Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty ImagesFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen WASHINGTON -- The Great Recession showed that a large number of American families are "extraordinarily vulnerable" to financial setbacks because they have few assets to fall back on, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday Yellen said a Fed survey found that an unexpected expense of just $400 would force the majority of American families to borrow money, sell something or simply not pay. "The financial crisis and the Great Recession demonstrated, in a dramatic and unmistakable manner, how extraordinarily vulnerable are the large share of American families with few assets to fall back on," Yellen said in a Washington speech.
For many lower-income families without assets, the definition of a financial crisis is a month or two without a paycheck, or the advent of a sudden illness or some other unexpected expense.
Top Oil Service Stocks To Watch For 2015: Central Europe Russia and Turkey Fund Inc (CEE)
Central Europe and Russia Fund, Inc. (the Fund) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation primarily through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of issuers domiciled in Central Europe and Russia. The Fund's portfolio includes investments in Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Czech Republic, Turkish, Austrian, Dutch, Cyprus, Bermuda and Virgin Islands common stocks.
The Fund invests in various industries, including commercial banks, diversified telecommunication services, food products, metals and mining, personal products, wireless telecommunication services, building products, construction and engineering, diversified telecommunication services, media, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and oil, gas and consumable fuels. The Fund is managed and advised by subsidiaries of the Deutsche Bank Group. The Fund's investment advisor is Deutsche Asset Management International GmbH. The Fund's manager is Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By STANSBERRYRESEARCH]
With emerging market speculation heating up again, TRF is trading for a 24% premium right now. If that premium climbs any higher, we predict another obliteration. – Brian Hunt, DailyWealth, December 21, 2006
We published that note in December 2006. By March 2009, it had lost more than 90% of its value. Perhaps more importantly to any long-term, buy-and-hold investor, the decline we foresaw in the fund would have wiped out more than 100% of the accumulated capital gains, assuming you invested as much as 15 years earlier. Now... I'd like you to look at the chart one more time. Look at what happened to the fund in the first half of 2009. It went nearly straight up. On April 17, 2009, we told subscribers to buy Russian stocks. Instead of using TRF, Steve Sjuggerud recommended a nearly identical Scudder Fund, the Central Europe and Russia Fund (NYSE: CEE). Both went up 150% from their March lows. So if you followed the buy-and-hold strategy in Russian stocks over the last 15 years, you would have made a very small amount of money – or lost money, depending on when you sold your shares. On the other hand, if you applied a few of our secrets, you could have easily traded this fund for more than 100% gains in only a few weeks. And if you watch this fund, you'll be able to make trades like this three or four times each decade. If you watch other similar funds, you'll be able to make trades like this once or twice a year. And let me tell you one more thing about this situation. In January 2007, when TRF was widely overvalued and when most individual investors were clamoring to buy shares – despite the premium valuation – we checked to see if we could sell the fund short. We knew it was going to collapse and wanted to profit directly as it fell. But we couldn't. Why not? Because other professionals had already borrowed all of the available shares to sh - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Among the financial stocks, Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE: AHT) was down more than 5.7 percent, while The Central Europe, Russia and Turkey Fund (NYSE: CEE) tumbled around 5 percent.
Top 5 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In 2014: Anika Therapeutics Inc.(ANIK)
Anika Therapeutics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and commercializes therapeutic products for tissue protection, healing, and repair. Its products are based on hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring biocompatible polymer found in the body. The company offers orthobiologics products for providing relief from the pain of osteoarthritis, and regenerating damaged tissue, such as cartilage defects; ORTHOVISC for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee and various joints; ORTHOVISC mini for the treatment of osteoarthritis in small joints; and MONOVISC, a single injection product used for the treatment of osteoarthritis in various joints. It also provides wound care products that comprise Hyalograft 3D for the regeneration of skin; and Hyalomatrix for the treatment of burns and ulcers. In addition, the company offers AMVISC, AMVISC Plus, STAARVISC-II, Optivisc, and AnikaVisc which are injectable HA products used as viscoelastic agents in o phthalmic surgical procedures, such as cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation. Further, it provides INCERT, a HA based product for the prevention of post-surgical adhesions; Hyalobarrier and Hyalobarrier Endo, which are post operative adhesion barriers for abdominal indications; and HYVISC, an injectable HA product used for the treatment of joint dysfunction in horses due to non-infectious synovitis associated with equine osteoarthritis. Additionally, the company offers Merogel, a product used for the treatment of ear, nose, and throat disorders; and provides dermal fillers for facial wrinkles and scar remediation under the ELEVESS and HYDRELLE brand names. It markets its products directly, as well as through a network of distributors primarily in the United States and Europe. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By STOCKPICKR]
Anika Therapeutics (ANIK), together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and commercializes therapeutic products for tissue protection, healing, and repair in the U.S., Europe, and internationally. This stock closed up 2.1% to $48.86 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 1.25 million
Three-Month Average Volume: 347,160
Volume % Change: 272%From a technical perspective, ANIK jumped higher here right above some near-term support at $46 with above-average volume. This spike higher on Monday briefly pushed shares of ANIK into breakout territory, since the stock flirted with some near-term overhead resistance levels at $49.21 to $49.37. Shares of ANIK tagged an intraday high of $51.40, before it closed below that level at $48.86. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the short-term if ANIK manages to take out Monday's high of $51.36 to its 52-week high of $52.49 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ANIK as long as it's trending above Monday's low of $47.57 or above $46 and then once it sustains a move or close above $51.36 to $52.49 with volume that hits near or above 347,160 shares. If that move begins soon, then ANIK will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $55 to $60.
