4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves Higher

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- At Stockpickr, we track daily portfolios of stocks that are the biggest percentage gainers and the biggest percentage losers.



Stocks that are making large moves like these are favorites among short-term traders because they can jump into these names and try to capture some of that massive volatility. Stocks that are making big-percentage moves either up or down are usually in play because their sector is becoming attractive or they have a major fundamental catalyst such as a recent earnings release. Sometimes stocks making big moves have been hit with an analyst upgrade or an analyst downgrade.

Read More: 5 Breakout Stocks to Trade for Gains




Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits. If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.




With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making large moves to the upside.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 25 Stocks for 2014

Conatus Pharmaceuticals

Conatus Pharmaceuticals (CNAT), a biotechnology company, focuses on the development and commercialization of novel medicines to treat liver diseases in the U.S. This stock closed up 1.9% to $7.85 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $7.50-$8.03

52-Week Range: $5.06-$15.67

Tuesday's Volume: 318,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 672,625

From a technical perspective, CNAT jumped notably higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $7.36 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $7.28 to $7.29. Following that bottom, shares of CNAT have started to spike higher and move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if CNAT manages to take out its 200-day moving average of $8.25 to some more near-term overhead resistance at $8.41 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CNAT as long as it's trending above its 50-day moving average at $7.36 or above those double bottom support zones and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 672,625 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then CNAT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $9.69 to $9.90, or even $10.50.

Read More: 3 Big M&A Stocks on Traders' Radars

Arch Coal

Arch Coal (ACI) produces and sells thermal and metallurgical coal from surface and underground mines located in the U.S. This stock closed up 6.6% to $3.05 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $2.92-$3.12

52-Week Range: $2.82-$5.37

Tuesday's Volume: 10.90 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 5.59 million

From a technical perspective, ACI gapped up sharply higher here right above its 52-week low of $2.82 with monster upside volume flows. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months and change, with shares moving lower from its high of $5.37 to its recent low of $2.82. During that move, shares of ACI have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of ACI are now starting to rebound off that $2.82 low with volume and a possible trend reversal could be at play. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the near-term if ACI manages to take out Tuesday's intraday high of $3.12 with strong volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ACI as long as it's trending above Tuesday's intraday low of $2.92 or above its 52-week low of $2.82 and then once it sustains a move or close above $3.12 with volume that hits near or above 5.59 million shares. If that move begins soon, then ACI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.36 to its 50-day moving average of $3.44. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ACI a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.75 to its 200-day moving average of $4.11.

Read More: 5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

Iao Kun Group

Iao Kun Group (IKGH) promotes VIP gaming rooms in Macau, the People's Republic of China. This stock closed up 4.2% to $3.22 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $3.12-$3.25

52-Week Range: $2.57-$4.26

Tuesday's Volume: 129,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 47,843

From a technical perspective, IKGH ripped higher here right off both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages at $3.13 with strong upside volume flows. This spike higher on Tuesday briefly pushed shares of IKGH into breakout territory, since the stock flirted with some key near-term overhead resistance at $3.22. Shares of IKGH are now quickly moving within range of triggering an even bigger breakout trade. That trade will hit if IKGH manages to take out Tuesday's intraday high of $3.25 to some more key overhead resistance at $3.36 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in IKGH as long as it's trending above Tuesday's intraday low of $3.09 or above more near-term support levels at $3 to $2.95 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 47,843 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then IKGH will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.55 to $3.61, or even $4 to its 52-week high at $4.26.

Read More: 5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for August Gains

Heron Therapeutics

Heron Therapeutics (HRTX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, develops product candidates using its proprietary Biochronomer polymer-based drug delivery platform. This stock closed up 2.4% to $9.20 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $8.87-$9.28

52-Week Range: $0.44-$15.82

Tuesday's Volume: 140,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 193,087

From a technical perspective, HRTX bounced notably higher here with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last month, with shares moving lower from its high of $12.70 to its recent low of $8.23. During that downtrend, shares of HRTX have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of HRTX have now started to bounce off that $8.32 low and it's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if HRTX manages to take out Tuesday's intraday high of $9.28 to some more near-term overhead resistance at $9.50 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HRTX as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $8.76 or above that recent low of $8.32 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 193,087 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then HRTX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10.57 to its 50-day moving average of $10.92, or its 200-day moving average of $11.11.

To see more stocks that are making notable moves higher, check out the Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>4 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

>>3 Stocks Breaking Out on Unusual Volume

>>5 Toxic Stocks You Should Sell This Summer

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com.

You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

3 Reasons Why The Travelers Companies' Stock Could Rise

Source: Company

Three reasons in particular stand out why The Travelers Companies (NYSE: TRV  ) could see rising stock prices throughout the remainder of the year and beyond: Premium momentum should continue to benefit the insurance company in the short- and medium term, returns on equity could further improve and raise The Travelers Companies' intrinsic value and it could deploy more cash in the future toward repurchasing its own shares and hiking its dividend.

