Why Arotech Corporation (ARTX) Is Tumbling After Hours

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Arotech Corporation (ARTX) is slipping in extended trading after missing analysts' estimates in its recent quarter.

After the bell, shares had taken off 14.6% to $5.31.

In its December-ended fourth quarter, the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based business reported a net loss of 3 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had anticipated break-even earnings.

Revenue of $20.9 million came in 5.6% lower than a year earlier and missed forecasts for $21.7 million. Must Read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Stocks STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more. TheStreet Ratings team rates AROTECH CORP as a Hold with a ratings score of C. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate AROTECH CORP (ARTX) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed -- some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the company's profit margins have been poor overall." You can view the full analysis from the report here: ARTX Ratings Report STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Stock quotes in this article: ARTX 

5 Toxic Stocks That Could Sink Your Portfolio

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Make no mistake, the broad market is in correction mode right now. The S&P 500 is heading into a fourth week of not making any price progress, and while the downside action hasn't been particularly painful (yet), the sideways action in stocks continues to grind at investors who waited too long to click the "buy" button on their brokerage accounts.

>>Beat the S&P in 2014 With the Stocks Everyone Else Hates

More important, it's the correction happening behind the scenes that's really giving back gains; individual names and specific sectors are faring far worse than the S&P right now. That's especially true in stocks that have been momentum winners up until now.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, for instance, has shed close to 4% in March, and it's technically positioned to roll over even further next week.

Put simply, owning specific "toxic" stocks could be hazardous to your returns as we head into April. So, which stocks are set to drag your portfolio the lowest in the next few months?

Today, we're taking a technical look today at five toxic stocks you should start selling.

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Just to be clear, the companies I'm talking about today aren't exactly junk. By that, I mean they're not next up in line at bankruptcy court. But that's frankly irrelevant; from a technical analysis standpoint, sellers are shoving around these toxic stocks right now. For that reason, fundamental investors need to decide how long they're willing to take the pain if they want to hold onto these firms in the weeks and months ahead. And for investors looking to buy one of these positions, it makes sense to wait for more favorable technical conditions (and a lower share price) before piling in.

For the unfamiliar, technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors, such as investor psychology, based on a stock's price action and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can aid fundamental investors in better planning their stock execution

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So, without further ado, let's take a look at five "toxic stocks" you should be unloading.

Ford Motor

Things are looking rough in Ford Motor (F). Shares of the $59.7 billion automaker have been selling off in an orderly pattern for the last six months; since September, Ford is down more than 12%. Meanwhile, the S&P has rallied 8.5% over that same period.

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Translation: Ford is a toxic stock right now. And it doesn't take an expert analyst to figure out why.

Since September, Ford has been trending lower in a textbook downtrending channel. A pair of parallel price levels forms the channel: a resistance line above shares and a support line below them. Those two lines on the chart provide traders with the high-probability range for Ford's shares to stay within, and they've remained inviolate this entire time. So now, as Ford presses up against to the top of the channel for a fourth time, it makes sense to sell (or even short) its next move lower.

If you decide to go on the short side of this trade, I'd recommend putting a protective stop above Ford's most recent swing high at $16. If shares can manage to catch a bid above that level, it means buyers have wrestled back control.

Target

Ford is just one of the large-cap names that's been trending lower under the radar while the broad market sits just shy of highs; Target (TGT) is another. In fact, Target's downtrend has been a lot worse than Ford's. Since last June, shares of the $38 billion retail stock have fallen more than 18%, and that trend looks far from over.
.

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Target is another textbook downtrending channel. Sellers have swatted shares lower on each successive test of trend line resistance, and so, with TGT on the upper edge of its channel today, it makes a lot of sense to sell the next bounce lower.

Waiting to sell off a resistance bounce makes sense for two big reasons: It's the spot where prices are the highest within the channel, and alternatively it's the spot where you'll get the first indication that the downtrend is ending. Remember, all trend lines do eventually break, but by actually waiting for the bounce to happen first, you're ensuring that sellers are still in control before you unload your stake in TGT.

Gran Tierra Energy

Moving down the size scale brings us to small-cap oil and gas stock Gran Tierra Energy (GTE), a name that's actually been showing some decent performance over the last year. In the trailing 12 months, GTE has pushed more than 23% higher, outperforming the S&P 500 by nearly 5%. But now, it looks like that rally is coming to an end.

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GTE is forming a descending triangle pattern, a bearish setup that's formed by a downtrending resistance level above shares, and horizontal support to the downside at $6.75. Basically, as GTE bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakdown below support. That $6.75 price floor is the level to watch right now -- a breakdown below it is our sell signal for this price setup.

Sellers are getting more aggressive in GTE this month as well -- short interest has increased by approximately 25% in the last month. If shorts and gain-takers can overwhelm the buying pressure that's left at $6.75, you won't want to be the only one still holding on; that's why it makes sense to sell GTE when it breaks support.

Telecom Italia

Telecom Italia (TI) has been a perfect example of a big momentum name over the last six months: since September, TI has rallied more than 47%. But anyone who owns this Italian communications company should start thinking about taking gains. TI is starting to show signs of a top this month.

>>5 Big Tech Stocks to Trade for Gains

TI is forming a textbook head and shoulders pattern, a bearish reversal setup that indicates exhaustion among buyers. The head and shoulders is formed by two swing highs that top out at approximately the same level (the shoulders), separated by a higher high (the head). The sell signal comes on a move through Telecom Italia's neckline level at $11.

Momentum, measured by 14-day RSI, adds some extra confirmation to downside in TI. Our momentum gauge has been making lower highs over the course of the setup, an indication that down days are getting the better of up days in this stock. Remember, momentum is a leading indicator of price.

You can ignore the large number of small trading gaps in TI's stock chart. Those gaps, called suspension gaps, occur because of TI's off-hours trading on the Borsa Italiana in Milan. They can be ignored from a technical analysis standpoint.

Costco Wholesale

We're seeing the exact same setup in shares of Costco Wholesale (COST), just on a bigger scale. Like Telecom Italia, Costco is forming a head and shoulders pattern, but Costco's setup has been in the works since last summer. Longer-term setups come with longer-term trading implications, so that's good reason to keep an eye on what's going on in shares of COST.

The neckline for Costco comes in at $110 -- if shares violate that price level, this stock's price objective drops to $94. That's not an enormous decline, but since this pattern is so slow moving, expect it to be a big performance drag whenever the broad market goes back into rally mode.

Relative strength has been horrible in Costco since the end of 2013. which means that COST has been dramatically underperforming the S&P 500 this year, both on the way up and on the way down. From a statistical standpoint, that makes continued underperformance look likely on a rolling 3-to-10 month time horizon. Sell the $110 breakdown in COST.

To see this week's trades in action, check out the Toxic Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

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>>3 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in 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

IRS Has $760 Million in Unclaimed Refunds

Time is running out for more than 900,000 taxpayers to collect their share of $760 million in unclaimed refunds, according to the IRS. Taxpayers who did not file a 2010 federal tax return have until April 15 to file their returns and claim any money they are owed. The IRS estimates that more than half of the unclaimed refunds from 2010 are more than $571.

