Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images American Express (AXP) is seeking to broaden its customer base by offering its first no-fee credit product that grants holders access to all of the lender's rewards programs. The "EveryDay" card is AmEx's biggest debut in terms of the amount of money spent on development and marketing since AmEx launched its "Blue" brand in 2000, according to Ed Gilligan, president of AmEx. The card issuer, already the biggest by purchases, is seeking new kinds of customers including U.S. mothers by offering incentives such as extra points for shopping at supermarkets, Gilligan said. "This segment didn't think AmEx had a product that fit their needs," Gilligan said in an interview at the firm's New York headquarters. AmEx, whose business was built on charge cards that didn't allow consumers to carry a balance, is seeking ways to increase loans and net interest income, which Gilligan has said comprise a smaller part of revenue than for competitors. Loans are increasing at AmEx slightly faster than the rest of the industry and they're regarded as an important source of future revenue growth, he told analysts last month. Unlike with AmEx's charge cards, EveryDay customers will have a spending limit and won't be required to pay their balance in full each month, according to AmEx. They also won't get extra perks such as earning triple rewards for travel and dining or access to entertainment events that are available to some customers who pay an annual fee on other types of cards. Terms call for the new card to carry a zero-percent interest rate for the first 15 months and 12.99 percent to 21.99 percent afterward, according to the company. Customers will have access to the full rewards program, which includes perks like transferring travel points that aren't available on other AmEx products that don't have an annual fee such as Blue, the firm said. The new card comes with EMV anti-fraud technology -- named for founders EuroPay International, MasterCard (MA) and Visa (V) -- that's designed to provide better security than cards with magnetic strips. To promote the card, which will be available by April 2, AmEx planned television advertisements featuring Tina Fey to run during the Academy Awards and photographs by Annie Leibovitz that will appear in print publications.
Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy Right Now: ING Groep NV (INGA)
ING Groep N.V. (ING) is a global financial institution offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to meet the needs of the customers. The Company�� segments include banking and insurance. Banking segment includes retail Netherlands, retail Belgium, ING direct, retail central Europe (CE), retail Asia, commercial banking (excluding real estate), ING real estate and corporate line banking. Insurance segment includes insurance Benelux, insurance central and rest of Europe (CRE), insurance United States (US), Insurance US closed block VA, insurance Asia/Pacific, ING investment management (IM) and corporate line insurance. In November 2013, the Company completed the sale of ING Hipotecaria to Banco Santander (Mexico), S.A. In December 2013, the Company completed the sale of its 33.3% interest in China Merchants Fund to its joint venture partners China Merchants Bank Co Ltd and China Merchants Securities Co Ltd, and divested ING Life Korea to MBK Partners. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sofia Horta e Costa]
ING (INGA), which received a 10 billion-euro government bailout in 2008, gained 5.1 percent to 8.26 euros. Underlying pretax profit for the banking unit rose 14 percent to 1.15 billion euros in the second quarter as the interest margin improved and cost cuts paid off, the biggest Dutch financial-services company said.
10 Best Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2014: TPC Group Inc.(TPCG)
TPC Group Inc. produces and sells value-added products derived from petrochemical raw materials to chemical and petroleum based companies in North America. The company operates in two segments, C4 Processing and Performance Products. The C4 Processing segment offers butadiene that is primarily used to produce synthetic rubber used in tires and other automotive products; butene-1, which is principally used in the manufacture of plastic resins and synthetic alcohols; raffinates that are primarily used to manufacture alkylate; and methyl tertiary butyl ether, which is principally used as a gasoline blending stock. The Performance Products segment provides high purity isobutylene, which is primarily used in the production of synthetic rubber, lubricant additives, surfactants, and coatings; conventional polyisobutylenes and highly reactive polyisobutylenes that are principally used in the production of fuel and lubricant additives, caulks, adhesives, sealants, and packaging; di isobutylene, which is primarily used in the manufacture of surfactants, plasticizers, and resins; and nonene and tetramer that are principally used in the production of plasticizers, surfactants, and lubricant additives. The company was formerly known as Texas Petrochemicals Inc. and changed its name to TPC Group Inc. in January 2010. TPC Group Inc. was founded in 1943 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
TPC Group Inc. (Nasdaq:TPCG), a leading fee-based processor and service provider of value-added products derived from niche petrochemical raw materials, reported that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with investment funds sponsored by First Reserve Corporation, a leading global investment firm dedicated to the energy industry, and SK Capital Partners, a U.S. based private investment firm focused on the chemicals sector.