Background
The Travelers Companies is a leading insurance company specializing in comprehensive property and casualty product offerings in home, business, and auto. With a market capitalization of almost $32 billion, The Travelers Companies is one of the largest insurance operations in the United States.

I am generally bullish on The Travelers Companies as well as on other insurance companies thanks to their business cycle sensitivity and high potential to increase premium volume when U.S. economic activity is improving.

Ultimately, The Travelers Companies, like other financial businesses, is a bet on higher growth going forward which should serve the insurance company well.

1. Encouraging premium trend
Insurance companies like The Travelers Companies increase their intrinsic value by growing premium volume (that is, by writing more insurance policies), selecting 'good insurance risks' and controlling costs.

Source: The Travelers Companies Investor Day Presentation

If you looked at The Travelers Companies historical net written premium growth, you might be tempted to dismiss the 1.4% compound annual growth rate over the last nine years as too low (see chart on the left-hand side).

However, you need to consider that the financial industry, including insurance businesses, had to overcome extreme adversity as the financial crisis unfolded and many companies in the industry were on the brink of failure.

Moreover, the property and casualty business is traditionally competitive with a lot of pressure on policy prices and a tendency to seduce insurance companies into inferior underwriting.

In any case, putting The Travelers Companies' premium growth in context to the operating environment and literal collapse in economic activity in 2008 and 2009, the insurance company actually did quite a good job overall.

For the foreseeable future I expect further premium momentum, which should contribute to higher returns on equity as well as continued book value growth.

2. High returns on equity
The underlying performance of a property and insurance company can quickly be evaluated by looking at its underwriting gains or losses.

Underwriting gains signals that the insurance business did a great job in selecting insurance risks in the past and achieving a series of underwriting gains is certainly in an indicator of a well-run insurance company.

Source: The Travelers Companies Second Quarter Investor Presentation

Two things stand out in the chart above: 1. The Travelers Companies has historically achieved high double-digit operating returns on equity (with the exception of 2011).

2. Underwriting gains, for the most part, contributed positively to company performance (with the exception of 2005 and 2011).

The Travelers Companies achieved an average operating return on equity of more than 13% annually since 2005, which is a respectable accomplishment given the distressed market conditions during the financial crisis.

3. Shareholder remuneration
Companies that face difficult markets, either because of fierce competition or because of macroeconomic shocks, often resort to alternative measures to create value for shareholders instead of expanding market share or increasing earnings.

At the top of the list: Share repurchases and dividend payments.

Source: The Travelers Companies Investor Day Presentation

I particularly like that The Travelers Companies seriously stepped up its shareholder remuneration when investors freaked out in 2008-2010. Though total shareholder remuneration has dropped subsequently as investors regained confidence in the financial sector and internal capital deployment opportunities emerged, shareholders can reasonably expect that the company will continue to repurchase its own shares on an opportunistic basis in the future.

The Foolish Bottom Line
The Travelers Companies is a solid insurance bet on premium momentum and convinces with a great record of achieving high levels of profitability.

In addition, The Travelers Companies remains committed to repurchasing its own shares and offers investors a promising, initial dividend yield of 2.40%.

All of these themes laid out above could lead to higher share prices for The Travelers Companies in the years ahead.

Top dividend stocks for the next decade
The smartest investors know that dividend stocks simply crush their non-dividend paying counterparts over the long term. That's beyond dispute. They also know that a well-constructed dividend portfolio creates wealth steadily, while still allowing you to sleep like a baby. Knowing how valuable such a portfolio might be, our top analysts put together a report on a group of high-yielding stocks that should be in any income investor's portfolio. To see our free report on these stocks, just click here now.

3 Reasons to Buy the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX)

Depending on whom you ask, gold is either a must-have investment or a terrible idea. The reality is, there are both good and bad reasons to invest in gold. There are also a number of ways to do it. Frankly, owning gold directly isn't practical for most people, and trading the commodity isn't always simple. One popular way to invest in gold is by using gold miners as a proxy, because their stock prices tend to move in tandem with the price of gold:

GG data by YCharts.

Gold mining is a hard, dirty, and expensive business, and fluctuations in the price of the commodity can swing a company from profits to losses literally overnight, making it difficult to know which miner to invest in. However, the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF  (NYSEMKT: GDX  ) is one way to get exposure to gold without having to buy the metal itself or figure out which gold miner to invest in.

Let's take a look at three reasons why you'd want to buy the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF.

1. Commodity exposure as part of your risk mitigation strategy 
The thing about gold that makes it different from many other commodities is how much its demand can be driven by speculation about things outside of the actual demand for gold. Industrial and commercial demand is only one of many factors that affect the price of gold. The price of gold increased almost 600% from 2001 to 2011, largely on speculation of currency collapse -- not increasing demand for gold by industries or consumers:

Gold Price in U.S. Dollars data by YCharts.

Since the peak in August 2011, gold has fallen 31%, while the stock market has rebounded strongly:

Gold Price in U.S. Dollars data by YCharts.