SEE ALSO: 10 Ways to Waste Your Refund

The law gives taxpayers three years from the date a return is due to claim a refund. Refunds that are not claimed for 2010 returns (which were due in 2011) by April 15 will become property of the U.S. Treasury. So if you didn't file a return for 2010 (or any year since then) and think you might be owed money, you can find prior year tax forms at IRS.gov. You might be due a refund if you had too little income to file a return but had taxes withheld from your wages or made quarterly estimated tax payments.

If you're missing a W-2, 1099 or other from from a prior year needed to complete your tax return, check with the employer or financial institution that would have sent you this form. You also can file a Form 4506-T to request a transcript from the IRS that includes data from these forms.

Tracking your 2013 refund

If you've already filed your 2013 federal tax return and are owed money, you can track the status of your refund with the Where's My Refund tool at IRS.gov.

The IRS will post the status of your refund within 24 hours after it's received your e-filed tax return. If you mailed your return, it takes four weeks. You'll need your Social Security number, filing status and refund amount as shown on your tax return to check your refund's status.

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The IRS updates its refund data only once a day -- usually overnight. So the IRS urges taxpayers not to check the status of their refunds several times a day. Otherwise, a large number of inquiries will more likely lead to service disruptions.

When you do receive your refund, consider these 10 smart uses for it. Then consider adjusting your tax withholding so that you get the money when you earn it. Sure, it feels great to get a big check you can use to pay down debt, fund a vacation or add to a retirement account. But it means you're handing over too much money to Uncle Sam -- money you could use each month to pay bills, buy groceries, invest in stocks or whatever. Use our Tax Withholding Calculator to see how much you can add to your paycheck by adjusting your withholding.

A Cautious, Reluctant Bull

I hesitate to claim that Newton's Law—A body in motion will continue in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force—applies to the stock market; yet, in almost all our studies of past bear markets or crashes, there were causal factors that triggered the downturn, suggests Jim Stack in InvesTech Market Analyst.

Over the past 50 years, the most common trigger was a reversal or tightening in monetary policy. If you overlay a long-term graph of the 90-day T-bill yield, with the S&P 500 (SPX), this relationship becomes clearly visible.

One of the problems, however, is the variability in tightening, or interest rate increases, before trouble started in the stock market. Thus, the reason for watching as many reliable warning flags as possible.

It's only natural that the size of last year's gain would make one more nervous about the prospects for 2014. However, statistically speaking, the bearish odds did not increase simply because last year was a great year in the market.

Since 1928, there have been 18 years in which the S&P 500 increased over 25% (including 2013). Almost two-thirds of the subsequent years (61%) saw the market continue to rise the following year, with over twice as many double-digit gains as double-digit losses.

That doesn't imply we should expect double-digit gains this year, yet it allows us to remain cautiously optimistic in the absence of bearish evidence.

In addition, breadth rebounded so sharply last month that it registered not one, but two new "breadth thrusts." A "breadth thrust" takes place when the ten-day total of advancing stocks outpaces declining stocks by a wide margin.

This kind of upward momentum is often seen near the beginning of a new bull market or at the start of a new bull market leg upward.

We found that, since 1950, there have been only four instances when the S&P 500 was down more than 4% six months after a thrust was first observed. Also, there was only one double-digit loss (-10%), which occurred during the 1973-74 bear market.

So, bottom line, we are encouraged about this bull market's prospects over the balance of this year. With the margin debt and small-cap excesses described inside, I'm reluctant to speculate how long this bull market will last.

However, I don't mind being a "cautious, reluctant bull," as long as we're prepared to quickly adjust our allocation level downward, if warning flags start to increase.

Subscribe to InvesTech Market Analyst here…

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Mobile Ad Spending Soars 75%

Spending on mobile advertising worldwide more than doubled in 2013 to $17.96 billion and 2014 growth is reckoned at 75% to a global total of $31.5 billion. The 2014 total represents about 25% of all spending on digital ads and the two big beneficiaries have been and will continue to be Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The duo combined to take more than two-thirds of the 2013 mobile ad spend.

Which vertical markets are spending the most and what are their goals? Millennial Media Inc. (NYSE: MM), which provides data analysis to advertisers, has just released a report on mobile ad spending in 2013 by vertical market and by advertisers' goals. The data on ad spending was published by eMarketer last week.

According to Millennial Media, the top five vertical markets ranked by 2013 spending are entertainment, retail, telecommunications, finance and consumer goods. Retail and entertainment switched positions at the top of the list and consumer goods replace automotive spending at number 5.

Spending on consumer goods advertising rose 134% in 2014, but the biggest increase in year-over-year spending came in sports advertising, up nearly 500%.

Ad campaign goals also shifted in 2013, with site/mobile traffic replacing sustained in-market presence as the top goal — 30% of all 2013 spending was directed at traffic growth, up from 14% in 2012. Brand awareness campaigns increase from 14% to 22% year-over-year, while in-market presence campaigns fell from 39% to 24%.

Using rich media and video ads boosted click-through rates by 350% in automotive advertising when compared with standard banner ads. Education ads also saw a boost of 350% with rich media and video, while technology advertising saw a rise of 290% and consumer goods and travel each saw a rise of 260%.

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The top apps for 2013 were games, music & entertainment, communications, productivity & tools and mobile social media. The top five were the same as in 2012, although the order of the last three changed.

Viewed by operating system platform, Android grew its share from 48% to 54% and iOS from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) grew its share from 32% to 38%. BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) saw its share fall from 16% to 7% and Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows' share fell from 3% to 1%.

According to eMarketer, Facebook grew its revenue from mobile advertising from 11% of the company's total in 2012 to 45.1% in 2013, and eMarketer forecasts that mobile ad spending will comprise 63.4% of Facebook's digital ad revenue in 2014.

Google garnered 23.1% of its total 2013 ad revenues from mobile; that’s expected to rise to 33.8% in 2014. The not-so-good news for Google is that eMarketer expects desktop search to post a significant decline in 2014. The research firm said desktop search ad spending grew just 2.3% in 2013, and it expects spending to decline by $1.4 billion, or 9.4%, in 2014. Google's ad revenues from desktop search accounted for 76.4% of search ad revenues in 2013. That is predicted to decline to 66.3% this year.

Guess shares drop as outlook disappoints

Bloomberg

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Guess Inc. shares dropped in the extended session Wednesday after the company's outlook fell short of Wall Street estimates.

/quotes/zigman/166567/delayed/quotes/nls/ges GES 28.76, -0.51, -1.74% Guess 12-month share price

Shares of Guess (GES) declined 5.8% to $27.10 on moderate volume after the apparel and accessories company forecast a loss of 9 cents to 5 cents a share for the first quarter, on revenue of $520 million to $535 million. For the full year, they see earnings of $1.40 to $1.60 a share, on revenue of $2.53 billion to $2.58 billion.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect first-quarter earnings of 11 cents a share on revenue of $546.3 million, and full-year earnings of $2 a share on revenue of $2.6 billion.

For the fourth quarter, Guess reported 82 cents a share on revenue of $768.4 million, while analysts expected 78 cents a share on revenue of $758.5 million.

