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ANUP SINGH]

  Coal consumption growth in China is estimated to have slowed down to 4% year on year in 2012, down from 10% in 2011. An economic slowdown in�the country�has affected demand, and this has been one of headwinds for Joy because it has substantial exposure to China. Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) , one Joy's competitors, is also facing trouble in China of late.

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  Our first example once again looks at Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) from the earnings and price correlated relationship with a free cash flow overlay (orange shaded area marked with a capital F) added. Clearly we see that Caterpillar (CAT) does generate free cash flow which is a sign of a strong and healthy business. However, we also see that price tracks earnings in a much more correlated fashion than it relates to free cash flow.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) was started as Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley

  Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) was started as Underweight with a $72 price target (versus $84.48 close) by Morgan Stanley.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Is Caterpillar (CAT) really in the Dow? The beaten down industrial stock has gained 3.1% to $89.95 today, more than one percentage point more than Alcoa (AA), the next biggest winner with a 1.9% gain. The Travelers Companies (TRV) has gained 1.9% to $81.99, and 3M (MMM) has climbed 1.5% to $116.78. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen 0.9%.

  To put Caterpillar’s gain in perspective, its the stock’s largest jump since May 3, when it rose 3.2%. And with time still remaining today, it could advance even higher.

  We’ll chalk the big move up to the better economic news out of China last night, as well as sentiment that the global economy is picking up steam. The Caterpillar is also an industrial stock, and those are pretty popular right now.

  I wouldn’t make too much of the move just yet, however. For starters, Caterpillar has been stuck in a range since March, as the following chart shows:

  And, as Morgan Stanley reminded investors last week, the market might be expecting too much from Caterpillar. On Sept 5, analyst�Nicole DeBlase and team wrote:

  While we agree that Mining destocking activity should cease, we see risk to Construction restocking based on our survey work ��41% of both US and China Construction dealers still think inventory is too high, and plan to reduce throughout the remainder of 2013e. Should Construction activity not pick up materially in early 2014e, we see the potential for this to remain a headwind next year ��but we do still give CAT credit for 5ppts of top-line Construction benefit from restock in 2014e. We are more bearish on Mining CapEx as we do not expect the second derivative of cuts to turn positive until 2016e.

  Mogran Stanley initiated the stock as an Equal Weight with an $89 price target.

5 Best Value Stocks To Own For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Dollar General�� share price is up less than 6% in the past 12 months, but since the beginning of the year shares have risen more than 22%. And even then, Dollar General�trails Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) in share price growth since January 1. Dollar Tree stock is up 30%.

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  The shiniest dollar
  Many investors and analysts like to debate which dollar store offers the best investment opportunity. The truth is that Dollar General, Dollar Tree Stores (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) , and Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO  ) are all likely to be quality long-term investments.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Deutsche Bank is making a change in its coverage of dollar store themes on Monday: Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was raised to Buy from Hold and Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO)�was downgraded to Hold from Buy, but the price target was raised to $74 from $70.

Hot Insurance Companies To Own For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Energy: Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB)�crushed earnings by an astonishing 50.9% last quarter. With Mexico changing its policy on oil exploration, the oil field services leader may see continued strong earnings growth in the years ahead. The consensus price target for the stock is posted at $96. Investors are paid a 1.5% dividend.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  2013 has been a stellar year for shares of oil service giant Schlumberger (SLB). Since the calendar flipped over to January, SLB has rallied more than 25%, beating the broad market's impressive pace by double digits. As oil prices linger on the high end of their historic range, SLB is well positioned to keep ticking higher.

  Schlumberger provides must-have services to national and supermajor oil firms as well as smaller E&Ps, offering up niche services like seismic surveys and well drilling and positioning. In a nutshell, SLB's job is to pull oil out of the ground as efficiently as possible. Oil firms turn to Schlumberger because the tasks they need to accomplish are too nuanced or proprietary to pull off in-house. So as long as the company continues to pour cash into R&D for drilling technology and software, the firm should continue to score lucrative contracts.

  Some of Schlumberger's most attractive opportunities right now come from overseas. The firm is one of the largest oil servicers in Russia, a key growth market in the years ahead. It's also got an important presence in smaller oil markets, where it's a big fish in a small pond. A big scale and stellar reputation should guarantee Schlumberger an attractive piece of the oil pie for years to come.

5 Best Value Stocks To Own For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Oliver Pursche]

  European large-cap pharmaceuticals like Novartis (NVS) �and Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMY) �count amongst some of our favorite stocks right now, as do U.S. multinationals that are growing revenue and margins in Asia ��Tupperware (TUP) �is a shining example. Stay away from utilities and energy stocks, as they are likely to be the laggards over the next year.

• [By John Udovich]

  Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.

Take Five with Dave Nadig of Index Universe's ETF Analytics

Dave Nadig

Dave Nadig, the president of Index Universe's ETF Analytics, has closely watched the explosion of the number of exchange-traded products for years.

Exchange-traded funds and notes have allowed retail investors to take advantage of the run-up in commodities prices for the past several years.

He spoke in an interview on the sidelines of the Index Universe Inside Commodities conference in New York Monday about what role these products might play in investors' portfolios.

InvestmentNews: What is happening in the ETP market with commodities?

Mr. Nadig: I really do feel like we're in that third wave of commodity ETFs right now, where there's a lot of breadth and there's a lot of different ways of attacking different commodities and attacking the contango problem, and now it's really a matter of what commodities markets investors are finding hot to see which products people are moving into. We certainly saw with GLD [SPDR Gold Shares ETF] — it got tremendous assets on the run-up as gold sort of petered out a little bit — a tremendous amount of money came out of that fund as well.

From my perspective, the ETF story there is that the product functioned perfectly all the way through. It dealt with those huge inflows and outflows without missing a beat.

InvestmentNews: What do you see coming next?

Mr. Nadig: If I look at what's in filing I think you'll see more of these sort of contango-beater products. Those contango-beater products are a harder sell so I think they'll come out and age for a while just like an active-managed mutual fund often will not generate assets for three years until it gets a decent track record under it.

One concern hat a lot of investors had in the past about commodities ETFs was the tax treatment, and what I think we've seen is investors getting smarter about that. Currently, if you're invested in a commodities ETF that's actually holding futures you get treated as if you actually held the futures. You get mark-to-market at the end of the year, you get 60-40 long term-short term tax treatment and you get a k-1 statement because it's a partnership. A lot of investors are wary of that and don't particularly like it so what we've seen is a lot more education around the fact that the exchange-traded-note side of the market gets treated like a stock. You get long-term capital gains treatment out of it, which from our perspective is a big advantage to those types of products.

Now, in my opinion, almost all of them are still too ex! pensive. I think at some point we'll see a price war there. We saw the beginnings of that price war in the gold funds where IAU [iShares Gold ETF] undercut GLD's pricing by a substantial margin and consequently saw a lot of asset flow. So those kinds of price wars do generate more in assets. There are still few enough players in the space that I don't expect the price war to be imminent and vicious, but I think you will see pressure on prices downward over time as these products mature.

The democratization of investing is a force built on the back of the Internet, which is not going to go away. It'll only become easier to trade more obscure instruments. It'll only become easier to analyze those instruments. ETNs will only get bigger and more liquid over time. ETPs right now are currently about 30% of NYSE trading volume. That's an enormous part of the financial system, and that's only going to go up. I don't see that changing any time soon. We'll see more assets moving out of mutual funds into ETFs because people like the liquidity and the tax advantages and the transparency of knowing what they own.

InvestmentNews: How will the taper affect how people use these products?

Mr. Nadig: The question really is how much does the interest rate environment impact commodities prices. One of the things I love about the commodities market is that compared to things like interest rates and credits markets or the stock markets, supply and demand is laid bare in commodities. And ultimately the prime driver of commodities prices is going to be supply and demand. Historically collateral yield was the biggest component of being a commodities investor. You would take this levered position in, say, corn, and most of your return came from the fact that you also took the collateral for that position and invested it in Treasuries, and that Treasury yield was this constant tail wind on your investment, and then you could just earn a little extra coming out of corn if you got corn right.

Well obviously collateral yield! has effe! ctively been zero for the past five years. So if we actually enter a rising interest rate environment, if the taper actually happens and we actually start seeing yield on short paper at 3% to 4% again, now all of a sudden here's that tail wind built into commodities. It hasn't been that way for this entire commodities cycle. That would be good for commodities investors.

But the more speculative the commodity the less it's impacted by supply and demand.