However, like bonds, investing in gold can be a way to mitigate the effects of a sour stock market, which often corresponds to poor economic conditions that send investors looking to gold for safety.

2. Broad exposure to the largest gold-producers 
The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF holds some 40 different stocks, giving broad exposure to gold miners. Because the fund is weighted by market capitalization, the largest companies make up the majority of the fund. More than 40% of the fund is allocated to four companies: Goldcorp  (NYSE: GG  ) , Barrick Gold  (NYSE: ABX  ) , Newmont Mining  (NYSE: NEM  ) , and Silver Wheaton  (NYSE: SLW  ) .

The benefit for most retail investors is that it simplifies the process gaining exposure to gold. If, for example, one wanted to limit exposure to 5% of their portfolio, it would take a lot of time and effort to determine which two or three companies offer the most upside and the least risk. And if you're managing a small portfolio, brokerage fees and stock prices could make it doubly difficult to diversify into enough gold miners to make it worth the effort.

This ETF takes that difficulty out of the equation, with risk spread across multiple companies and almost all of the upside tied to the performance of gold prices. 

3. The current macroeconomic environment could be a positive for gold investments
For the past few years, the stock market has been on one of the best bull runs in decades, even as the economy has been slow to rebound in terms of job creation and personal income levels. There's evidence that the stock market's strength has been partly driven by historically low interest rates and the Federal Reserve's economic stimulus.

Source: US Treasury

As the Fed begins both reducing its economic stimulus and raising interest rates, some have speculated that this could drive income investors out of stocks and back into bonds as yields return to historical levels during the next several years. This potential softness in the stock market could reignite demand for gold and send its price back up. The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF is a simple way to gain exposure to this potential trend. 

Final thoughts: Gold is a hedge, not a strategy in and of itself 
I have to confess: I'm not a huge fan of gold investing as a primary means to grow wealth. The reality is that its price is driven too much by speculation of macroeconomic possibilities and not enough by the real value of gold itself. This makes any efforts to model its value, or its potential returns, essentially impossible.

However, using gold as a hedge against currency devaluation or a potential macroeconomic downturn isn't an unreasonable use of a small part of one's portfolio. If you want to make gold part of your investing strategy, the Market Vector Gold Miners ETF could be the best way to do it.

Top dividend stocks for the next decade
The smartest investors know that dividend stocks simply crush their non-dividend-paying counterparts over the long term. That's beyond dispute. They also know that a well-constructed dividend portfolio creates wealth steadily, while still allowing you to sleep like a baby. Knowing how valuable such a portfolio might be, our top analysts put together a report on a group of high-yielding stocks that should be in any income investor's portfolio. To see our free report on these stocks, just click here now.

Hedge Funds Hate These 5 Energy Stocks -- Should You?

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- The energy sector has been a strong performer so far in 2014: For instance, since the calendar flipped to January, the Vanguard Energy ETF VDE has given investors total returns of 10.7%. That's nearly a third more performance than you'd have gotten with the S&P 500 over that same span. And other big energy index funds are posting similar double-digit returns year-to-date too.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

So then, why do hedge funds hate energy stocks right now?

Last quarter, energy wasn't just the only sector that saw net selling among hedge funds -- the "smart money" reduced their holdings in energy by a whopping 12% in the aggregate during the period. That's by far the biggest conviction bet I've seen against a single sector during a quarter.

But while it's interesting to know that funds hate energy stocks, it's a lot more useful to figure out which specific names top off their hate lists this summer. After all, it's the sell list -- the names that institutional investors hate the most -- that represents some of the biggest conviction moves. Scouring fund managers' hate list is valuable for two important reasons: it includes names you should sell too, and it includes names that they're wrong about selling.

Why would you ever buy a name that pro investors hate? It's because, often, when investors get emotionally involved with the names in their portfolios, they do the wrong thing. The big performance gap between hedge funds and the S&P 500 index in the last year and change is proof of that. So that leaves us free to take a more sober look at the names fund managers are capitulating on.

Luckily for us, we can get a glimpse at exactly which stocks top hedge funds' hate lists by looking at 13F statements. Institutional investors with more than $100 million in assets are required to file a 13F, a form that breaks down their stock positions for public consumption. From hedge funds to mutual funds to insurance companies, any professional investors who manage more than that $100 million watermark are required to file a 13F.

Read More: 5 Stocks Triggering Big Breakout Trades

So, without further ado, here's a look at five energy stocks fund managers hate...

Marathon Petroleum

Up first is Marathon Petroleum (MPC), a $25 billion independent refining stock that owns seven refineries across the U.S., with 1.7 million barrels of capacity per day. Marathon is one of the most-sold names from the last quarter, with funds unloading more than 4.38 million shares. At current price levels, that's a $401 million selling operation.

Marathon isn't your typical refining stock. First, around 40% of its refining capacity is located in the Mid-Continent, where it's able to capture discounted crude oil prices and a supply imbalance versus the refinery-rich Gulf Coast. It may seem strange to buy a refiner a time when integrated oil companies have been getting out of the oil business, but MPC has been growing its profitability (net margins hit above 3% last quarter) and building out its midstream operations through the MLP that it spun off in 2012.