In other after-hours trading, shares of Jabil Circuit Inc. (JBL)  rose 2.7% to $18.75 on moderate volume.

Jabil reported adjusted fiscal second-quarter earnings of 10 cents a share on revenue of $3.58 billion, while analysts expected earnings of 11 cents a share on revenue of $3.61 billion. However, Jabil also forecast adjusted third-quarter results of a 20 cents a share loss to break even on $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion. This compared to analyst expectations for 18 cents a share on revenue of $3.68 billion.

Click to Play Fed lessens weight of jobless rate in guidance

The Federal Reserve alters its guidance on the likely path of interest rates, putting less weight on the unemployment rate as a sign for when rate increases will start. Photo: Getty.

For fiscal 2015, Jabil forecast adjusted earnings of $1.65 to $1.95 a share, while analysts see $1.63 a share.

Shares of Herman Miller Inc. (MLHR)  rose 6% to $30.44 on moderate volume after the company reported adjusted fiscal third-quarter earnings of 34 cents a share on revenue of $455.9 million. Analysts expected 34 cents a share on revenue of $457.6 million.

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Herman Miller forecast fourth-quarter earnings of 43 cents to 47 cents a share on revenue of $485 million to $505 million. Analysts expect 43 cents a share on revenue of $487.5 million.

ExOne Co. (XONE)  fell 10% to $39.20 on moderate volume after the 3-D-printer company's quarterly results and outlook fell short of Wall Street estimates.

Shares of Cintas Inc. (CTAS)  rose less than 0.1% to $59.60 on light volume after the Cincinnati-based employee-uniform and business-supplies company reported quarterly results.

Cinedigm Corp. (CIDM)  retreated 10% to $2.84 on light volume after the media-content distributor said it was launching an unspecified secondary offering of its Class A shares.

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Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cytomedix Inc (CMXI)

Cytomedix, Inc. (Cytomedix), incorporated in April 29, 1998, is a regenerative therapies company marketing and developing products within the United States and internationally .The Company commercializes cell-based technologies that harness the regenerative capacity of the human body to trigger natural healing. The Company is a commercial operation, and a robust clinical pipeline representing a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving field of regenerative medicine. Cytomedix primarily operates in the United States. Its commercial offerings are centered on its point of care platform technologies for the safe and efficient separation of blood and bone marrow to produce platelet based therapies or cell concentrates.

The Company markets and selsl two distinct platelet rich plasma (PRP) technologies, the AutoloGel System for wound care and the Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) Sytem in orthopedic and cardiovascular markets. It s clinical pipeline includes the ALDH, which are cell-based therapies (Bright Cells). In February 2012, the Company acquired Aldagen, Inc.

The AutoloGel System

The AutoloGel System is a point of care device for the production of a platelet based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient's own blood. Using the patient's own platelets as a therapeutic agent, AutoloGel harnesses the body's natural healing processes to deliver growth factors, chemokines and cytokines known to promote angiogenesis and to regulate cell growth and the formation of new tissue.

Angel Product Line

The Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) System is a multi-functional cell separation device which produces concentrated platelet rich plasma for use in the operating room and clinic and is used in a range of o! rthopedic and cardiovascular indications. Similar to the AutoloGel System, the Angel System is a point of care d evice for the production of a concentrated, aseptic platelet! -based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient's own blood. The resulting cPRP is applied at the site of injury to promote healing. The Angel product line also includes ancillary products such as phlebotomy and applicator supplies and activAT. activAT is designed to produce autologous thrombin serum from platelet poor plasma and is sold exclusively in Europe and Canada, where it provides a safe alternative to bovine-derived products.

ALDHbr Cell Technology and Development Pipeline

The ALDHbr (Bright Cell) technology is an approach to cell-based regenerative medicine and a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving regenerative medicine market, with potential clinical indications in markets with unmet medical needs such as peripheral arterial disease and ischemic stroke. The Bright Cell technology is in that it utilizes an intracellular enzyme marker to facilitate fractionation of essential regenerative cells from a patient's bone marrow. The bone marrow fractionation process identifies and isolates active stem and progenitor cells expressing high levels of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, or ALDH, which is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of gene activities associated with cell proliferation and differentiation.

The Company's lead product candidate, ALD-401, is an autologous preparation of Bright Cells for the post-acute treatment of ischemic stroke. ALD-401 is being evaluated in the RECOVER-Stroke clinical study, an ongoing 100-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in patients with unilateral, cerebral ischemic stroke with an NIH stroke scale score of less than 22. An additional product candidate, ALD-301, is in clinical development for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition causing reduced flow of blood! and oxyg! en to muscles in the leg. It has completed a Phase 1/2 study of autologous ALD-301 in critical limb ischemia ( CLI), a late stage condition caused by PAD. The Phase 2 PACE! (Patient! s with Intermittent Claudication Injected with ALDH Bright Cells) study is an 80 patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of ALD-301 (Bright Cells) in patients diagnosed with IC.

The Company competes with Harvest Technologies (a subsidiary of Terumo), Biomet, Arteriocyte, and Arthrex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  To give credit where it's due, Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have both helped shape the landscape of the hemostasis (bleeding control) market with their products, AutoloGel and TISSELL, respectively. Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH) has proverbially taken their concepts "up a notch", however, and its direct solution to a problem that CMXI and BAX can't quite solve may make ARTH the hottest trading candidate in the hemostasis space.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  When traders think of post-surgical wound management stocks, they may first think of names like Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) or Alliqua Inc. (OTCMKTS:ALQA). And well they should. Both companies have something of a history in the arena. ALQA is the purveyor of SilverSeal and Hydress antibiotic bandages, while CMXI is the developer of the AutoloGel system, which induces an affected patient's on body to do what it's supposed to do if there's a wound that won't heal. Cytomedix also makes the Angel platelet-rich plasma (PRP) delivery system. There's a relatively new name to add to the list of game-changing stocks in wound-management industry, however.... Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH). The company is developing - well, has developed - a product called AC5 that nips post-surgical bleeding in the bud, largely negating the need for other post-surgical bleeding-control measures.

  s! ource from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-biotech-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Banco Macro SA (BMA)

Banco Macro S.A. (the Bank), incorporated on November 21, 1966, is a bank in Argentina. The Bank provides standard banking products and services to a nationwide customer base. The Bank has two categories of customers: retail customers, which include individuals and very small companies, and corporate customers, which include small, medium and large companies and major corporations. In addition, it provides services to four provincial governments. The Bank offers a range of standard products, which are available to both its retail and corporate customers. Retail customers are individuals, entrepreneurs and very small companies (companies with less than Pesos one million in sales per year). It provides services to them throughout Argentina, in particular outside of the City of Buenos Aires, which has higher concentrations of low- and middle-income individuals who are traditionally underserved by large private banks. The Bank serves its retail customers through its nationwide branch network. Approximately 94% of the Bank's branches are located outside of the City of Buenos Aires.