InvestmentNews: What about gold?

Mr. Nadig: Gold, and for the most part silver, I view as alternative currency, not commodities. Fundamentally, supply and demand in gold are effectively artificial. There's limited ability to generate supply, which is why it has value at all. So really the main driver of gold prices is always going to be demand. That demand comes from people trying to have alternate stores of wealth, that is largely an investor sentiment issue, so it's driven by fundamentally different factors than any other commodity you can trade. My opinion is that we see gold effectively range bound until we see significant movement on QE.

InvestmentNews: Do commodities fit into asset allocations differently now?

Mr. Nadig: Absolutely. I've seen statistics recently that suggest that commodities allocations are up to 8%, 9% in institutional portfolios. That's significantly up from 3%, 4%, 5% that that was, say, five, 10 years ago. Now a lot of that allocation has been to gold in that bucket, an

Cancer Genetics Prices $15 Million Offering and Begins Trading on NASDAQ

Cancer Genetics (NASDAQ: CGIX), an emerging leader in DNA-based cancer diagnostics, priced a $15 million secondary offering and began trading on the NASDAQ today.
The offering will bring in a sizable cash infusion to CGIX, setting the stage for continued expansion of the Company's sales and marketing efforts, as well as further product development and commercialization. In addition, it will enable the Company to fund its joint venture investment with Mayo Clinic and retire mezzanine financing.

CGIX is part of a growing trend in healthcare – personalized cancer care based on genetic information. The Wall Street Journal covered this revolutionary shift in a front-page article on Tuesday: "Gene Breakthroughs Spark a Revolution in Cancer Treatment."

Unlike many of its peers, which trade an average of nearly 100x sales, CGIX already has multiple tests in the market that are producing revenue. Yet today the stock can be picked up for less than 9x sales.

Regional broker-dealer Feltl & Co. issued a buy rating on the stock earlier this year with a $17.50 price target. With this new capital infusion and the increased exposure CGIX will get as a NASDAQ-listed company, it's likely it could trade for quite a bit more in the coming months.

Be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on future developments with this exciting story as it works to become the leader in the personalization of cancer treatment based on molecular diagnostics. Also keep an eye out for our next interview with the Company's CEO, Panna Sharma, who will be able to shed further light on the Company's many successes and future prospects.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

The Greatest Criminal Enterprise in the World

From the Editor: Shah Gilani is one of the few people who can show you how it really is. In this case, he's going to show you the real reason the Fed chose not to taper. If you're overly idealistic, don't read this. It will only anger you. That, of course, is why Shah's naming names today...

Ben Bernanke is the don of the greatest criminal enterprise in the world.

And yesterday his made monsters, the Five Families, lined up to kiss his ring, again.

By not "tapering" or reducing the $85 billion a month ($45 billion in Treasuries and $40 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities) the Fed is buying from banks, the Fed is saying to its hit men, "We are family, and as long as Johnny Law is coming after you, we've got your back."

The "legal and litigation costs" (that means lawyers and fines) racked up by America's Five Families since the credit crisis gently (not) ushered in the Great Recession is over $103 billion, by some estimates. That doesn't include actual losses from related activities.

The Five Families, according to the Federal Reserve, are big, very big bosses in their territories, which means America and a good part of the world.

Let's name names... and then I'll tell you the REAL reason the Fed didn't taper yesterday.

Here are the Five and how big (by total assets) they are as of 06/30/2013:

1. JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$2,439,494,000,000
2. Bank of America Corp.	$2,125,686,000,000
3. Citigroup Inc.	$1,883,988,000,000
4. Wells Fargo & Co..	$1,440,563,000,000
5. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.	$938,611,000,000

That's a lot of muscle.

Let's look at just JPMorgan's rap sheet, because it's fantastic (as in I can't believe it) and sickening to me.

While JPM has spent some $16 billion in legal expenses and some $7 billion in fines (oh wait, add another $920 million in fines as of this morning for the Whale tale they told regulators...) related to the financial crisis, since the end of 2007 through the first half of 2013, it has also paid out $23.9 billion in dividends to common shareholders.

Now, don't get me wrong. The bank isn't technically guilty of any of these misdeeds (crimes?). So just because they may be accused of things or may have paid fines related to some of this stuff, or will pay fines, or will keep on keeping-on paying legal and litigation costs on account of the myriad "other" cases being brought by government gumshoes (SEC, CFTC, OCC, FBI, Justice Department, State Attorneys General, Federal prosecutors) and class-action lawyers, and ma and pa investors everywhere, they've neither admitted nor denied anything.

This stuff is all "alleged," got it?

This list is off the top of my head, so please feel free to chime in on anything I missed.

Without admitting or denying doing the following, JPM did the following:

Conspired with other big banks to rig LIBOR Conspired with other big banks to rig derivative prices Hid massive losses on mortgage securities by creating off-balance sheet "conduits" Pawned off bad mortgages on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Built mortgage-backed derivative products to fail to sell to clients and bet against them Aided and abetted mortgage originators falsifying loan documents to make mortgages Manipulated energy rates, ripping off states and consumers Ripped off consumers on overdraft and other banking fees and charges Strong-armed credit card customers with abusive collection schemes Hid massive losses at its London trading office from regulators Accused of money laundering

That's off the top of my head. What else do you all have on them that I've forgotten?

Now, I'm not calling JPM a criminal enterprise. It's a bank. But if it was a criminal enterprise it would be one helluva bank.

You want to know why the Fed didn't taper yesterday? Because the banks need more money, and the Fed's stimulus QE program is all about pumping up the banks' balance sheets.

Is that so they have money that trickles down to consumers who might want or need loans?

NO.

Because the banks in the criminal enterprise system are spending billions on litigation and fines, and on top of that, they have to have plenty of money, cash, to pay common holders fat dividends.

Why? So their stock prices go up, so their bonus pools get bigger, so they can hire more smarter people to generate new schemes to rip off more consumers and businesses and governments.

That's what yesterday was; it was a ring-kissing ceremony. And you thought it was a press conference... silly you.

Next: Shah Shows You How to Make 455% by "Bubble Watching"

Will Attorney Investigations or Class Action Suits Put Amgen-Onyx Buyout at Risk?

Any time you see a merger announcement, you see a myriad of press releases pertaining to law firms and lawyers investigating the terms of the deal. This is in one sense the new form of class action lawsuit of yesteryear, but sometimes these suits and investigations do have merit. Now that Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) has confirmed its $10.4 billion of Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX), the lawyers have been coming out of the woodwork.

Onyx is up 5.6% at $123.55 against a 52-week range of $68.12 to $136.87. Wall Street believes that Amgen is getting a steal here because its shares are up over 8% at $114.37 and shares hit a new all-time of $116.25 early today. Now the question is whether or not the lawyers can wrangle more money out of Amgen for Onyx. We would note that Onyx has been in a bidding situation and this was the end result of that bidding situation.

It used to be that law firms would announce class action suits, but now they simply announce “investigations.” This is where the law firms are effectively throwing up their business cards ahead of a class action lawsuit. Here are some of the law firm announcements today:

Former United States Securities and Exchange Commission attorney Willie Briscoe and the securities litigation firm of Powers Taylor, LLP are investigating the merger of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. with Amgen, Inc. for shareholders. Under the terms of the proposed merger agreement, valued at approximately $10.4 billion, Onyx shareholders are expected to receive $125 per share of Onyx common stock owned, well below the 52-week high of $136.87. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is investigating whether the Board of Directors of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. breached its fiduciary duty to its shareholders in agreeing to sell Onyx to Amgen… Under the terms of the agreement, Onyx shareholders will receive $125.00 in cash for each share they own. The investigation is focused on the potential unfairness of the price to Onyx shareholders and the process by which the Onyx Board of Directors considered and approved the transaction. The securities litigation firm of Brower Piven, A Professional Corporation, has commenced an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty to current shareholders of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and other violations of state law by the board of directors of Onyx Pharmaceuticals relating to the proposed buyout of the Company by Amgen Inc. The firm's investigation seeks to determine, among other things, whether the board of directors of Onyx Pharmaceuticals breached their fiduciary duties by failing to maximize shareholder value… According to Yahoo! Finance, the high analyst price target is $160.00 per Onyx Pharmaceuticals share.

Onyx Pharma was just recently covered as one of our ten companies expected to double sales in the next two to four years. Another big biotech gets gobbled up. Stay tuned.