That means that Marathon is more integrated than it may first appear. The firm's Speedway business, for instance, sells fuel through almost 1,400 retail gas stations. Those side businesses provide a nice complement to Marathon's core refining business, but ultimately refining is the firm's bread and butter. For investors looking for energy sector exposure (and a nice 2.2% yield), there are worse names out there than MPC.

Read More: 5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

Core Laboratories

It's been a rough year for shares of Core Laboratories (CLB) -- the oil service company's stock price has fallen more than 21% since the calendar flipped to January this year. So, it's not completely surprising to see that Core Labs came in high on hedge funds' sell lists this past quarter; CLB fell below their "maximum pain threshold", so fund managers clicked "sell". The relevant question for investors is whether it makes sense to follow suit now.

Core Labs provides oil and gas companies with core and reservoir analysis products and services that help them make better production decisions. That's a pretty easy sell for most of Core Labs' clients: there's a lot of mystery in pulling commodities out of the ground, so the more insight E&P firms can get on their sites, the better. And as oil companies work to pull higher yields out of mature wells, Core Labs' services are even more critical in 2014, a big part of the reason why the firm is able to generate big recurring cash flows each year. Revenues, profits, and margins have stair-stepped higher in each year since the Great Recession, an impressive feat given the shaky trajectory of oil prices.

Despite excellent execution, CLB's share price has looked rough this year. Technically speaking, shares are in a particularly ugly downtrend that's not showing signs of abating. But the deep value price tag on shares means that it makes sense to jump in on the next sign of a sentiment shift -- I'd call a breakout above the 50-day moving average a solid signal to start buying. Even though hedge funds unloaded 1.64 million shares of CLB last quarter, we're getting close to a low-risk opportunity to pick them up on the cheap.

Read More: 5 Breakout Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Valero Energy

Valero Energy (VLO) is another refining name that hedge funds hate right now. The $28 billion firm tips the scales as the largest independent refiner in the country, a fact that painted a big target on its back when pro investors turned on this energy niche. That's why funds sold off more than 7.28 million shares of VLO in the past quarter.

Valero operates 14 refineries in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., with total network capacity of 2.8 million barrels a day. The firm also has 1.1 billion gallons of ethanol production capacity annually, and, like Marathon Petroleum, it owns a large stake in its own publicly traded pipeline MLP. While Valero has historically been one of the more profitable independent refiners thanks to a very advanced refinery network that's able to process lower-grade crude, margins have been squeezed in recent quarters. And now, investors are putting considerable hope into the possibility of more discounted Gulf Coast crude supplies.

That seems like a shaky value proposition, considering that peers like Marathon are able to double dip from existing discounts in their higher exposure to Mid-Continent refining, and still capture future discounts in the Gulf Coast if they do materialize. Meanwhile, the technicals do at least look promising in VLO right now -- if shares can crack long-term resistance at $58, I'd be a buyer.

Read More: Triple Your Gains With These 5 Cash-Rich Companies

Southwestern Energy Co.

The sole exploration and production play on hedge funds' most-hated list this quarter is Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN), a $14 billion name with oil and gas projects spread across the U.S. and Canada, and natural gas shale wells in Fayetteville and Marcellus here in the U.S. SWN's proved reserves of 7 trillion cubic feet equivalent of gas.

Southwestern Energy is primarily a gas producer, a fact that gives it unique exposure. With natgas priced scraping along lows for years, and the largest integrated supermajors making big bets on gas price increases, SWN's positioning gives it the ability to generate transformational gains if natgas markets turn for the better. The firm's huge proved reserves mean that it has time to wait out the gas market before it ramps up production to collect higher market prices.

Despite the immediate challenges of the natgas market, SWN's extremely low cost of pulling gas out of the ground makes it attractive today. The firm typically collects net margins above 20% for its trouble, putting its profitability on par with E&Ps whose production skews towards oil. And with shares finally catching a big bid last week, SWN could be about to seen an end to selling in August.

All told, funds sold off 8.13 million shares of Southwestern Energy Co. last quarter.

Arch Coal

Last up on hedge funds' energy sector hate list is coal mining company Arch Coal (ACI). It doesn't take a genius to see that ACI has been a huge performance drag for funds in the first half of the year – through the end of July, shares of the $680 million coal producer fell more than 34%. But fund managers who threw in the towel might be calling a bottom here.

Arch operates 32 active mines in the U.S., selling coal to industrial customers like power plants and steel mills. The firm currently has total reserves of 5.5 billion tons of thermal and metallurgical coal at its mines, making it the second-largest coal producer in the country. A transition towards a higher mix of coking coal (most of ACI's coal reserves are thermal, lower priced coal used for power generation) should result in bigger margins and a bigger addressable market as demand in China ramps back up.