Top 5 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In 2014: MutualFirst Financial Inc.(MFSF)
MutualFirst Financial, Inc. operates as a holding company for MutualBank that provides financial products services to individuals and businesses. It accepts various savings deposit accounts, NOW and demand accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides one- to four-family residential mortgage loans, multi-family and commercial real estate loans, construction and development loans, commercial business loans, and consumer loans, including home equity and lines of credit, home improvement, auto, boat, and recreational vehicle loans, as well as loans secured by savings deposits, and credit card and unsecured loans. In addition, it operates as an insurance agent and sells life insurance, and credit-life and health insurance products. Further, the company provides investment money management and trust services. It operates 33 full service financial centers located in Delaware, Elkhart, Grant, Kosciusko, Randolph, St. Joseph, and Wabash counties, Indiana. The co mpany was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Muncie, Indiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
PL Capital has not filed any 13Ds in a couple of months, but earlier this year it disclosed a 5.99% position in shares of First Advantage Bancorp (FABK). The Clarksville, Tenn.-based bank has seven branches and trades at about 75% of book value. PL Capital also filed a 13D announcing 8% ownership of Mutual First Financial (MFSF) over the summer. The bank has 31 branches and is based in Muncie, Ind. — an area that has seen substantial consolidation in the past few years.
- [By Tim Melvin]
MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) makes the list, trading at 80% of book value and yielding 1.61%. The bank has total assets of about $1.4 billion and is located in Muncie, Ind. Like a lot of small banks today, the story here is one of steady credit improvement and compressed net interest margins. It is one of many smaller institutions that I think will eventually be taken over; the current regulatory climate simply does not favor little banks. Insiders own about 10% of the stock, so they are invested in the idea of a much higher stock price.
Top 5 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In 2014: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (FMCC)
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) conducts business in the United States residential mortgage market and the global securities market. The Company operates in three segments: Single-family Guarantee, Investments, and Multifamily. The Single-family Guarantee segment reflects results from the Company's single-family credit guarantee activities. The Investments segment reflects results from the Company's investment, funding and hedging activities. The Multifamily segment reflects results from the Company's investment (both purchases and sales), securitization, and guarantee activities in multifamily mortgage loans and securities. The Company conducts its operations in the United States and its territories.
Single-Family Guarantee Segment
In the Company�� Single-family Guarantee segment, it purchases single-family mortgage loans originated by the Company�� seller/servicers in the primary mortgage market. The Company uses the mortgage securitization process to package the purchased mortgage loans into guaranteed mortgage-related securities. The Company guarantees the payment of principal and interest on the mortgage-related security in exchange for management and guarantee fees. The Company�� customers are lenders in the primary mortgage market that originate mortgages for homeowners. These lenders include mortgage banking companies, commercial banks, savings banks, community banks, credit unions, Housing Finance Agency (HFAs), and savings and loan associations. The Company�� customers also service loans in its single-family credit guarantee portfolio.
Mortgage securitization is a process, by which the Company purchase mortgage loans that lenders originate, and pool these loans into mortgage securities that are sold in global capital markets. The United States residential mortgage market consists of a primary mortgage market that links homebuyers and lenders and a secondary mortgage market that links lenders and investors. The Company part! icipates in the secondary mortgage market by purchasing mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities for investment and by issuing guaranteed mortgage-related securities. In the Single-family Guarantee segment, it purchase and securitize single-family mortgages, which are mortgages that are secured by one- to four-family properties. The types of mortgage-related securities it issue and guarantee include PCs, REMICs and Other Structured Securities and Other Guarantee Transactions. The Company also issue mortgage-related securities to third parties in exchange for non-Freddie Mac mortgage-related securities. The non-Freddie Mac mortgage-related securities are transferred to trusts that were specifically created for the purpose of issuing securities, or certificates, in the Other Guarantee Transactions.
Investments Segment
In the Company�� Investments segment, it invests principally in mortgage-related securities and single-family performing mortgage loans, which are funded by other debt issuances and hedged using derivatives. In the Company�� Investments segment, it also provides funding and hedging management services to the Single-family Guarantee and Multifamily segments. The Company�� customers for its debt securities predominantly include insurance companies, money managers, central banks, depository institutions, and pension funds. The Company funds its investment activities by issuing short-term and long-term debt. The Company�� PCs are an integral part of its mortgage purchase program. The Company�� Single-family Guarantee segment purchases many of its mortgages by issuing PCs in exchange for those mortgage loans in guarantor swap transactions. The Company also issue PCs backed by mortgage loans that it purchased for cash.
Multifamily Segment
The Company�� multifamily segment issues Other Structured Securities, but does not issue REMIC securities. The Company multifamily segment also enters into other guarantee commitments for mult! ifamily H! FA bonds and housing revenue bonds held by third parties. The Company acquires a portion of its multifamily mortgage loans from several large seller/servicers.
The Company competes with Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), Mae Federal Housing Administration/the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (FHA/VA) and Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Dumortier, CFA]
Federal National Mortgage Association (NASDAQOTCBB: FNMA )
Federal mortgage agency Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae, is a conundrum, and a speculative vehicle par excellence. On the back of a spectacular 676% run-up this year (see the following graph), the company has become, to my knowledge, the most valuable over-the-counter penny stock there is. With its twin, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (NASDAQOTCBB: FMCC ) , both of which were nationalized in 2008, during the credit crisis, these companies now have a combined market value of $5.5 billion.
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