Why Repros Is Still Risky Despite Stock's Ascent

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (TheStreet) -- This morning's Repros Therapeutics (RPRX) conference call was boring. There was no discussion of gay Cuban sex, no admission of fabricated clinical data. The closest we got to fun was Repros CEO Joe Podolski explaining men who took the experimental testosterone-raising drug Androxal were reporting "lower rates of abstinence" and therefore had low sperm counts. (Lots of ejaculations, understand?)

Repros reported results from a second pivotal study of Androxal on Tuesday which read very much like what the company said last March about the first study: Androxal, a pill, normalized testosterone levels in men with lower-than-normal testosterone and did not cause a statistically lower sperm count than placebo.

A lot of Androxal data wasn't reported Tuesday, just like it was omitted last March. Instead, Repros' Podolksi offered assurances about Androxal's efficacy and safety, even while remaining non-committal about presenting complete results from the two clinical trials at a medical meeting.

The company intends to file Androxal for approval with the FDA in the middle of next year. Repros shares rose 21% to 25.62 Tuesday, so like last March, investors are brushing off the real risk FDA rejects Androxal. Androxal is a variant of the female reproductive hormone Clomid which Repros is developing as a treatment for men with low testosterone. Right now, men with "low T" are prescribed various testosterone-laden gels and creams -- Abbvie's (ABBV) Androgel, Auxillium Pharmaceuticals' (AUXL) Testim or Eli Lilly's (LLY) Axiron. The worldwide testosterone market is $2 billion annually and growing but these rub-on treatments are messy, carry the risk of transference and cause sperm counts to fall. (A big negative for men who still want to father kids.) As a pill, Androxal is designed to be much more convenient, can't be transferred to kids or women, and most importantly, doesn't lower sperm count. In the second phase III study disclosed Tuesday, Repros said 81% of Androxal-treated men reached normal testosterone range, which exceeded the 75% threshold requirement under the Special Protocol Agreement reached with the FDA. [Seventy-nine percent of men on Androxal reported normal testosterone in the first phase III study.] What was the rate of testosterone normalization for men treated with placebo in the phase III study? Repros did not disclose.

What were the baseline and end-of-treatment levels of testosterone for patients in both arms of the study? Repros did not disclose.

Was the testosterone normalization endpoint reached with statistical significance? Repros did not disclose. [The terms "statistical significance" or "statistically signifcant" do not appear in today's press release.]

The study's sperm count endpoint is similarly messy.

Twenty of 134 men on Androxal reported sperm counts that fell 50% below their baseline levels compared to 2 of 47 men on placebo. While numerically worse, Repros said the Androxal was statistically non inferior to placebo but only just barely. To meet the study's sperm-count endpoint, Androxal could be no more than 20% worse than placebo. The reported statistical difference was 18.3%. Last March, Repros admitted that one of the clinical trials sites fabricated baseline sperm counts for patients. As a result, the company analyzed the study omitting patients from that troubled site. Here, the statistical worsening in sperm count reduction was 19.6%, meaning the study came within a whisper of failing on this endpoint. Repros also slipped in a change to the reporting from the first phase III study. Tuesday, the company said 16 of 113 Androxal-treated men reported sperm counts lower than 50% from baseline. Last March, it was 15 of 113 patients. Under the SPA agreement, Androxal must meet both primary endpoints in both phase III clinical trials in order for the study to be considered successful. On Tuesday, Repros said it "believes" the sperm-count endpoint was met. Why not just make a definitive statement? Repros CEO Podolski blamed his lawyers for wanting to be conservative. Repros must complete an Androxal safety study plus finish some preclinical work before submitting for FDA approval in the middle of next year. The company is also still working through a messy challenge to the patents for Androxal by a New York urologist who claims Podolski stole the idea for the drug from him. -- Reported by Adam Feuerstein in Boston. Follow @AdamFeuerstein

Adam Feuerstein writes regularly for TheStreet. In keeping with company editorial policy, he doesn't own or short individual stocks, although he owns stock in TheStreet. He also doesn't invest in hedge funds or other private investment partnerships. Feuerstein appreciates your feedback; click here to send him an email.

Top Insider Trades: HD PBF ARRY GBDC

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By Jonathan Moreland, founder of Insider Insights and author of Profit From Legal Insider Trading.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It is a victory for common sense. Tracking the trading behavior of company executives, directors and large shareholders in the stocks of firms they're registered in as "insiders" has proven to be profitable, according to both academic studies and (more importantly) the experience of professional investors.

Below are lists of the top 10 mainly open-market insider purchases and sales filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday, Sept. 16, 2013 as ranked by dollar value. Please note, however, that these are only factual lists, not buy and sell recommendations. Dollar value is only one metric to assess the importance of an insider transaction, and, frankly, often not even the most important metric that determines if an insider transaction is significant. At InsiderInsights.com, we find new investment ideas just about every day using these and more intricate insider screens to determine where we should focus our subsequent fundamental and technical analysis. And while stocks don't (or shouldn't) move up or down based on insider activity alone, insiders tend to be good indicators of when real stock-moving events like earnings surprises, corporate actions, and new products may be in the offing. So use these regular Top Insider Trades columns as the initial research tools they are meant to be, and click the links in the tables to analyze a company's or insider's full insider history. Also feel free to contact us with any questions on our proprietary insider data, and how it is best analyzed.