The combination of high production costs and a weak coal market have made profitability fleeting at ACI in recent quarters. That said, the price action is already showing signs of a reversal, as coal commodity prices move higher. From a technical standpoint, the move through $3.20 looks like a bottom in ACI, and shares are likely to move higher from here. Arch Coal may be the most speculative name on our list, but it could be the one that hedge funds got the most wrong in 2014.

Last quarter, funds sold off 12.05 million shares of ACI...

To see these stocks in action, check out the Institutional Sells portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Stocks Spiking on Big Volume

 

>>Sell These 5 Toxic Stocks Before It's Too Late

 

>>4 Stocks Under $10 to Trade Now

 

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in the stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

Will Security Problems Hamper Mexico's Energy Boom?

Mexico has attracted attention for passing secondary laws that will end its state oil monopoly and open the country's borders to new types of foreign investment. As Juan Montes explained in a recent article, "Under the new law, foreign and private domestic energy companies will be able to explore, produce and refine oil for the first time since Mexico nationalized its oil industry in 1938 and transformed oil into a symbol of national pride. State-owned oil giant Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, was created that year, and has since been the only company allowed to exploit the country's oil and gas resources, turning Mexico into the world's ninth-largest oil producer."

Economic consultant Luis de la Calle explained, "This is a new, important step in that same direction of creating markets. Transforming the energy sector into an energy market should lower power costs and Mexico's industry would be unstoppable against China and even the U.S."

Mexico is now open for investment by foreign oil companies. It remains to be seen what the impact of this reform will be.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are opportunities for foreign companies both offshore and in the shale fields of northwestern Mexico, south of the Texas border. The Perdido Fold belt which is located on the U.S.-Mexican maritime boundary could contain between ten and thirty billion barrels of oil. The area is likely to be of interest for oil majors such as Chevron, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell are already operating in areas close to Mexican waters.

Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex will likely still control the bulk of Mexico's oil and shale production. In mid-September the Ministry of Energy will decide what blocs it will open to private investment, but deepwater projects and difficult shale plays are likely to be opened to competitive biddings. These projects require expertise and funding that Pemex lacks.

In a recent article for Oil & Gas Journal Rachel Seeley explained "The Ministry of Energy will ultimately decide which geographic areas to make available for international bidding and when they will be unveiled. The ministry will also be responsible for deciding which contract types will be applied to which areas, evaluating bids, awarding contracts, and later monitoring exploration and production plans to ensure contract compliance and maximize productivity."

It is still not clear whether foreign companies will be offered production-sharing deals, profit-sharing agreements, pure service contracts, or licenses rather than concessions. Companies considering investing will wait to see how attractive the terms of the deals are. Then, the first round of bidding will likely take place after the July 2015 mid-term elections. Once the deals start taking effect, however, the impact on Mexico's economy could be quite significant. During an April 2014 visit to Washington DC Pemex chief Emilio Lozoya said, "The impact on the economy will be great."

Violence May Hamper Investment

Markets Rise; Bank Of America Q2 Profit Slips 43%

Related BZSUM Fed Says Districts Were Optimistic On Economic Outlook; Yahoo! Falls On Downbeat Results Yahoo Falls On Downbeat Results; Time Warner Shares Spike Higher

Following the market opening Wednesday, the Dow traded up 0.33 percent to 17,117.05 while the NASDAQ jumped 0.60 percent to 4,442.86. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.38 percent to 1,980.78.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

In trading on Wednesday, basic materials shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.87 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Noranda Aluminum Holding (NYSE: NOR), up 4.6 percent, and Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF), up 3.4 percent.

Utilities shares dropped by 0.04 percent in the US market on Wednesday. Top losers in the sector included National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG), down 1.1 percent, and Atmos Energy (NYSE: ATO), off 0.7 percent.

Top Headline

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) reported a 43% drop in its second-quarter earnings.

The bank’s quarterly profit declined to $$2.29 billion, or $0.19 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $4.01 billion, or $0.32 per share. The latest quarter results included a litigation charge of $4 billion, or $0.22 per share.

Its revenue slipped 4% to $21.96 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.27 per share on revenue of $21.65 billion.

Equities Trading UP

Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) shares shot up 18.11 percent to $83.87 after the company confirmed that it rejected a proposal from Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOXA) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the company.

Shares of Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) got a boost, shooting up 6.72 percent to $33.84 after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings. Analysts at UBS upgraded Intel from Neutral to Buy and raised the target price from $30 to $37.50.

HCA Holdings (NYSE: HCA) shares were also up, gaining 7.73 percent to $59.48 after the company lifted its 2014 earnings forecast.

Equities Trading DOWN

Shares of Interactive Intelligence Group (NASDAQ: ININ) were down 15.29 percent to $42.34 as the company warned that Q2 results will be below expectations.

BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) shares tumbled 3.97 percent to $10.85 on Apple-IBM deal news.

Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) was down, falling 3.95 percent to $34.21 after the company reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter results. The company announced it will reduce the number of shares being offered in the Alibaba IPO from 208 million shares to 140 million shares.