The Bank offers its retail customers traditional banking products and services, such as savings and checking accounts, time deposits, credit and debit cards, consumer finance loans (including personal loans), mortgage loans, car loans, overdrafts, credit-related services, home and car insurance coverage, tax collection, utility payments, automated teller machines (ATMs) and money transfers. The Bank offers personal loans, document discounts, (housing) mortgages, overdrafts, pledged loans and credit card loans to its retail customers.

The Bank provides its corporate customers with traditional banking products and services, such as deposits, lending (including overdraft facilities), check cashing advances and factoring, guaranteed loans and credit line! s for financing foreign trade and cash management services. It also provides them trust, pay roll and financial agency services, corporate credit cards a! nd other specialty products. The corporate business is focused on the classification by sizes and sectors. The Bank has four categories for its corporate customers: small companies, which register up to Pesos 52 million in sales per year; medium companies, which register more than Pesos 52 million and less than Pesos 150 million in sales per year; major companies, which register more than Pesos 150 million in sales per year, and agro companies, which operate in agriculture or in the commerce of its products (approximately 97% of its corporate customers are small businesses).

The Bank's lending activities to the corporate sector (defined here as firms with loans outstanding in excess of Pesos 20,000) totaled Pesos 4,985 million. Most of its lending activity consists of working capital loans to small and medium-sized businesses. The Bank offers short-term and medium- to long-term corporate lending products. Short-term products include credit lines for up to 180 days and consist mainly of overdraft facilities, corporate credit and debit cards and factoring, as well as foreign trade related financing, such as pre-export, post-shipment and import financing. Medium-to long-term products include credit lines and specific lending facilities of more than 180 days.

The Bank offers transaction services to its corporate customers, such as cash management, customer collections, payments to suppliers, payroll administration, foreign exchange transactions, foreign trade services, corporate credit cards and information services, such as its Datanet and Interpymes services. The Bank's payments to suppliers' services enable its customers to meet their payment obligations to their suppliers on a timely basis through a system. This service also provides payment liquidations, tax payment receipts, invoices and any other documents requi! red by th! e payer.

The Bank's collection services include cash or check deposits at its 408 branches, automatic and direct debits from checking ! or saving! s accounts and the transportation of funds collected from corporate customers to its branches for deposit. The Bank provides its corporate clients with access to the Datanet service, which is an electronic banking network linking member banks in Argentina. These services permit its clients to obtain reliable online information on a real-time basis from their bank accounts in Datanet, as well as perform certain transactions. The Bank also provides tax collection and financial agency services to four provinces.

The Bank competes with Santander Rio, Banco de Galicia y Buenos Aires S.A., BBVA Banco Frances S.A., HSBC Argentina S.A. and Banco Patagonia S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Federico Zaldua]

  Despite growing expenses, in local currency terms, the bank's net income improved 16% year-over-year (yoy) while Non-Performing-Loans (NPL) have been kept below 4%. Hence, through Galicia, you can invest in an operationally healthy bank that shall behave in line with government bonds. Trading at 3 times P/E and 75% book value I think Galicia is good bet within the space.
  
  High Exposure to Public Debt
  
  Banco Macro (BMA) has been one of the highest growing banks during the last two decades. One interesting thing about Banco Macro is that the bank owns approximately $400 million of government related securities when the bank's total market capitalization is now just above $1 billion. On the other hand, Banco Macro is growing earnings aggressively at a 39% year over year rate in local currency terms with a very low (and stable) 1.6% NPL rate. Banco Macro is slightly more expensive than Galicia trading at 80% its book value and 3.2 times P/E.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Marco Bank (BMA) offers a range of traditional banking products and services to corporates, SME's and individuals i! n Argenti! na. This stock closed up 5.6% at $20.93 in Monday's trading session.

  Monday's Volume: 404,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 78,386
  
  Volume % Change: 504%

  From a technical perspective, BMA jumped sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $19 with strong upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $13.63 to its recent high of $21.73. During that move, shares of BMA have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of BMA within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if BMA manages to take out its 52-week high at $21.73 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BMA as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $19 to $18.29 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $21.73 with volume that's near or above 78,386 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then BMA will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $25 to $27.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-bank-stocks-to-own-right-now.html

Best Gas Stocks To Own Right Now

Best Gas Stocks To Own Right Now: Exxon Mobil Corporation(XOM)

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, and manufacture of petroleum products, as well as transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. The company manufactures and markets commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, and other specialty products. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 35,691 gross and 30,494 net operated wells. The company has operations in the United States, Canada/South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia/Oceania. Exxon Mobil Corporation was founded in 1870 and is based in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM  ) rose 0.6% despite the dual threat of economic sanctions against Russia and a decline in crude-oil prices to $98.25 per barrel this morning. Given the result of the Crimea vote, the likelihood of sanctions that could adversely affect the oil giant's partnership with Russia's Rosneft is higher than it was last week. Yet investors still hope that Exxon's massive investment in the nation will bear fruit in the long run, even if sanctions force delays. Equally important to Exxon's success is making sure that geopolitical issues don't disrupt the global economy enough to cause substantial drops in energy use, which could send oil prices plunging and produce real long-term problems for the company.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Currently, PBR stock trades for a forward P/E of less than 5. That makes it one of the cheapest large energy stocks on the market. Even venerable energy stocks like Exxon (XOM) still trade at double-digit forward P/E ratios. And while XOM has been adding more oil to its arsenal, it features a similar production and reserve growth profile as PBR. Yet, it almost seems li! ke investors have given up on Petrobras and PBR stock.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  If you find this a bit too cynical, consider this – Google’s market cap is $403 billion, just about $3 billion shy of Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM). It just so happens to be that Exxon Mobil is the second largest market cap in America, and the second largest S&P 500 stock.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-gas-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Best Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now

Best Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Aegon NV(AEG)

AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marke! ting. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Assuming it delivers on its outlook for 2014, its current free cash flow yield is a very enticing 20%. This isn't a growth stock, but its brands still possess hidden value. As cheap stocks go, it's very attractive.

  Cheap Stocks to Buy: Aegon (AEG)

  It's not often that you can buy a $19 billion market cap for under 10 bucks. Aegon's a Dutch insurance company that's had a rough ride over the past few years, and its stock's suffered as a result. In the late ’90s AEG stock traded around $60 — it hasn't been anywhere close since. However, it's got some good assets that should bear fruit in the years to come. Aegon has 12,000 employees in the Americas doing business primarily under the Transamerica brand, which has been a part of AEG since 1999.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-cheap-stocks-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Best Food Stocks To Buy For 2014

Best Food Stocks To Buy For 2014: Carrefour SA (CRERF)

Carrefour SA is a France-based company that is primarily engaged in retail distribution sector. The Company operates a network of hypermarkets, supermarkets, hard discount stores, convenience stores and cash-and-carry outlets and offers e-commerce services. The Company's hypermarkets named Carrefour offer a range of food and non-food products. Carrefour SA's hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores are operating under the Carrefour city, Carrefour contact, Carrefour express, 8aHuit, Shopi, Marche Plus, Proxi banners and cash & carry stores are operating under the Promocash banner, which primarily offer food, clothing and household goods, among others. The Company operates in mainland France and French overseas territories, as well as in Europe, Asia, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East through a network of consolidated and franchised stores, and stores that Carrefour SA runs with partner companies. In January 2014, it acquired 129 convenience stores. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sophia Yan]

  Carrefour (CRERF) has also shuttered many stores, and is reported to be exploring a sale of its China and Taiwan businesses.