Sprint (S) Softbank BO 5,939,626 39,987,332 Nanoviricides (NNVC) Boniuk M DIR 857,142 2,999,997 Thursday, September 19, 2013 The News About Newspaper Publishers Is Surprisingly Good Extra, Extra, The news about newspaper stocks is surprisingly good. Indeed, the sector that every investing pundit loves to hate has been beaten to a bloody pulp over the last few years is starting to show signs of life, faint though they may be. Some investors, such as Warren Buffett see value here. Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, the soon-to-be-owner of the Washington Post, seems to as well as does Southeastern Asset Management, a hedge fund that recently disclosed a 12% stake in the new News Corp. (NYSE:NWS), Rupert Murdoch's print holdings such as the Wall Street Journal. Old media giant Virginia-based Gannett (NYSE:GCI), the publisher of USA Today, has surged more than 50% over the past year while Apple, which symbolizes all that is flashy and cool in the modern world, has tumbled more than 32%. The rising tide has lifted smaller boats such as Lee Enterprises, whose properties include the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which has more than doubled during the same time. McClatchy, whose 30 daily papers include the Miami Herald, is up more than 40% while Milwaukee Journal-Register parent Journal Communications has spiked almost 30%. E.W. Scripps, owner of 19 papers such as the Memphis Commercial Appeal, is up more than 40%. Even the Grey Lady herself, the New York Times Co. (NYSE:NYT), has joined the party, posting a 15% gain. Let's get a few things straight. First, the industry fundamentals have been poor for a while and will remain so for years to come. Jim Boyle, managing director at SQAD, a media cost forecasting source, points out that newspapers accounted for 10% of domestic advertising spending in 2010, falling to second place behind broadcast and cable TV. The industry may fall to fifth place this year. For many investors, these stocks have the potential to be value traps though if you are a gambling sort Gannett, which pays a healthy 3% dividend, may be worth a shot. Another stock to consider is the New York Times Co., which some expect to sell its headquarters building as a prelude to going private. News Corp. could go private if Murdoch doesn't think Wall Street is giving the company enough attention, but that might not happen for a while if ever. Benchmark analyst Ed Atorino, for one, does not see any light at the end of the tunnel for the sector. "They don't even know how long the tunnel is for newspapers," said Atorino, who has followed the sector for two decades, in an interview. "There is no sign that there is an end to the declines anytime soon." But investors, are well aware of the "bad news" surrounding the sector. Below are three reasons why many of these stocks are on the rise this year. 1) Paywalls work -- Though some doubted that charging people for content that they had gotten for free would world, there is overwhelming evidence that paywalls have been a smashing success if people think they are worth the money. The New York Times alone reported a 40% increase in paid digital subscriptions in the second quarter. Unfortunately, advertising is continuing to decline at a faster rate than circulation revenue is advancing. Ad sales will level off eventually, but no one knows when that will happen. 2) The Buffet factor -- The Oracle of Omaha has invested in the newspaper sector for years through his long-time position in the Washington Post Co. Last year, he upped the ante buying 62 papers from Media General for $163 million. His spree focused attention on another Buffett favorite, Lee Enterprises. Its shares have been bid up on the expectation that he would take that company over as well. Though that hasn't happened yet, Buffett did recently refinance the publisher's $94 million in debt. Investors don't realize Buffett's interest in the sector is selective. He is only interested in titles that serve mid-sized markets that don't attract significant. 3) Diversification --- If Gannett's plan to acquire Belo is approved by regulators, it will transform the company from a newspaper publisher that dabbles in television to a station owner with paper investments. That certainly is the case of Journal Register, which owns 15 television stations and 35 radio stations in 12 states, and Scripps, which owns more than a dozen stations.. Whether they will follow the lead of the Tribune and split off their newspaper holdings is tough to say. Though papers are selling, the prices they are fetching are a small fraction of what they were 5,6 years ago Bottom Line For most investors, the rewards in newspaper stocks aren't worth the risk. But if you are willing to gamble on Gannett and the New York Times, they may be worth a shot. Keep in mind, that the stocks have been volatile in the past and will continue to be so in the future. Disclosure - At the time of writing, the author did not own shares of any company mentioned in this article. Monday, September 16, 2013 Surprise in Q2 GDP and Jobless Claims The quarter-over-quarter rise in U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) was 2.5% in the second quarter of 2013, according to data released Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The increase is more than double the advance estimate of 1.7% growth released last month, and better than an consensus estimate for growth of 2.2%. Real GDP growth in the first quarter was an anemic 1.1%, so today's number represents a decent leap over a very low bar. The Department of Labor also reported that new claims for unemployment benefits dropped by 6,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted total of 331,000 from a revised level of 337,000 for the prior week. The consensus estimate from Bloomberg called for a drop to 332,000. The four-week moving average is up slightly from the prior week to 331,250. The army of the unemployed dropped by 14,000 to 2.99 million continuing claims. GDP growth in the second quarter was primarily the result of increases in consumer spending, exports, private inventory investment, nonresidential fixed investment and residential fixed investment. Federal spending cuts and higher imports weighed on GDP growth. The trends in employment continue to show declines in new claims for benefits and employers' intention to increase hiring. The impact of higher taxes that went into effect at the beginning of the year and the cuts in federal jobs are being absorbed and adapted to by employers. There are more headwinds, of course, including the political drama around raising the U.S. debt limit, new health care laws and the Fed's expected tapering of its $85 billion asset purchases. Sunday, September 15, 2013 Top 4 Most Scandalous Insider Trading Debacles Insider trading has been a part of the U.S. market since William Duer used his post as assistant secretary of the Treasury to guide his bond purchases in the late 1700s. In this article, we will look at some landmark incidents of insider trading. (For more background info, check out What exactly is insider trading?) 1. Albert H. Wiggin: The Market Crash Millionaire During the Roaring '20s, many Wall Street professionals, and even some of the general public, knew Wall Street was a rigged game run by powerful investing pools. Suffering from a lack of disclosure and an epidemic of manipulative rumors, people believed coattail investing and momentum investing were the only viable strategies for getting in on the profits. Unfortunately, many investors found that the coattails they were riding were actually smokescreens for hidden sell orders that left them holding the bag. Still, while the market kept going up and up, these setbacks were seen as a small price to pay in order to get in on the big game later on. In October, 1929, the big game was revealed to be yet another smokescreen. After the crash, the public was hurt, angry, and hungry for vengeance. Albert H. Wiggin, the respected head of Chase National Bank, seemed an unlikely target until it was revealed that he shorted 40,000 shares of his own company. This is like a boxer betting on his opponent – a serious conflict of interest. Using wholly-owned family corporations to hide the trades, Wiggin built up a position that gave him a vested interest in running his company into the ground. There were no specific rules against shorting your own company in 1929, so Wiggin legally made $4 million from the 1929 crash and the shakeout of Chase stock that followed. (Learn how to distinguish tops and bottoms in the equity market when short selling, read Finding Short Candidates With Technical Analysis.) Not only was this legal at the time, but Wiggin had also accepted a $100,000 a year pension for life from the bank. He later declined the pension when the public outcry grew too loud to ignore. Wiggin was not alone in his immoral conduct, and similar revelations led to a 1934 revision of the 1933 Securities Act that was much sterner toward insider trading. It was appropriately nicknamed the "Wiggin Act". 2. Levine, Siegel, Boesky and Milken: The Precognition Rat Pack One of the most famous cases of insider trading made household names of Michael Milken, Dennis Levine, Martin Siegel and Ivan Boesky. Milken received the most attention because he was the biggest target for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but it was actually Boesky who was the spider in the center of the web. Boesky was an arbitrageur in the mid-1980s with an uncanny ability to pick out potential takeover targets and invest before an offer was made. When the fated offer came, the target firm's stock would shoot up and Boesky would sell his shares for a profit. Sometimes, Boesky would buy mere days before an unsolicited bid was made public - a feat of precognition rivaling the mental powers of spoon bender Uri Geller. (Learn more in Tales From Wall Street's Crypt.) Like Geller, Boesky's precognition turned out to be a fraud. Rather than keeping a running tabulation of all the publicly traded firms trading at enough of a discount to their true values to attract offers and investing in the most likely of the group, Boesky went straight to the source - the mergers and acquisitions arms of the major investment banks. Boesky paid Levine and Siegel for pre-takeover information that guided his prescient buys. When Boesky hit home runs on nearly every major deal in the 1980s - Getty Oil, Nabisco, Gulf Oil, Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Texaco - the people at the SEC became suspicious. The SEC's break came when Merrill Lynch was tipped off that someone in the firm was leaking info and, as a result, Levine's Swiss bank account was uncovered. The SEC rolled Levine and he gave up Boesky's name. By watching Boesky - particularly during the Getty Oil fiasco - the SEC caught Siegel. With three in the bag, they went after Michael Milken. Surveillance of Boesky and Milken helped the SEC draw up a list of 98 charges worth 520 years in prison against the junk bond king. The SEC charges didn't all stick, but Boesky and Milken took the brunt with record fines and prison sentences. (For more on Milken, see 4 History-Making Wall Street Crooks.) 