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded up 0.87 percent to $100.83, while gold traded up 0.46 percent to $1,303.10.

Silver traded down 0.16 percent Wednesday to $20.86, while copper fell 0.14 percent to $3.25.

Eurozone

European shares were higher today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 gained 1.28 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index jumped 1.79 percent, while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index rose 2.49 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX climbed 1.36 percent and the French CAC 40 rose 1.35 percent while UK shares surged 1.09 percent.

Economics

Industrial production increased 0.2% in June, versus economists’ expectations for a 0.3% gain.

The producer price index gained 0.4% in June, versus a 0.2% drop in May. However, economists were expecting a 0.3% rise in the index.

The NAHB housing market index increased 4 points to 53 in July, versus a reading of 49 in June. However, economists were projecting a reading of 50.

The Federal Reserve will release its latest Beige Book report at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Posted-In: Earnings News Guidance Upgrades Eurozone Futures Price Target Commodities

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Will iWatch Add $9 Billion To Apple's Top Line?

I admire the way Apple Apple used to innovate — that is to introduce a much better product into a huge existing market and then take a big share of its profits. Last time Apple innovated was in January 2010 when it started selling the iPad.

Some suggest that the iWatch is the next Apple innovation — yielding $9 billion in revenue. Is it? If IDC is right about the size of the market, the answer is probably not.

Before getting into the answer, what would an iWatch do? Based on a Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley research note  it sounds like the answer is a combination of telling time and monitoring your health and physical activity. Morgan Stanley's Kate Huberty wrote: "In our view, Apple will introduce a device with more sensors, and better form factor and aesthetics than competing devices in the market priced at $100-250."

That would represent several times more than the size of the total market if IDC is correct. IDC claims that the market will reach a total of 19.2 million units in 2014. From there, the global market will grow at a 78.4% annual rate to 111.9 million units by 2018.

IDC estimates that the Pebble smart watch, Samsung Galaxy Gear, and the Sony Sony SmartWatch will become significant players and that it will not be until 2016 that the smart wearable market reaches into the millions of units shipping.

How big an opportunity does this represent for Apple? Using "historical penetration of past iDevice[s]" Huberty believes that the answer ranges between 30 million and 60 million devices in the first 12 months after it is introduced — which is between 1.5 and 3.1 times bigger than the total 2014 market if IDC is right.

A "Nixie" watch as worn by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, Inc. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Estimating the revenue for Apple depends on what price people would pay for the iWatch. One tiny sample size survey done by Piper Jaffray of 10 people about watches and wearables revealed that 14% would pay $350 while 30% would buy one that ranged in price from $100 to $200. Piper Jaffray also found that 41% would not buy an iWatch at any price.

Can Apple introduce a product that is vastly superior to the ones already on the market? Canalys's research on first quarter 2014 wearable device sales suggests that Apple will face fierce competition from many rivals.

Fitbit controls nearly 50% of the 2.7 million unit wearables market in the first quarter of 2014. Jawbone is another strong competitor while Nike's FuelBand — which suffered a 10 percentage point market share drop in the first quarter — is fading.

In the smartband segment — which amounted to under 500,000 units in the first quarter — Apple would need to wrest share from Pebble with 35% — beating Samsung whose share dropped to 23% in the first quarter and Sony, according to Canalys.

This leads to the question of whether Apple will indeed get $9 billion in revenue from the rumored-to-be-announced iWatch. The answer is that it depends on whether Apple introduces the product, how many units it sells, and what price people pay for it.

If we assume that people will pay $200, then Apple would need to sell 45 million of them to hit $9 billion. A $300 price would require Apple to sell a mere 30 million iWatches. If we assume that Apple starts to sell these devices in 2015 and apply IDC's growth rate — then the total market will hit 34 million next year.

In short, it looks like Morgan Stanley's assumptions for iWatch sales would require Apple to instantly take over between 88% and 132% of the total wearables market if IDC is right.

I do not think this is plausible in any market. To be fair, it's possible that Morgan Stanley has a better forecast for the market size than IDC.

Nor do I think that Apple will take a huge amount of market share within a year of launch from rivals that already make very popular products.

In short, the iWatch is all hype and no delivery at this point. I would be surprised if it becomes Apple's next innovation yielding $9 billion in revenue.

Electronics Maker's Listing Lifts Hong Kong Clan Into Billionaire Ranks

The listing this month of electronics maker Guangdong Ellington Electronics at the Shanghai Stock Exchange has lifted its controlling Lee family of Hong Kong into the ranks of the world's billionaire clans.

High Tree, which is 100% owned by three sons of entrepreneur Lee Lap, holds 391 million shares, or about 80% of Guangdong Ellington. The shares were worth $1.7 billion today.  

Lee and his family also hold a 64% stake in Hong Kong-listed Termbray Industries International, whose businesses include real estate investment and oil field engineering.  Termbray Industries owns 31% of Termbray Petro-king Oilfield Services, whose shares are also traded in Hong Kong.  