  Hypermarkets -- big box stores that combine supermarkets and department stores -- first opened up in China's largest cities over a decade ago. And it's no wonder companies such as Wal-Mart have been keen to get a slice of the market.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-food-stocks-to-buy-for-2014.html

Top Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014

Top Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: City National Corporation (CYN)

City National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for City National Bank that provides various banking, investing, and trust services to small to mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, professionals, and affluent individuals. Its deposit products include demand and interest checking deposits, savings deposits, and money market accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, including lease financing; residential mortgage loans; commercial real estate mortgages; real estate construction loans; equity lines of credit; and installment loans. It also offers cash management, international banking, equipment financing, and other products and services. In addition, the company provides investment management, advisory, and brokerage services, including portfolio management, securities trading, and asset management; personal and business trust and investment services comprising employee benefit trust services, and 401(k) and defined benefit plans; and estate and financial planning, and custodial services. Further, it offers various asset classes and investment styles, including fixed-income instruments, mutual funds, domestic and international equities, and alternative investments, such as hedge funds. City National Corporation provides its services through 79 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers in Southern California; the San Francisco Bay area; Nevada; New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  Given that you clicked on this article, it seems safe to assume you either own stock in City National Corp. (NYSE: CYN  ) or are considering buying shares in the near future. If so, then you've come to the right place. The table ! below reveals the nine most critical numbers that investors need to know about City National stock before deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold it.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-financial-stocks-to-buy-for-2014.html

What to Expect in 2014

Market veteran Ned Riley shares his outlook for the market in 2014 as well as for some of the recent high-flying technology stocks.

TERRY:  I'm Terry Savage from MoneyShow.com talking with Ned Riley of Riley Asset Management, formerly chief investment strategist for State Street Global Advisors. 

NED:  Right, Terry. 

TERRY:  So that's a very good point to start out, we're early in the year.  We had some terrific gains last year.  What do you see ahead for 2014? 

NED:  I think this year is going to be a little bit more difficult.  It was pretty easy last year.  We had the markets up 30% and if anybody want up at least that much money they probably are kind of wondering what they did for strategy.  2014 is going to be real hard in many respects.  First of all, the profit momentum is good this year, it's positive.  It was riding off the fourth quarter at 7% growth but it's going to be more difficult if Europe and the Far East don't kick in with growth.  I think our US companies are going to depend more on the international scene in 2014 than they do on the domestic scene. 

TERRY:  Well, that's not too exciting, right.  I mean, we had a weak January and now we've got the emerging markets having problems, currency woes all over.  The feds, you know, while they're not cutting back they're just not putting quite as much money in.  Can any of that be good for the stock market? 

NED:  Most of that is not good, but the tapering aspect for the Federal Reserve, I mean, we've expanded the balance sheet so much to $4 trillion that, you know, $800 to $1 trillion, you know, what's that to the fed?  They can reduce the balance sheet to $3 trillion and we still have a lot of liquidity, Terry.  When you start to look at things, there's a lot of cash, money market funds, and bonds, and I'm looking for the poor public to get whipsawed again where they'll be selling out bonds this year to put into the stock market.  Unfortunately there's the old repetition of selling at lows and buying at highs. 

Top Food Stocks To Watch For 2014

TERRY:  So what's your net net for the stock market this year?  Are you predicting it will be an up year by the time the New Year's Eve bell rings? 

NED:  I think it will be an up year, but more modest, 8% to 10%.  I think the profits will be the primary factor behind that growth.  The expansion of price earnings ratios is not going to be great this year as it was last. 

TERRY:  Any sectors you like particularly? 

NED:  I like technology.  I still like the groups that I've liked for the last several years.  It's funny, between the old and the new, I actually still like the old tech stocks.  I like Apple, yes, they didn't have the quarter that everybody wanted them to, but it's cheap.  I still like companies like Hewlett-Packard which clearly out -

TERRY:  What about the hot and happening stuff, the Facebook and the Twitters? 

NED:  Well, I get a twitter every time I see the stocks go up.  Facebook hit a new high, that's wonderful.  Things are going just brilliantly for all three companies like Tesla, like Facebook, like Twitter.  The only problem is they're priced to perfection, and at some point someone is going to make a mistake along the line and that stock price is going to get hit quite dramatically, so -

TERRY:  Inaudible. 

NED:  Well, I'm a little apprehensive, yeah.  If I was going to sell the stock, I don't own any of the three so I was a fool not to own them, obviously, but I would do it in increments.  I wouldn't do it at all once.  I would sell -

TERRY:  It's always hard to look back and you sold everything at one point.  Better to just kind of average in and out.  Thanks for joining us.  We had Ned Riley of Riley Investment Management.  I'm Terry Savage from MoneyShow.com.

Alleged 'Inventor of Bitcoin' Says We've Got the Wrong Guy

Top Promising Stocks For 2015

AP

On a sunny day in Southern California, an elderly Asian man wearing glasses and a sport coat is being chased through the streets of Los Angeles by a throng of reporters. Not since the infamous "slow speed" chase of O.J. Simpson has there been such interest among the Southland media corps about the occupant of a moving vehicle. He retreats to his Temple City home, where reporters set up camp on the lawn, keeping vigil and waiting for a glimpse of their elusive prey. The scene is so chaotic that authorities send in L.A. County Sheriff's deputies every few hours just to keep the peace. The subject of all this attention is a man named Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. Or is he? Satoshi Nakamoto is the name associated with the birth of Bitcoin; first in 2008 as the author of a paper describing the characteristics of the virtual currency, and then again in 2009 with the release of the first Bitcoin software, which created the network and the first actual "coins." Nakamoto, which some speculate is a pseudonym, possibly for a group of people, began to withdraw from the Bitcoin community in mid-2010, handing over source code and bitcoin.org to other prominent members. After that, he disappeared. But speculation over his true identity didn't. That's partly because he's believed to be in possession of approximately one million Bitcoin -- which at its height in 2013 had a value of over $1 billion -- and partly because nobody has ever actually met the man. (Assuming he actually a man.) Ironically, the same technology that makes it possible to create a currency whose main benefit is its anonymity also allows for the inventor of that currency to operate in the same way. But that doesn't mean there aren't a number of theories as to Nakamoto's true identity. Investigative journalists have, at one time or another, suggested several people were Nakamoto, including a Finnish doctor, an Irish graduate student, a Japanese mathematician and a Texas security researcher. All have denied being Nakamoto. Then Newsweek reported that it had found the real Satoshi Nakamoto. This Nakamoto, who loves model trains and whose elderly mother lives with him, stands in stark contrast to the popular image of bitcoin's creator: an elusive, semi-evil genius determined to undermine the world's monetary system. But he fueled the speculation with his initial comments. Speaking to a reporter, he said he is "no longer involved in [Bitcoin] and cannot discuss it. It's been turned over to other people. They are in charge of it now. I no longer have any connection." However, in a subsequent interview with the Associated Press, he denied any role in Bitcoin, claiming he was misunderstood by the Newsweek reporter. "I got nothing to do with it," Nakamoto repeatedly told an AP reporter. He went on to explain that his initial comments were misunderstood, partly because English is not his native language. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter who is unmasked as the father (or mother) of Bitcoin. More significant is the zeal with which the media has explored the issue, signaling that despite what many might think about a virtual cryptocurrency's viability, it has worked its way well into the public's collective psyche. Awareness is the first step toward acceptance, and there would be some poetic justice if all the attention paid toward uncovering the creator of Bitcoin actually led to a wider understanding and use of the currency in everyday life.