3. R. Foster Winans: The Corruptible Columnist Although not high-ranking in terms of dollars, the case of Wall Street Journal columnist R. Foster Winans is a landmark case for its curious outcome. Winans wrote the "Heard on the Street" column profiling a certain stock. The stocks featured in the column often went up or down according to Winans' opinion. Winans leaked the contents of his column to a group of stockbrokers, who used the tip to take up positions in the stock before the column was published. The brokers made easy profits and allegedly gave some of their illicit gains to Winans. (For more, see Why do stock prices change following news reports?) Winans was caught by the SEC and put at the center of a very tricky court case. Because the column was the personal opinion of Winans rather than material insider information, the SEC was forced into a unique and dangerous strategy. The SEC charged that the info in the column belonged to the Wall Street Journal, not Winans. This meant that while Winans was convicted of a crime, the WSJ could theoretically engage in the same practice of trading on its content without any legal worries. (Find out how news can affect your stock in Trading On News Releases and Can Good News Be A Signal To Sell?.) 4. Martha Stewart: The Homemaking Hoaxer In December 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was rejecting ImClone's new cancer drug, Erbitux. As the drug represented a major portion of ImClone's pipeline, the company's stock took a sharp dive. Many pharmaceutical investors were hurt by the drop, but the family and friends of CEO Samuel Waksal were, oddly enough, not among them. Among those with a preternatural knack for guessing the FDA's decision days before the announcement was homemaking guru Martha Stewart. She sold 4,000 shares when the stock was still trading in the high $50s and collected nearly $250,000 on the sale. The stock would plummet to just over $10 in the following months. Stewart claimed to have a pre-existing sell order with her broker, but her story continued to unravel and public shame eventually forced her to resign as the CEO of her own company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Waksal was arrested and sentenced to more than seven years in prison and fined $4.3 million in 2003. In 2004, Stewart and her broker were also found guilty of insider trading. Stewart was sentenced to the minimum of five months in prison and fined $30,000. The Bottom Line Although the cases in this article are glaring examples, insider trading is often difficult for the SEC to spot. Detecting it involves a lot of conjecture and consideration of probabilities. While it's possible that Boesky was that good at predicting takeovers, it was highly improbable. Truth be told, the SEC has made mistakes and accused the innocent in cases that are borderline, at best. This is one of the prices we pay to guard against insiders trading on information that the public doesn't yet know. That said, Stewart offers the best example of why it's best not to trade on material insider information – leaving the moral aspect aside. If she had simply held her ImClone stock, it would have hit the $70-$80 range during the Eli Lilly takeover, making her holdings worth around $60,000 more than what she sold out for. Instead, she was fined $30,000 and ended up in jail. The risks, in this case, definitely outweighed the returns. Friday, September 13, 2013 5 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014 When it comes to checks and balances, carbon emissions could do without. Despite massive gains in growth for both solar and wind in 2012, emissions per unit of energy remain nearly at the same level as 15 years ago. Let's take a closer look at who's polluting, who's greening, and if there are profits in store for your portfolio picks. Black versus green In the push to curb carbon emissions, coal is the yin to renewables' yang. Coal-fired generation increased 6% from 2010 to 2013 at a rate that continues to outstrip non-fossil-fuel growth�on an absolute basis. Despite gains we've seen in carbon capture technology and production efficiency, approximately 50% of all coal-fired plants built in 2011 used inefficient technologies. For once, it seems, the United States is not to blame. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK  ) is well on its way to shutting down 6,800 MW of inefficient plants as part of a $12.5 billion modernization project, while Southern Company (NYSE: SO  ) recently celebrated the first time in its history that the company has generated more electricity from gas than coal. In the next two years, Southern has slotted $3.6 billion toward "environmental spending," a large portion of which will be allocated to "clean coal" generation facilities. 5 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: Access Midstream Partners LP (ACMP) Access Midstream Partners, L.P., formerly Chesapeake Midstream Partners, L.L.C. (Partnership), incorporated on January 21, 2010, owns, operates, develops and acquires natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil gathering systems and other midstream energy assets. The Company is focused on natural gas and NGL gathering. The Company provides its midstream services to Chesapeake Energy Corporation (Chesapeake), Total E&P USA, Inc. (Total), Mitsui & Co. (Mitsui), Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko), Statoil ASA (Statoil) and other producers under long-term, fixed-fee contracts. On December 20, 2012, the Company acquired from Chesapeake Midstream Development, L.P. (CMD), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake, and certain of CMD's affiliates, 100% of interests in Chesapeake Midstream Operating, L.L.C. (CMO). As a result of the CMO Acquisition, the Partnership owns certain midstream assets in the Eagle Ford, Utica and Niobrara regions. The CMO Acquisition also extended the Company's assets and operations in the Haynesville, Marcellus and Mid-Continent regions. The Company operates assets in Barnett Shale region in north-central Texas; Eagle Ford Shale region in South Texas; Haynesville Shale region in northwest Louisiana; Marcellus Shale region in Pennsylvania and West Virginia; Niobrara Shale region in eastern Wyoming; Utica Shale region in eastern Ohio, and Mid-Continent region, which includes the Anadarko, Arkoma, Delaware and Permian Basins. The Company's gathering systems collect natural gas and NGLs from unconventional plays. The Company generates its revenues through long-term, fixed-fee gas gathering, treating and compression contracts and through processing contracts. Barnett Shale Region The Company's gathering systems in its Barnett Shale region are located in Tarrant, Johnson and Dallas counties in Texas in the Core and Tier 1 areas of the Barnett Shale and consist of 25 interconnected gathering systems and 850 miles of pipeline. During the year! ended December 31, 2012, average throughput on the Company's Barnett Shale gathering system was 1.195 billion cubic feet per day. The Company connects its gathering systems to receipt points that are either at the individual wellhead or at central receipts points into which production from multiple wells are gathered. The Company's Barnett Shale gathering system is connected to the three downstream transportation pipelines: Atmos Pipeline Texas, Energy Transfer Pipeline Texas and Enterprise Texas Pipeline. Natural gas delivered into Atmos Pipeline Texas pipeline system serves the greater Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area and south, east and west Texas markets at the Katy, Carthage and Waha hubs. Natural gas delivered into Energy Transfer Pipeline Texas pipeline system serves the greater Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area and southeastern and northeastern the United States markets supplied by the Midcontinent Express Pipeline, Centerpoint CP Expansion Pipeline and Gulf South 42-inch Expansion Pipeline. Natural gas delivered into Enterprise Texas Pipeline pipeline system serves the greater Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area and southeastern and northeastern the United States markets supplied by the Gulf Crossing Pipeline. Eagle Ford Shale Region The Company's gathering systems in its Eagle Ford Shale region are located in Dimmit, La Salle, Frio, Zavala, McMullen and Webb counties in Texas and consist of 10 gathering systems and 618 miles of pipeline. During 2012, gross throughput for these assets was 0.169 billion cubic feet per day. The Company connects its gathering systems to central receipt points into which production from multiple wells is gathered. The Company's Eagle Ford gathering systems are connected to six downstream transportation pipelines, which include Enterprise, Camino Real, West Texas Gas, Regency Gas Service, Eagle Ford Gathering and Enerfin. The Company processes gas at Yoakum or other Enterprise plants and transports residue to Wharton residue header w! ith conne! ctions to numerous interstate pipelines. Haynesville Shale Region The Company's Springridge gas gathering system in the Haynesville Shale region is located in Caddo and DeSoto Parishes, Louisiana, in one of the core areas of the Haynesville Shale and consists of 263 miles of pipeline. During 2012, average throughput on the Company's Springridge gathering system was 0.359 billion cubic feet per day. The Company connects its gathering system to receipt points that are at central receipt points into which production from multiple wells is gathered. The Company's Springridge gathering system is connected to three downstream transportation pipelines: Centerpoint Energy Gas Transmission, ETC Tiger Pipeline and Texas Gas Transmission Pipeline. The Company's Mansfield gas gathering system in the Haynesville Shale region is located in DeSoto and Sabine Parishes, Louisiana, in one of the areas of the Haynesville Shale and, as of December 31, 2012, consist of 304 miles of pipeline. During 2012, average throughput on the Company's Mansfield gathering system was 0.720 billion cubic feet per day. The Company connects its gathering system to receipt points that are at central receipt points into which production from multiple wells is gathered and treated. The Company's Mansfield gathering system is connected to two downstream transportation pipelines: Enterprise Accadian Pipeline and Gulf South Pipeline. Natural gas delivered into Enterprise Accadian pipeline can move to on-system markets in the Midwest and to off-system markets in the Northeast through interconnections with third-party pipelines. Natural gas delivered into Gulf South pipeline can move to on-system markets in the Midwest and to off-system markets in the Northeast through interconnections with third-party pipelines. Marcellus Shale Region Through Appalachia Midstream, the Company operates 100% of and own an approximate average 47% interests in 10 gas gathering systems that consist of approximately 5! 