Guangdong Ellington manufactures printed circuit boards. 

Underscoring the differences in transparency between Hong Kong- and mainland China-listed businesses for international investors, Ellington's shareholding services department declined to provide the English-language names of Lee's three sons that are its controlling shareholders.

According to a Hong Kong filing, Ellington's chairman is Lee Wing Keung (click here for a photo).  Another brother, Tommy Lee, is the CEO of Termbray Industries.

– With Maggie Chen, Mao Yanjie, Cherish Xiong 

– Follow me on Twitter Twitter @rflannerychina

 

 

3 Sectors That Should Fear China

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China has the world's largest economy in terms of purchasing power. When it moves, markets can be crushed.

Even though China is not posting double-digit economic growth like it did before, shipping (NYSE: SEA), natural gas (NYSE: UNG) and coal (NYSE: KOL) should all fear the way the leadership is positioning the country.

Shipping

China has established a target of having more shipping traffic sail its flag.

As China is the world's bigger consumer of many goods, it has a great deal of power in shipping. The country has already attempted to use this through contractual matters.

The shipping sector is just starting to recover: Guggenheim Shipping, the exchange-traded fund for shipping, is up nearly 20 percent for the last year of market action. Territorial moves on China's part could scuttle the recovery.

Natural Gas

China is also moving to increase its natural gas production.

Beijing has set forth a target of reducing pollution. A major part of that is increasing the usage of natural gas. That will not open markets for American natural gas because of logistical factors.

China has massive natural gas fields that are untouched. When producing, these could take away markets from national gas companies that are now operating.

For the last six months, United States Natural Gas, the exchange traded fund for natural gas, is off by more than 14 percent. This could mean the surplus of natural gas as the tension with Russia has only resulted in the price falling.

Coal

That also presents a poor outlook for coal.

China is the world's largest user of coal, as it is with so many other industrial metals. The country wants to do away with the pollution that coal brings.

That will decrease the demand for coal over time, which will crater the price even more. Market Vectors Coal, the exchange traded fund for coal, has fallen by 1.65 percent for 2014.

Posted-In: Long Ideas Sector ETFs Short Ideas Commodities Economics Markets Trading Ideas ETFs Best of Benzinga

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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3 Huge Stocks to Trade (or Not)

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.




From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.


Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks



While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.


Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Read More: 5 Hated Stocks That Could Pop When the S&P Drops

Sprint

Nearest Resistance: $7.50

Nearest Support: $6

Catalyst: T-Mobile Talk Termination; New CEO

Shares of Sprint (S) are cratering this afternoon, down around 20% following news that the firm's talks to acquire T-Mobile (TMUS) have fallen through. According to Bloomberg, Sprint didn't think the acquisition was worth the regulatory barriers -- but investors clearly disagree with that conclusion based on today's selloff. Sprint is also getting extra attention this afternoon, following the announcement that Brightstar Corp founder Marcelo Claure will take over as CEO, replacing Dan Hesse, who has held the top spot since 2007.

From a technical standpoint, Sprint looked rough earlier in the week. Shares are just following through from a technical standpoint this afternoon, in large part thanks to the absence of buyers here.

While support is nearby at $6, it makes sense for buyers to stay away for the time being.

As of the most recently reported quarter, Spring was one of John Paulson's top holdings.

Groupon

Nearest Resistance: $7

Nearest Support: $5.75

Catalyst: Q2 Earnings

It looks like the big spikes in put volume on Groupon (GRPN) earlier this week are paying off following second-quarter earnings. Groupon reported earnings of 1 cent per share for the quarter, coming in line with analysts' expectations. But the 16% selloff today is coming thanks to a lower than expected forecast for the third quarter. GRPN only expects to earn 2 cents in profits next quarter, short of Wall Street's 3-cent average estimate.

The swat lower in shares today is rough, but the technicals are holding. A breakout above $7 is still the most important buy signal to watch for this summer. Until it happens, nothing has changed technically here.

Cognizant Technology Solutions

Nearest Resistance: $46.50

Nearest Support: $41

Catalyst: Q2 Earnings

IT outsourcer Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) is down 12% on big volume this afternoon, following the firm's second quarter earnings call. While earnings beat expectations -- EPS came in at 66 cents, a 3-cent beat vs. estimates -- a cut to the firm's sales outlook for the third quarter is driving the selloff in this $26.6 billion technology name.

The technicals look rough in CTSH right now. Today's gap lower triggered the breakdown below key support at $46.50, a move that's signaling a long-term sell in CTSH. Support at $41 looks like the next stop for investors -- caveat emptor.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves Higher

>>5 Tech Trades Ready to Move

>>3 Stocks Rising on Big Volume

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in the names mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

3 Huge Stocks to Trade (or Not)

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.




From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.


Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks



While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.


Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Read More: 5 Hated Stocks That Could Pop When the S&P Drops

Sprint

Nearest Resistance: $7.50

Nearest Support: $6

Catalyst: T-Mobile Talk Termination; New CEO

Shares of Sprint (S) are cratering this afternoon, down around 20% following news that the firm's talks to acquire T-Mobile (TMUS) have fallen through. According to Bloomberg, Sprint didn't think the acquisition was worth the regulatory barriers -- but investors clearly disagree with that conclusion based on today's selloff. Sprint is also getting extra attention this afternoon, following the announcement that Brightstar Corp founder Marcelo Claure will take over as CEO, replacing Dan Hesse, who has held the top spot since 2007.

From a technical standpoint, Sprint looked rough earlier in the week. Shares are just following through from a technical standpoint this afternoon, in large part thanks to the absence of buyers here.

While support is nearby at $6, it makes sense for buyers to stay away for the time being.

As of the most recently reported quarter, Spring was one of John Paulson's top holdings.

Groupon

Nearest Resistance: $7

Nearest Support: $5.75

Catalyst: Q2 Earnings

It looks like the big spikes in put volume on Groupon (GRPN) earlier this week are paying off following second-quarter earnings. Groupon reported earnings of 1 cent per share for the quarter, coming in line with analysts' expectations. But the 16% selloff today is coming thanks to a lower than expected forecast for the third quarter. GRPN only expects to earn 2 cents in profits next quarter, short of Wall Street's 3-cent average estimate.

The swat lower in shares today is rough, but the technicals are holding. A breakout above $7 is still the most important buy signal to watch for this summer. Until it happens, nothing has changed technically here.

Cognizant Technology Solutions

Nearest Resistance: $46.50

Nearest Support: $41

Catalyst: Q2 Earnings

IT outsourcer Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) is down 12% on big volume this afternoon, following the firm's second quarter earnings call. While earnings beat expectations -- EPS came in at 66 cents, a 3-cent beat vs. estimates -- a cut to the firm's sales outlook for the third quarter is driving the selloff in this $26.6 billion technology name.

The technicals look rough in CTSH right now. Today's gap lower triggered the breakdown below key support at $46.50, a move that's signaling a long-term sell in CTSH. Support at $41 looks like the next stop for investors -- caveat emptor.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves Higher

>>5 Tech Trades Ready to Move

>>3 Stocks Rising on Big Volume

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in the names mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

Worst Performing Industries For August 6, 2014

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The Dow gained 0.29% to 16,477.06, while the NASDAQ composite index rose 0.34% to 4,367.54. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index surged 0.32% to 1,926.33.

The worst performing industries in the market today are:

Drug Stores:

This industry tumbled 4.7% by 11:00 am. The worst stock within the industry was Walgreen Co (NYSE: WAG), which fell 12.6% following the announcement of Boots acquisition. Walgreen lifted its dividend by 7.1%.

Drug Related Products:

This industry fell 3.27% by 11:00 am ET. Perrigo Company (NYSE: PRGO) shares dropped 3.8% in today's trading. Perrigo is expected to release its Q4 results On August 14, 2014.

Semiconductor- Memory Chips:

The industry dropped 3.24% by 11:00 am. The worst performer in this industry was Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), which declined 1.9%. Micron shares have jumped 125.13% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 13.56% in the same period.

Diversified Communication Services:

This industry moved down 2.47% by 11:00 am, with Sprint (NYSE: S) moving down 17.6%. Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint was abandoning its efforts to acquire T-Mobile US (NYSE: TMUS), citing regulatory issues. Sprint named Marcelo Claure as its President and CEO.

Posted-In: Worst Performing IndustriesNews Movers & Shakers Intraday Update Markets

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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10 Private Equity Managers That Outperform Their Peers

Preqin, in anticipation of the publication of its 2014 Private Equity Performance Monitor, has created league tables of private equity managers that have most consistently outperformed their peers.

Ten managers across three fund strategies — buyout, venture capital and funds of funds — received the highest possible score compared with similar league tables in 2013.

Preqin, which produces research on alternative investments, compiled the tables only from funds for which it had performance data and had assigned a quartile ranking. Top quartile funds were given a score of one, second quartile funds a score of two and so on. An average quartile ranking was then calculated.

Preqin assigned quartile rankings to private equity funds based on both the multiple and internal rate of return (IRR), taking into account the fund vintage, strategy and geographic focus.

The league tables excluded 2012, 2013 and 2014 vintage funds because these were too early in their fund lives to generate a meaningful IRR.

The lists comprised only active fund managers that had raised at least three funds of a similar strategy, and had either raised a fund in the past six years or were currently raising one of a similar strategy to their predecessor fund.

Four buyout managers achieved an average quartile score of 1.00, the best possible score:

Five venture capital fund managers achieved the best score of 1.00. All are U.S. based:

Only one fund-of-funds manager achieved the best average score of 1.00 in 2014: Nordea Private Equity,based in Denmark. The manager is a new entry to the league table this year.

ATP Private Equity Partners in Denmark and Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, which both had a score of 1.00 in 2013, had average quartile scores of 1.25 and 1.33, respectively, this year.

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