Top Small Cap Stocks For 2015

Top Small Cap Stocks For 2015: KongZhong Corporation(KONG)

KongZhong Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireless interactive entertainment, media, and community services to mobile phone users in the People's Republic of China. It also involves in the development, distribution, and marketing of consumer wireless value-added services, including wireless application protocol, multimedia messaging services, short messaging services, interactive voice response services, and color ring back tones. In addition, it offers interactive entertainment services, such as mobile games, pictures, karaoke, electronic books, mobile phone personalization features, entertainment news, chat, and message boards; and through Kong.net offer news, community services, games, and other interactive media and entertainment services; and sells advertising space in the form of text-link, banner, and button advertisements. Further, the company develops and publishes mobile games, including downloadable mobile games and online mobile games cons isting of action, role-playing, and leisure games. As of December 31, 2009, it had a library of approximately 300 internally developed mobile games. Additionally, it develops online games; and provides consulting and technology services, as well as media and net book services. The company was formerly known as Communication Over The Air Inc. and changed its name to KongZhong Corporation in March 2004. KongZhong Corporation was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 wireless services player that looks poised for a big spike higher is KongZhong (KONG), which is a provider of WVAS and mobile games to mobile phone users and a wireless media company providing news, content, community and mobile advertising services through its wireless Internet sites in the PRC. Th! is stock is off to a hot start in 2013, with shares up sharply by 53%.

  If you take a look at the chart for KongZhong, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months, with shares plunging lower from its high of $14.92 to its recent low of $7.78 a share. During that downtrend, shares of KONG have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of KONG into oversold territory, since its current relative strength index reading is 30.21. Shares of KONG are now starting to spike higher off its recent low of $7.78 a share and off its 200-day moving average of $7.95 a share. This spike could be signaling that the downside volatility for KONG is over in the short-term and the stock is ready to trend higher.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in KONG if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $8.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 519,857 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then KONG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10 to its 50-day moving average at $11.33 a share.

  Traders can look to buy KONG off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $7.78 a share. One can also buy KONG off strength once it takes out $8.50 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Kongzhong (Nasdaq: KONG  ) , who! se recent! revenue and earnings are plotted below.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-small-cap-stocks-for-2015-2.html

Amazon Coins Expands Its Bitcoin Rivalry Ambitions

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is starting to make its Amazon Coins program available to mobile users. The move probably reflects a realization by the company that making the program available only to users of its Kindle Fire tablets is limiting the growth of its Amazon App store.

The move may also allow Amazon to get ahead of the spread of Bitcoin and to keep more of its customer activity within Amazon’s own financial ecosystem.

The company said Wednesday that customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany can buy, spend and earn Amazon Coins on Android-based phones and tablets. Virtual coins can then be used to buy apps, games and in-app items. In short, this is allowing micropayments and larger payments alike inside the Amazon ecosystem.

The expansion does not make the coins available to users of iPhones, iPads, Windows phones and tablets or other platforms (not yet).

Customers cannot use Amazon Coins to buy other products and services from the online retailer. But users have told the company they would like to use Amazon Coins to buy more than games and apps. So, it is possible the program will be expanded.

Amazon calls Amazon Coins a “virtual currency,” but the program, introduced in May 2013, operates more like other digital gift cards available from retailers. Amazon Coins theoretically are also not discounted over regular dollars, so one Amazon coin is worth one cent. But Amazon’s site on Wednesday offered 500 Amazon coins for $4.80, a 4% discount.

A customer buys the coins from Amazon’s App store. Developers of games and apps for Amazon’s App store get paid in real money.

It has yet to be revealed how much volume Amazon Coins is generating. The program was not mentioned in the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report.

Is this a coincidence on the timing of the Bitcoin woes? Maybe, but Amazon Coins has been an ongoing effort for some time now. Still, the Mt.Gox exchange has seen the value of Bitcoin fall from $1,000 in January to around $261 on Tuesday. BitStamp shows the “real” Bitcoin price up around $625 on last look.

Amazon shares were down 0.9% to $350.39 in early Wednesday trading.

5 Toxic Stocks to Sell in March

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Buckle your seatbelt. The S&P 500 looks ready for another correction.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

After rocketing straight up in February, the big index is sitting at the top of its trading range, an indication that we're due for some sideways price action in March. As far as the index is concerned, that's just fine; we're in a "buy the dips market" right now, so buyers should be eager for another dip.

The real trouble comes, though, when you hold onto "toxic stocks" during a correction. Those are the names that crush your portfolio's performance when the market takes a breather. That's why, today, we're taking a technical look at five "toxic stocks" you should start selling.

Just to be clear, the companies I'm talking about today aren't exactly junk. By that, I mean they're not next up in line at bankruptcy court. But that's frankly irrelevant; from a technical analysis standpoint, sellers are shoving around these toxic stocks right now. For that reason, fundamental investors need to decide how long they're willing to take the pain if they want to hold onto these firms in the weeks and months ahead. And for investors looking to buy one of these positions, it makes sense to wait for more favorable technical conditions (and a lower share price) before piling in.

>>5 Stock Charts to Buy for Gains in March

For the unfamiliar, technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors, such as investor psychology, based on a stock's price action and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can aid fundamental investors in better planning their stock execution.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at five toxic stocks you should be unloading.

Legacy Reserves

First up is Legacy Reserves (LGCY), a $1.5 billion oil and gas partnership. This stock has been trading flat for the better part of the last year, failing to do much from a price standpoint while it paid out a hefty 8.8% dividend yield. But with a toxic setup in shares right now, chasing yield in LGCY looks like a major mistake.

>>3 Stocks Spiking on Unusual Volume

That's because LGCY is currently forming a descending triangle, a bearish setup that's formed by a downtrending resistance level above shares and horizontal support at $26. Basically, as shares bounce between those two technically important price levels, they're getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakdown below that $26 price floor. When that happens, we've got our sell signal in LGCY.

It's important not to jump the gun on this trade. Downside doesn't become the high-probability move until shares violate $26.

Fidelity National Financial

Shareholders in $7.5 billion insurer Fidelity National Financial (FNF) have enjoyed a better run lately; in the last six months, shares have climbed 33% higher. But the rally could be coming to an end in FNF -- shares are starting to look "toppy" in March. Here's how to trade it.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

FNF is currently forming a double top, a bearish reversal pattern that sounds just like it looks. The double top is formed by a pair of swing highs that max out at approximately the same price level. The sell signal comes when the trough that separates the two highs gets violated. For FNF, that breakdown level is right at $30. A drop below $30 means that it's time to be a seller (or go short).