49 miles ! of gathering pipeline in the Marcellus Shale region. The Company's volumes in the region are gathered from northern Pennsylvania, southwestern Pennsylvania and the northwestern panhandle of West Virginia, in core areas of the Marcellus Shale. The Company operates these smaller systems in northeast and central West Virginia, southeast Pennsylvania, northwest Maryland, north central Virginia, and south central New York. During 2012, gross throughput for Appalachia Midstream assets was just over 1.8 billion cubic feet per day. The Company's Marcellus gathering systems' delivery points include Caiman Energy, Central New York Oil & Gas, Columbia Gas Transmission, MarkWest, NiSource Midstream, PVR and Tennessee Gas Pipeline. Natural gas is delivered into a 16-inch pipeline and delivered to the Caiman Energy Fort Beeler processing plant where the liquids are extracted from the gas stream. The natural gas is then delivered into the TETCo interstate pipeline for ultimate delivery to the Northeast region of the United States. Natural gas delivered into Central New York Oil & Gas 30-inch diameter pipeline can be delivered to Stagecoach Storage, Millennium Pipeline, or Tennessee Gas Pipeline's Line 300. In Columbia Gas Transmission lean natural gas is delivered into two 36-inch interstate pipelines for delivery to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States. Natural gas is delivered into a MarkWest pipeline for delivery to the MarkWest Houston processing plant where the liquids are extracted from the gas stream. In NiSource Midstream natural gas is delivered into a 20-inch diameter pipeline and delivered to the MarkWest Majorsville processing plant where the liquids are extracted from the rich gas stream. In PVR natural gas is delivered into the 24-inch diameter Wyoming pipeline and the Hirkey Compressor Station. In Tennessee Gas Pipeline natural gas is delivered into this looped 30-inch diameter pipeline (TGP Line 300) at three different locations can be received in the Northeast at points along th! e 300 Lin! e path, interconnections with other pipelines in northern New Jersey, as well as an existing delivery point in White Plains, New York. Niobrara Shale Region The Company's gathering systems in the Niobrara Shale region are located in Converse County, Wyoming and consist of two interconnected gathering systems and 79 miles of pipeline. During 2012, average throughput in the Company's Niobrara Shale region was 0.013 billion cubic feet per day. The Company connects its gathering systems to receipt points,which are either at the individual wellhead or at central receipts points into which production from multiple wells are gathered. The Company's Niobrara gathering systems are connected to two downstream transportation pipelines: Tallgrass/Douglas Pipeline and North Finn/DCP Inlet Pipeline. Natural gas delivered into Tallgrass/Douglas pipeline is sent to the Tallgrass processing facility; after processing, natural gas is delivered to Cheyenne Hub, Rockies Express Pipeline, or Trailblazer Pipeline through Tallgrass Interstate Gas Transmission. Utica Shale Region The Company's gathering systems in the Utica Shale region are located in northeast Ohio and consist of 67 miles of pipeline. The Company's Utica gathering systems are connected to two downstream transportation pipelines: Dominion East Ohio (Blue Racer) and Dominion Transmission, Inc. Mid-Continent Region The Company's Mid-Continent gathering systems extend across portions of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas. Included in the Company's Mid-Continent region are three treating facilities located in Beckham and Grady Counties, Oklahoma, and Reeves County, Texas, which are designed to remove contaminants from the natural gas stream. Anadarko Basin and Northwest Oklahoma The Company's assets within the Anadarko Basin and Northwest Oklahoma are located in northwestern Oklahoma and the northeastern portion of the Texas Panhandle and consist of appro! ximately ! 1,578 miles of pipeline. During 2012, the Company's Anadarko Basin and Northwest Oklahoma region gathering systems had an average throughput of 0.457 billion cubic feet per day. Within the Anadarko Basin and Northwest Oklahoma, the Company is focused on servicing Chesapeake's production from the Colony Granite Wash, Texas Panhandle Granite Wash and Mississippi Lime plays. Natural gas production from these areas of the Anadarko Basin and Northwest Oklahoma contains NGLs. In addition, the Company operates an amine treater with sulfur removal capabilities at its Mayfield facility in Beckham County, Oklahoma. The Company's Mayfield gathering and treating system gathers Deep Springer natural gas production and treats the natural gas to remove carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide to meet the specifications of downstream transportation pipelines. The Company's Anadarko Basin and Northwest Oklahoma systems are connected to a transportation pipelines transporting natural gas out of the region, including pipelines owned by Enbridge and Atlas Pipelines, as well as local market pipelines such as those owned by Enogex. These pipelines provide access to Midwest and northeastern the United States markets, as well as intrastate markets. Permian Basin The Company's Permian Basin assets are located in west Texas and consist of approximately 358 miles of pipeline across the Permian and Delaware basins. During 2012, average throughput on the Company's gathering systems was 0.076 billion cubic feet per day. The Company's Permian Basin gathering systems are connected to pipelines in the area owned by Southern Union, Enterprise, West Texas Gas, CDP Midstream and Regency. Natural gas delivered into these transportation pipelines is re-delivered into the Waha hub and El Paso Gas Transmission. The Waha hub serves the Texas intrastate electric power plants and heating market, as well as the Houston Ship Channel chemical and refining markets. El Paso Gas Transmission serves western the United ! States ma! rkets. Other Mid-Continent Regions The Company's other Mid-Continent region assets consist of systems in the Ardmore Basin in Oklahoma, the Arkoma Basin in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas and the East Texas and Gulf Coast regions of Texas. The other Mid-Continent assets include approximately 648 miles of pipeline. These gathering systems are localized systems gathering specific production for re-delivery into established pipeline markets. During 2012, average throughput on these gathering systems was 0.031 billion cubic feet per day. The Company competes with Energy Transfer Partners, Crosstex Energy, Crestwood Midstream Partners, Freedom Pipeline, Peregrine Pipeline, XTO Energy, EOG Resources, DFW Mid-Stream, Enbridge Energy Partners, DCP Midstream, Enterprise Products Partners Inc., Regency Energy Partners, Texstar Midstream Operating, West Texas Gas Inc., TGGT Holdings, Kinderhawk Field Services, CenterPoint Field Services, Williams Partners, Penn Virginia Resource Partners, Caiman Energy, MarkWest Energy Partners, Kinder Morgan, Dominion Transmission (Blue Racer), Enogex and Atlas Pipeline Partners. 5 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: SunPower Corp (SPWR.O) SunPower Corporation, incorporated in April 1985, is a vertically integrated solar products and services company that designs, manufactures and delivers solar electric systems worldwide for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers. The Company operates in two business segments: the Utility and Power Plants (UPP) Segment and the Residential and Commercial (R&C) Segment. The UPP Segment refers to its solar products and systems business, which includes power plant project development and project sales, turn-key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for power plant construction, and power plant operations and maintenance (O&M) services. UPP Segment also sells components, including huge volume of sales of solar panels and mounting systems to third parties, sometimes on a multi-year, firm commitment basis. The R&C Segment focuses on solar equipment sales into the residential and small commercial market through its third-party global dealer network, as well as direct sales and EPC and O&M services in the United States and Europe for rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems for the new homes, commercial and public sectors. In May 2012, K Road Power Holdings, LLC (K Road) and SunPower Corp announced that K Road acquired the 25-megawatt (AC) McHenry Solar Project, which the Company designed. In January 2013, the Company MidAmerican Solar acquired the 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects (AVSP), two co-located projects in Kern and Los Angeles Counties in Calif from SunPower. In January 2012, the Company completed its acquisition of the wholly owned Total SA subsidiary Tenesol SA, a global solar provider. In September 2011, NRG Energy Inc. acquired 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) project from SunPower. In June 2011, the Company introduced SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20) series. The Company�� customers in its UPP Segment include investors, financial instituti ons, project developers, electric utilities, and independen! t! power producers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In its R&C Segment, the Company primarily sells its products to commercial and governmental entities, production home builders, and its third-party global dealer network serving residential owners and small commercial building owners. Solar Cells The A-300 solar cell is a silicon solar cell with a specified power value of 3.1 watts and a conversion efficiency averaging between 20.0% and 21.5%. The Company�� A-330 solar cell delivers 3.3 watts with a conversion efficiency of up to 22.7%. Solar Panels The Company�� SunPower solar panel series include solutions, such as SunPower E18 Series Solar Panel (E18), SunPower E19 Series Solar Panel (E19), and SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20). Available in a 72-cell configuration, the E18 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers a total panel conversion of 18.1% to 18.5%. Available in a 72, 9 6, and 128-cell configuration, the E19 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of 19.3% to 19.7%. Available in a 96-cell configuration, the E20 series panel uses its A-330 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of up to 20.1%. Inverters The Company sells a line of SunPower branded inverters. The inverters are manufactured by third parties. Roof Mounted Products The roof mounted products include SunPower T-5 Solar Roof Tile System (T-5), SunPower T-10 Commercial Solar Roof Tiles (T-10), PowerGuard Roof System (PowerGuard) and SunTile Roof Integrated System (SunTile). Tilted at a 5-degree angle, the T-5 roof tile is a non-penetrating photovoltaic rooftop product that combines solar panel, frame, and mounting system. The T-5 solar roof tile systems are primarily sold through its R&C Segment. Tilted at a 10-degree angle, the T-10 commerci al solar roof tiles is a non-penetrating panel interlock! sys! tem! . Depe! nding on geographical location and local climate conditions, this can allow for the generation of up to 10% more annual energy output than traditional flat roof-mounted systems. The T-10 commercial solar roof tile is primarily sold through its R&C Segment. PowerGuard is a non-penetrating roof-mounted solar panel that delivers electricity while insulating and protecting the roof membrane from ultraviolet rays and thermal degradation. The PowerGuard roof system is primarily sold through its R&C Segment. SunTile solar shingles are designed to replace multiple types of roof panels, including the common concrete flat, low and high profile S tile and composition shingles. The SunTile roof system is also sold through its R&C Segment. Ground Mounted Products The ground mounted products include SunPower T-0 Tracker (T-0) & SunPower T-20 Tracker (T-20), SunPower Oasis Power Plant (SunPower Oasis), SunPower C-7 Tracker (C-7), and Fixed Tilt and Su nPower Tracker Systems for Parking Structures. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are single-axis tracking systems that automatically pivot solar panels to track the sun's movement throughout the day. This tracking feature increases the amount of sunlight that is captured and converted into energy by up to 30% over flat or fixed-tilt systems, depending on geographic location and local climate conditions. A single motor and drive mechanism can control 10 to 20 rows, or more than 200 kilo watts of solar panels. The T-0 and T-20 trackers have been installed in a range of geographical markets principally in the United States, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Spain. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments. The Oasis is a solar power block that scales from 1 mega watts distributed installations to central station power plants. Oasis provides a way to deploy utility-scale solar power systems, streaming the development and construction process while optimizing the use of available land! . The Sun! ! Power Oas! is is sold through its UPP Segment. The C-7 combines a horizontal single-axis tracker with rows of parabolic mirrors, reflecting light onto linear arrays of its solar cells. The C-7 tracker is sold through its UPP Segment. SunPower has developed designs for solar power systems for parking structures in multiple configurations. These dual-use systems typically incorporate solar panels into the roof of a carport or similar structure to deliver onsite solar power while providing shade and protection. They are suited for parking lots adjacent to facilities. Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for parking structures are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments. Other System Offerings SunPower�� metal roof system is designed for sloped-metal roof buildings, which are used in some winery and warehouse applications. This solar power system is designed for rapid installation. It also offers other architectural products, such as day lighting with tran slucent solar panels. Balance of System Components Balance of system components are components of a solar power system other than the solar panels. It includes SunPower branded inverters, mounting structures, charge controllers, grid interconnection equipment, and other devices depending on the specific requirements of a particular system and project. The Company competes with Canadian Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings Co., Kyocera Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Q-Cells AG, Sanyo Corporation, Sharp Corporation, SolarCity Corporation, SolarWorld AG, Sungevity, Inc., SunRun, Inc., Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Trina Solar Ltd., Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., Abengoa Solar S.A., Acconia Energia S.A., AES Solar Energy Ltd., Chevron Energy Solutions, EDF Energy plc, First Solar Inc., NextEra Energy, Inc., OPDE Group, NRG Energy, Inc., Recurrent Energy, Sempra Energy, Skyline Solar, Inc., Solargen Energy, Inc., Solaria Corporatio n, SolFocus, Inc., SunEdison and Tenaska, Inc! . 5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (Enterprise), incorporated on April 9, 1998, owns and operates natural gas liquids (NGLs) related businesses of Enterprise Products Company (EPCO). The Company is a North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and certain petrochemicals. Its midstream energy asset network links producers of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil from supply basins in the United States, Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with domestic consumers and international markets. Its midstream energy operations include natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation and storage; NGL transportation, fractionation, storage, and import and export terminals; crude oil gathering and transportation, storage and terminals; offshore production platforms; petrochemical and refined products transportation and services; and a marine transportation business that operates on the United States inland and Intracoastal Waterway systems and in the Gulf of Mexico. Its assets include approximately 50,000 miles of onshore and offshore pipelines; 200 million barrels of storage capacity for NGLs, petrochemicals, refined products and crude oil; and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity. In addition, its asset portfolio includes 24 natural gas processing plants, 21 NGL and propylene fractionators, six offshore hub platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico, a butane isomerization complex, NGL import and export terminals, and octane isobutylene production facilities. The Company operates in five business segments: NGL Pipelines & Services; Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services; Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services; Offshore Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services. NGL Pipelines & Services The Company�� NGL Pipelines & Services business segment includes its natural gas processing plants and related NGL marketing activities; approximately 16,700 miles of NGL pipel! ines; NGL and related product storage facilities; and 14 NGL fractionators. This segment also includes its import and export terminal operations. At the core of its natural gas processing business are 24 processing plants located across Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. Natural gas produced at the wellhead (especially in association with crude oil) contains varying amounts of NGLs. Once the mixed component NGLs are extracted by a natural gas processing plant, they are transported to a centralized fractionation facility for separation into purity NGL products. Once processed, this natural gas is available for sale through its natural gas marketing activities. Its NGL marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of NGLs it takes title to through its natural gas processing activities and open market and contract purchases from third parties. Its NGL marketing activities utilize a fleet of approximately 670 railcars, the majority of which are leased from third parties. The Company�� NGL pipelines transport mixed NGLs and other hydrocarbons from natural gas processing facilities, refineries and import terminals to fractionation plants and storage facilities; distribute and collect NGL products to and from fractionation plants, storage and terminal facilities, petrochemical plants, export facilities and refineries, and deliver propane to customers along the Dixie Pipeline and certain sections of the Mid-America Pipeline System. Revenues from its NGL pipeline transportation agreements are based upon a fixed fee per gallon of liquids transported multiplied by the volume delivered. Certain of its NGL pipelines offer firm capacity reservation services. It collects storage revenues under its NGL and related product storage contracts based on the number of days a customer has volumes in storage multiplied by a storage fee. In addition, it charges customers throughput fees based on volumes delivered into and subsequently withdrawn from storage. Its ! principal! NGL pipelines include Mid-America Pipeline System, South Texas NGL Pipeline System, Seminole Pipeline, Dixie Pipeline, Chaparral NGL System, Louisiana Pipeline System, Skelly-Belvieu Pipeline, Promix NGL Gathering System, Houston Ship Channel pipeline, Rio Grande Pipeline, Panola Pipeline and Lou-Tex NGL Pipeline. It operates its NGL pipelines with the exception of the Tri-States pipeline. The Company�� NGL operations include import and export facilities located on the Houston Ship Channel in southeast Texas. It owns an import and export facility located on land it leases from Oiltanking Houston LP. Its import facility can offload NGLs from tanker vessels at rates up to 14,000 barrels per hour depending on the product. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its average combined NGL import and export volumes were 132 thousand barrels per day. In addition to its Houston Ship Channel import/export terminal, it owns a barge dock also located on the Houston Ship Channel, which can load or offload two barges of NGLs or other products simultaneously at rates up to 5,000 barrels per hour. The Company owns or have interests in 14 NGL fractionators located in Texas and Louisiana. NGL fractionators separate mixed NGL streams into purity NGL products. The primary sources of mixed NGLs fractionated in the United States are domestic natural gas processing plants, crude oil refineries and imports of butane and propane mixtures. Mixed NGLs sourced from domestic natural gas processing plants and crude oil refineries are transported by NGL pipelines and by railcar and truck to NGL fractionation facilities. The Company�� NGL fractionation facilities process mixed NGL streams for third party customers and support its NGL marketing activities. It earns revenues from NGL fractionation under fee-based arrangements, including a level of demand-based fees. At its Norco facility in Louisiana, it performs fractionation services for certain customers under percent-of-liquids co! ntracts. ! Its fee-based fractionation customers retain title to the NGLs, which it processes for them. Its NGL fractionators include Mont Belvieu fractionator, Shoup and Armstrong fractionator, Hobbs NGL fractionator, Norco NGL fractionator, Promix NGL fractionators and BRF fractionators. Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services The Company�� Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 19,900 miles of onshore natural gas pipeline systems, which provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. It leases salt dome natural gas storage facilities located in Texas and Louisiana and own a salt dome storage cavern in Texas, which are integral to its pipeline operations. This segment also includes its related natural gas marketing activities. The Company�� onshore natural gas pipeline systems and storage facilities provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas from producing regions, such as the San Juan, Barnett Shale, Permian, Piceance, Greater Green River, Haynesville Shale and Eagle Ford Shale supply basins in the western United States. In addition, these systems receive natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico through coastal pipeline interconnects with offshore pipelines. Its onshore natural gas pipelines receive natural gas from producers, other pipelines or shippers at the wellhead or through system interconnects and redeliver the natural gas to processing facilities, local gas distribution companies, industrial or municipal customers, storage facilities or to other onshore pipelines. Its onshore natural gas pipelines generates revenues from transportation agreements under which shippers are billed a fee per unit of volume transported multiplied by the volume gathered or delivered. Its onshore natural gas pipelines offer firm capacity reservation services whereby the shipper pays a contractually stated fee based on the level of through! put capac! ity reserved in its pipelines whether or not the shipper actually utilizes such capacity. Under its natural gas storage contracts, there are typically two components of revenues monthly demand payments, which are associated with a customer�� storage capacity reservation and paid regardless of actual usage, and storage fees per unit of volume stored at its facilities. The Company�� natural gas marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of natural gas obtained from third party well-head purchases, regional natural gas processing plants and the open market. Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services The Company�� Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 5,100 miles of onshore crude oil pipelines, crude oil storage terminals located in Oklahoma and Texas, and its crude oil marketing activities. Its onshore crude oil pipeline systems gather and transport crude oil in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to refineries, centralized storage terminals and connecting pipelines. Revenue from crude oil transportation is based upon a fixed fee per barrel transported multiplied by the volume delivered. The Company owns crude oil terminal facilities in Cushing, Oklahoma and Midland, Texas, which are used to store crude oil volumes for it and its customers. Under its crude oil terminaling agreements, it charges customers for crude oil storage based on the number of days a customer has volumes in storage multiplied by a contractual storage fee. With respect to storage capacity reservation agreements, it collects a fee for reserving storage capacity for customers at its terminals. In addition, it charges its customers throughput (or pumpover) fees based on volumes withdrawn from its terminals. It provides fee-based trade documentation services whereby it documents the transfer of title for crude oil volumes transacted between buyers and sellers at its terminals. The Company�� crude oil marketing activities generate revenues! from the! sale and delivery of crude oil obtained from producers or on the open market. Offshore Pipelines & Services The Company�� Offshore Pipelines & Services business segment serves active drilling and development regions, including deepwater production fields, in the northern Gulf of Mexico offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. This segment includes approximately 2,300 miles of offshore natural gas and crude oil pipelines and six offshore hub platforms. Its offshore Gulf of Mexico pipelines provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas or crude oil. Revenue from its offshore pipelines is derived from fee-based agreements whereby the customer is charged a fee per unit of volume gathered or transported multiplied by the volume delivered. Poseidon Oil Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Poseidon), in which it has a 36% equity method investment, purchases crude oil from producers and shippers at a receipt point (at a fixed or index-based price less a location differential) and then sells quantities of crude oil at onshore Louisiana locations (at the same fixed or index-based price, as applicable). The Company�� offshore platforms are components of its pipeline operations. Platforms are used to interconnect the offshore pipeline network; provide means to perform pipeline maintenance; locate compression, separation and production handling equipment and similar assets, and conduct drilling operations during the initial development phase of an oil and natural gas property. Revenues from offshore platform services consist of demand fees and commodity charges. Revenue from commodity charges is based on a fixed-fee per unit of volume delivered to the platform multiplied by the total volume of each product delivered. Petrochemical & Refined Products Services The Company�� Petrochemical & Refined Products Services business segment consists of propylene fractionation plants, pipelines and related marketing activities; a butane isom! erization! facility and related pipeline system; octane enhancement and isobutylene production facilities; refined products pipelines, including its Products Pipeline System, and related marketing activities, and marine transportation and other services. The Company�� propylene fractionation and related activities consist of seven propylene fractionation plants (six located in Mont Belvieu, Texas and a seventh in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), propylene pipeline systems aggregating approximately 680 miles in length and related petrochemical marketing activities. This business includes an export facility and associated above-ground polymer grade propylene storage spheres located in Seabrook, Texas. Results of operations for its polymer grade propylene plants are dependent upon toll processing arrangements and petrochemical marketing activities. The toll processing arrangements include a base-processing fee per gallon (or other unit of measurement). Its petrochemical marketing activities include the purchase and fractionation of refinery grade propylene obtained in the open market and generate revenues from the sale and delivery of products obtained through propylene fractionation. The revenues from its propylene pipelines are based upon a transportation fee per unit of volume multiplied by the volume delivered to the customer. As part of its petrochemical marketing activities, it has refinery grade propylene purchase and polymer grade propylene sales agreements. Its butane isomerization business includes three butamer reactor units and eight associated deisobutanizer units located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which comprise the commercial isomerization facility in the United States. The Company�� commercial isomerization units convert normal butane into mixed butane, which is fractionated into isobutane, isobutane and residual normal butane. The uses of isobutane are for the production of propylene oxide, isooctane, isobutylene and alkylate for motor gasoline. These processing arrangements inclu! de a base! -processing fee per gallon (or other unit of measurement). Its isomerization business also generates revenues from the sale of natural gasoline created as a by-product of the isomerization process. The Company owns and operates an octane enhancement production facility located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which produces isooctane, isobutylene and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). The products produced by this facility are used in reformulated motor gasoline blends. The isobutane feedstocks consumed in the production of these products are supplied by its isomerization units. The Company owns a facility located on the Houston Ship Channel, which produces high purity isobutylene (HPIB). The feedstock for this plant is produced by its octane enhancement facility located at its Mont Belvieu complex. HPIB is used in the production of alkylated phenols used as antioxidants, lube oil additives, butyl rubber and resins. Refined products pipelines and related activities consist of its Products Pipeline System, equity method investment in Centennial Pipeline LLC (Centennial) and refined products marketing activities. The Products Pipeline System transports refined products, and petrochemicals, such as ethylene and propylene and NGLs, such as propane and normal butane. These refined products are produced by refineries and include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, kerosene, distillates and heating oil. Refined products also include blend stocks, such as raffinate and naphtha. Blend stocks are used to produce gasoline or as a feedstock for certain petrochemicals. The Centennial Pipeline intersects its Products Pipeline System near Creal Springs, Illinois, and loops the Products Pipeline System between Beaumont, Texas and south Illinois. In addition, it has refined products terminals located at Aberdeen, Mississippi and Boligee, Alabama adjacent to the Tombigbee River and on the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena, Texas. Its related marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of refin! ed produc! ts obtained from third parties on the open market. The Company�� marine transportation business consists of tow boats and tank barges, which are used to transport refined products, crude oil, asphalt, condensate, heavy fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas and other petroleum products along inland and intracoastal the United States waterways. Its marine transportation assets service refinery and storage terminal customers along the Mississippi River, the intracoastal waterway between Texas and Florida and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway system. It owns a shipyard and repair facility located in Houma, Louisiana and marine fleeting facilities in Bourg, Louisiana and Channelview, Texas. Other services consist of the distribution of lubrication oils and specialty chemicals and the bulk transportation of fuels by truck, in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. 5 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ecopetrol S.A.(EC) Ecopetrol S.A. operates as an integrated oil company in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and the U.S. Gulf Coast. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. As of December 31, 2010, its proved reserves of crude oil and natural gas consisted of 1,714.0 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company also transports crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, as well as mixture of diesel and palm oil. It owns transportation network consisting of 3,003 kilometers of crude oil pipeline directly, as well as an additional 2,178 kilometers of crude oil pipeline with its business partners; and 3,017 kilometers of multi-purpose pipelines for transportation of refined products from refinery to wholesale distribution points. As of the above date, Ecopetrol S.A. owned 58 stations with a nominal storage capacity of 19 million barrels of crude oil and 6 million barrels of refined products. In addition, the company owns and o perates refineries that produce a range of refined products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, sulfur, heavy fuel oils, motor fuels, and petrochemicals, including paraffin waxes, lube base oils, low-density polyethylene, aromatics, asphalts, alkylates, cyclohexane and aliphatic solvents, and refinery grade propylene, as well as provides industrial services to third parties. Further, it markets various refined and feed stock products, including regular and high octane gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, natural gas, and petrochemical products. The company was formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos and changed its name to Ecopetrol S.A. in June 2003. Ecopetrol S.A. was founded in 1948 and is based in Bogota, Colombia. Advisors' Opinion: [By Dave Friedman] Institutional investors bought 8,091,790 shares and sold 1,263,000 shares, for a net of 6,828,790 shares. This net represents 0.02% of common shares outstanding. The number of shares outstanding is 40,472,512,590. The shares recently traded at $40.59 and the company’s market capitalization is $82,710,853,874.47. About the company: Ecopetrol SA is an integrated oil company. The Company owns interests in oil producing fields in the central area, south, west and north of Colombia as well as refineries, ports for fuel exports and imports on both coasts and the transportation network of pipelines and polyducts throughout the Colombian territory. 5 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: Archer Ltd (ARCHER.OL) Archer Ltd, formerly Seawell Limited is a Bermuda-based global oilfield service company. The Company provides drilling services, such as platform drilling, land drilling, modular rings, directional drilling, drill bits, tubular services, drilling and completion fluids, cementing tools, plugs and packers, underbalanced services, rentals and engineering. It specialises also in well services, such as wireline intervention, specialist intervention, frac valves, wireline logging, integrity diagnostics, imaging, production monitoring, coiled tubing, completion services and fishing. As of January 3, 2012, the Company's organizational structure centered on four geographic and strategic areas: North America (NAM), North Sea (NRS), Latin America (LAM) and Emerging Markets & Technologies (EMT). As of December 31, 2010, it was active through a number of subsidiaries, namely Seawell, Allis-Chalmers Energy, Gray Wireline, Rig Inspection Services and TecWel, among others. 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