There's no magic in why $30 is such an important price level to watch. Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to keep buyers and sellers in mind. Triangles and double tops are a good way to quickly describe what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

That horizontal $30 support level in FNF is the spot where there's previously been an excess of demand for shares; in other words, it's a price where buyers have been more eager to step in and buy shares at a lower price than sellers were to sell. That's what makes a breakdown below support so significant. The move means that sellers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess demand at the at price level. So if FNF slips below $30, more downside is the high-probability trade.

Target

The last six months haven't been a good time to be an investor in $38 billion retailer Target (TGT). Between the firm's very public breach of credit card data by hackers and soft earnings, Target hasn't been able to catch a break on Wall Street. And if you think that's set to change, think again.

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy in March

You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out what's going on in Target -- a quick glance at the chart will do. Target is currently in a downtrending channel, a range that shares are likely to stay within. When it comes to price channels, it's about as simple as it gets: up is good and down is bad. And so, Target isn't looking very good right now. As shares bounce off of trend line resistance for a third time since last summer, it makes sense to be a seller here.

Target's relative strength has been horrific since last summer as well, a signal that TGT is likely to keep outperforming this month. As the broad market eyes a correction relative strength is the single most important indicator in your technical toolbox. That makes Target's lack of strength especially toxic.

Compania de Minas Buenaventura

We're seeing the exact same setup right now in mid-cap Peruvian gold and silver miner Compania de Minas Buenaventura (BVN). Like Target, Buenaventura has been stuck in a downtrending channel since last summer, bouncing lower on every test of trend line resistance. And so, with shares creeping up on resistance for a fourth time, it makes sense to sell the bounce lower.

>>5 Bargain Bin Stocks to Buy in March

Waiting to sell off a resistance bounce makes sense for two big reasons: It's the spot where prices are the highest within the channel, and alternatively it's the spot where you'll get the first indication that the downtrend is ending. Remember, all trend lines do eventually break, but by actually waiting for the bounce to happen first, you're ensuring that sellers are still in control before you unload your stake in BVN.

The fact that shares have had two other reversals inside the channel before even getting to resistance adds some confidence that buyers are few and far between in this name. So even though metals prices are on the upswing, don't expect Buenaventura to participate this time around...

Southwest Gas

Top Performing Stocks To Buy Right Now

Last up is Southwest Gas (SWX), a name that's starting to look toxic thanks to a classic technical setup that's been forming in shares since October. While shareholders have been sitting on double-digit gains since this summer, now might be the time to think about locking them in by selling. SWX looks "toppy" in March.

That's because SWX is forming a head and shoulders pattern, a bearish reversal setup that indicates exhaustion among buyers. The head and shoulders is formed by two swing highs that top out at approximately the same level (the shoulders), separated by a higher high (the head). The sell signal came on a move through the neckline just below $51. If that $51 level gets violated, it's time to steer clear of SWX.

Momentum, measured by 14-day RSI, has been making lower highs over the course of the pattern in SWX. In other words, our momentum gauge is telling us that down days are getting the better of up days in this stock, even as shares push up against highs. So, if shares can't catch a bid above $51, then it's time to sell.

To see this week's trades in action, check out the Toxic Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>4 Stocks Under $10 Triggering Breakouts

>>5 Short-Squeeze Stocks That Could Pop in March

>>5 Ways to Trade the Ukraine Crisis

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in 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

Bernanke has the most profitable week of his life

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Ben Bernanke has always lived a fairly modest lifestyle. But his earning potential just exploded.

Bernanke, who was paid $199,700 as chairman of the Federal Reserve last year, is now commanding as much as $250,000 per speech, according to Reuters. And he's got three speaking engagements on his calendar this week alone.

None of the venues hosting the former Fed chief would comment on that they're paying him.

Bernanke ended his 8-year term at the Fed on Jan. 31. He then joined the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, rather than going to Wall Street or setting up an economic consulting firm, as his predecessor Alan Greenspan did.

While a $250,000 speaking fee is obviously good pay for an afternoon's work, it's not out of line with what other top officials get paid on the speaking circuit, according to experts. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly got $200,000 for speaking to the National Automobile Dealers Association in January. Her husband gets significantly more for a speech, according to reports.

"It's common place. It's not illegal or unethical," said Jan Baran, a Washington attorney specializing in government ethics issues. "That doesn't mean it can't be controversial."

A former Princeton economics professor, Bernanke had assets worth between $1.1 million and $2.3 million when he left the Fed chairman post, making him one of the least wealthy members of the Fed's Board of Governors. Greenspan's assets were worth between $4 million to $8.9 million at the time of his departure in 2006.

  Bernanke's perilous 8-year journey

Bernanke is represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau, whose list of speakers include Greenspan, former President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as Austan Goolsbee and Christina Romer, who both served as top economic advisers to President Obama. Bernanke made his first speech on Tuesday at the Global Financial Markets Forum, hosted by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Also appearing were ex-U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Jean-Claude Trichet, the former president of the European Central Bank.

Wednesday he spoke at a summit in Johannesburg, hosted by the South African-based financial services firm Discovery Ltd.

At both the Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg speeches his talks were more reflections of his tenure as chairman, rather than forecasts for the U.S. economy or what the Fed might do next in response.

Friday he is due to deliver the keynote speech at an energy conference in Houston.

Marijuana Stocks: A Case of Too Far, Too Fast

Popular Posts: Satya Nadella as Microsoft CEO? That’s Just What MSFT Stock NeedsMarijuana Stocks: A Case of Too Far, Too FastThe Top 10 S&P 500 Dividend Stocks for January Recent Posts: Marijuana Stocks: A Case of Too Far, Too Fast BBY Stock vs. RSH Stock: Is Either Struggling Retailer Worth Your Cash? Satya Nadella as Microsoft CEO? That’s Just What MSFT Stock Needs View All Posts

Marijuana stocks are off to a smoking-hot start in 2014 — major market weakness notwithstanding — and there are sure to be more catalysts ahead.

But that doesn’t mean investors are safe from getting smoked.

Medical marijuana stocks — which are illiquid penny stocks, subject to wild swings and even manipulation — aren’t taking off on a change in fundamentals. And that means they could fall just as far and as fast as they’ve run up this year.

A terrible start to 2014 has the S&P 500 off 5.8% on a price basis for the year-to-date, and the average stock is down about 3%. The marijuana stocks, however, have been nothing close to average.

Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA) is up just under 100% so far this year and — get this — MJNA stock is actually the big-time laggard in the group. Next up comes Growlife (PHOT), as PHOT stock has gained “only” 150%. Indeed, when it comes to medical marijuana stock, anything less than a three-fold gain is small beer.

MediSwipe (MWIP) has tripled, with MWIP stock up 200%. Cannabis Science (CBIS) is closing in on quadrupling, as CBIS stock gained 273%. And GreenGro Technologies (GRNH)? Brace yourself, because GRNH stock is up over 1,000% … including an 18% so far today.

Part of the euphoria in marijuana stocks no doubt stems from the successful implementation — and popularity — of legal marijuana in Colorado and Washington. But there are plenty of other, more incremental catalysts, as well.

Just look at Hemp Inc. (HEMP). HEMP stock rallied as much as 60% Tuesday on anticipation of the Senate’s approval of the farm bill that would effectively legalize the cultivation of hemp. And hemp isn’t something you even smoke. This close cousin of marijuana cannabis can be refined into a wide-range of goods, including hemp oil, rope, cloth, paper and fuel. But it doesn’t have medical or recreational uses like marijuana does.

It doesn’t matter. The change in hemp’s legal status is being taken as a sign of progress on the legalization of marijuana at the federal level. So while it’s too soon to get excited about that, the slightest hint of the possibility helps marijuana stocks. After all, nothing would cause MJNA stock, MWIP stock, PHOT stock, CBIS stock or GRNH stock to break out like the nationwide legalization of marijuana.

Marijuana Stocks Set for a Fall

The dangerous part of all this for investors in marijuana stocks? Well, it’s sort of the opposite of what happens when a stock gets cheap because of headline risk. Bad news is often overblown by the market — especially in the short term — which can create opportunities to buy a good stock at a bargain price.

The same is true in the other direction, however. Good news can make a stock wildly overpriced, and that could easily be the case now with MJNA stock, MWIP stock, PHOT stock, CBIS stock or GRNH stock. Heck, anytime any stock doubles, triples or quadruples in a month like marijuana stocks have, you have got to be concerned that it’s gotten ahead of itself.

It’s even more worrisome when the securities are illiquid penny stocks like marijuana stocks. That’s part of the reason why InvestorPlace has warned investors again and again about the dangers and pitfalls of penny stocks.

MJNA stock, MWIP stock, PHOT stock, CBIS stock and GRNH stock all look like they’ve gotten ahead of themselves. True, more good news could push them higher still … but they won’t avoid the inevitable. All it takes is some bad news or for one large player to take some profits for these marijuana stock to come crashing down.

Sorry to harsh your buzz, but the bottom line is that marijuana stocks are too high for their own good.

As of this writing, Dan Burrows did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Ferrari lands villain role in 'Iron Man' video

Why is it that movie villains always drive supercars?

Somehow, a Ferrari lends itself to be power hungry, slightly crazed and definitely self centered. (So do Porsches, but their movie roles are usually limited to being the wheels of bad-guy bosses.) Occasionally a good guy drives one -- remember the Magnum P.I. television detective series -- but not often.

The latest shot at infamy for a Ferrari comes in a spinoff of Iron Man movie franchise.

In the just-released video, All Hail the King, Ben Kingsley's character of The Mandarin, the misunderstood baddie in Iron Man 3, gets a chance to tell his full story.

Kingsley plays Trevor Slattery, the failed English actor who plays his greatest part pretending to be the The Mandarin. The video follows his to the 1980s when he tooled around onscreen in a classic red Ferrari.

Director Drew Pearce points out that the propmaster during the three-day shot insisted on getting every detail correct for the Ferrari. Not only was it the right year and color (bright '80s red). But even the license plate even had the proper DMV registration stickers from a number of years.

"You know the tiny corner of stickers for the year of your license plate in America. He had the 1985 one. He also added the three years previous and stuck them all on," says the English Pearce. "It's as if that car had been used in a whole bunch of tv shows leading up to this pilot."

Pearce even dares his geek audience to "zoom in hard" to check it out.

"It's insane level of detail," says Pearce.

The video is part of the Thor: The Dark World DVD release.

Apple could be the latest casualty in patent war

BERLIN — U.S. technology giant Apple is facing $2 billion in damages if found guilty Friday of allegations by a German patent-holding company that it infringed on a cellphone technology it owns.

The case is the latest in a series of lawsuits about patents raging in the European country. Cases have often involved companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Samsung, usually fighting each other.

But unlike those cases, Apple is being taken to court by a German company called IPCom, described by some as a "patent troll" — a company that buys up patents with no plan to use them in products.

Some say the amount of the fine is staggering.

"I am astonished at the amount of the claim," said Anselm Brandi-Dohrn, a patent attorney with von Boetticher law firm in Berlin. "Because an amount of this size has been raised not by a direct competitor but by a patent troll not active on the market, I think judges will look closely at the brief and reasoning for it."

Judges at Mannheim Regional Court in southwestern Germany will decide Friday whether Apple will have to pay out over the patent of a technical feature owned by IPCom, a firm that owns more than 1,200 patents.

The patents involve ways to manage priority emergency access when wireless networks are overloaded. The technology must be used in cellphone manufacturing here, and companies are supposed to pay a licensing fee to IPCom for its use, IPCom says. IPCom claims that Apple has not paid the fee.

"As we in Germany don't have anything like punitive damages, which would have been quite common for these types of cases in the U.S., here the damages are only actual damages, mostly from a fictitious license fee," said Brandi-Dohrn. "It is what Apple would have paid as a reasonable license fee if they had taken out a license from the patent owner."

Apple has said it has been sued 92 times by patent companies in the last two years, and it has more than 220 unresolved patent claims, according to Bloomberg News, and has to e! mploy two lawyers to respond to royalty demands its says are frivolous.

Companies such as IPCom have been criticized because they own a portfolio of patents, although they're not using them in industrial processes — making money instead from license fees, royalties and enforcing patents.

However, a spokesman for the firm rebuked the criticism, saying that the value of patents were made transparent by companies such as IPCom, rather than by the technology companies themselves, which used them for "blackmail."

"Patent troll … is an insult designed to discredit all patent owners," said Alistair Hammond, a spokesman for IPCom. "But it is the companies abusing the intellectual property of others. … There is a world of difference between people who abuse the system and those who simply expect to get paid by the companies using their patents."

The case is the latest of many patent fights appearing in German courts in recent years pitting giant technology firms including Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and HTC against each other in what has become the European front for patent-infringement cases.

Germany is seen as very favorable to patent-holders and as a result, it has become a go-to destination for those shopping for friendly jurisdictions.

"(Germany) has very good judges who are very specialized (in patent law)," said Stefan Eck, a lawyer specializing in patent law at Klaka law firm in Munich. "They deal with it quite quickly … compared to other countries. The court fees are quite low, and it's relatively cheap to file a suit and (go through) proceedings compared with countries such as the U.S. and even the UK. … it does attract lots of companies."

Cases at German courts have seen the banning of Microsoft products including Windows 7, Media Player and the Xbox 360 in Europe's biggest economy, after Google-owned Motorola Mobility brought legal action against the U.S. firm in May 2012.

The German court system also presided over a case which led to the "push" f! eature �! � which pushes e-mails to a cellphone — being disabled on Apple handsets for more than a year in Germany following a Motorola Mobility lawsuit.

"You have massive technology companies who accumulate huge war chests of patents, some developed on their own and some just bought," said Hammond. "The approach is that huge rich technology companies turn to each other with a bristling arsenal of patents and say, 'If you don't mind if I use yours, you can use mine.' It's mutually assured destruction."