10 Best Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2014: Roadrunner Transportation Systems Inc (RRTS)
Roadrunner Transportation Systems, Inc. operates as a non-asset based transportation and logistics service company. It provides a suite of solutions, including customized and expedited less-than-truckload, truckload brokerage, transportation management solutions, intermodal solutions, and domestic and international air services. The company is headquartered in Cudahy, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Stock Connection Blue/Alamy Love them or loathe them, every once in a while, credit cards really come in handy. Take last month, for example. In a fit of pre-winter remodeling, I decided to replace our home's el-cheapo, contractor-grade front door with a spiffy model with geometric windows, beveled glass -- the works. But being a cheapskate, I didn't want to pay retail prices. So, I did a quick search for "door depot." (Pro tip: Lawyers notwithstanding, the "depot" concept of bargain-shopping has gone as generic as Kleenex. Nowadays, there's a website out there offering discount prices on just about any item you've ever considered buying. Home Depot (HD), of course. Used car depot. Battery depot. And yes, a door depot, too). That last search led me to a discount door wholesaler halfway across the country. I ordered a pretty door for the family castle and put the door -- $999 plus $99 for delivery from Texas -- on my card. Crossed Wires A week after placing my order, the door still hadn't arrived. Calling customer service, I discovered that the record of my order had been misplaced -- so would I like to place the order again? I did. A week later, the door arrived by truck -- 300 pounds of glass and steel, caged within a wood frame -- and we got it installed without a hitch. Then came the hitch. Thank You, Sir. May I Have Another? Several days later, Roadrunner Transportation (RRTS) called and asked when I would like my door delivered. As I would later discover, my first door order hadn't been lost -- my name had been misspelled. And this misspelled order was now en route to me (despite it having been placed prior to the reorder). I rushed to check my credit card statement. Sure enough, I found two bills -- for two doors at $1,098 each. When One Door Closes... After querulous emails sent to the door vendor went unanswered, I recalled that scattered among the fine print on the pound of paper that JPMorgan Chase (JPM) sent me when I received my credit c
- [By Rich Smith]
This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature a pair of downgrades for lululemon athletica (NASDAQ: LULU ) and Roadrunner Transportation (NYSE: RRTS ) . But the news isn't all bad, so before we get into that news, let's find out first why one analyst thinks...
10 Best Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2014: China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group Ltd (CMGE)
China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group Limited, incorporated on January 20, 2011, is a holding company. The Company is engaged in the development, operation and sale of feature phone and smartphone games, as well as the provision of handset design products and services. The Company operates in three segments: feature phone games, smartphone games and handset design. As of December 31, 2011, it was a subsidiary of VODone Limited.
CMGEconducts its primary business operations through its subsidiaries and a variable interest entity (VIE). Kangri Yingxiong Zhuan is a single-player smartphone game, which was launched during the year ended December 31, 2011.Paopao Xiyou, YY Three Kingdoms, Thumb Monopoly and Creation Song are its smartphone mobile social games. Xiao'ao Jianghu is its internally-developed feature phone mobile social game. The Company has a diversified portfolio of games for feature phones and smartphones. As of March 31, 2012, the Company�� portfolio included 450 mobile games, of which 130 of its 136 feature phone games were developed in-house; it licensed 302 of its 314 smartphone games from third parties and it developed its smartphone mobile social games in-house.
On February 14, 2012, the Company established four wholly owned subsidiaries, which included HYD Holding Limited, OWX Group Limited, OWX Development Limited and 3GUU Holding Limited. On March 23, 2012, CMGE transferred all of the interests in Beauty Wave Limited (Beauty Wave) and China Wave Group Limited (China Wave) to HYD Holding Limited; transferred all of the interests in OWX Hong Kong Limited (OWX HK) to OWX Development Limited, and transferred all of the interest in 3GUU Mobile Entertainment Industrial Co. Ltd. (3GUU BVI) to 3GUU Holding Limited.
The Company generates feature phone games revenues principally from the sale of in-game features of mobile phone games on feature phones. The Company generates smartphone game revenues from the sale of in-game premium features of mobile ! social games that it develops in-house, as well as from the sale of single-player games on smartphones that it develops in-house and license or acquire. CMGE operates mobile social games and single-player games under a free-to-play model and a subscription-based model, respectively. The Company contracts with third-party payment platforms for billing, collection and transmission services offered to mobile phone game players who have purchased game points. It also contracts with mobile application and software Websites to distribute its mobile social games by providing platforms for mobile phone game players to download such games.
CMGE generates handset design revenues from the provision of handset design solutions to mobile phone manufacturers and mobile phone content providers. Handset design solutions include operating system software and hardware design with one-year post-contract customer support (PCS) service; printed circuit board with operating system software and optional assembly service, and mobile phone contents installation service. Operating system software and hardware designs with PCS services are provided to mobile phone manufacturers for either a fixed fee or a variable fee based on the units of production by the mobile phone manufacturers at a prescribed unit price. Printed circuit boards with operating system software are sold to mobile phone manufacturers for a fixed unit price. Mobile phone contents installation services are rendered to mobile phone content providers for a prescribed percentage of the mobile phone content providers' net profits.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Monday
Earnings Releases Expected: Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN), China Mobile Games & Entertainment (NASDAQ: CMGE) Economic Releases Expected: Hong Kong unemployment rate, New Zealand’s PPITuesday
- [By Monica Gerson]
China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group (NASDAQ: CMGE) is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.21 per share on revenue of $43.60 million.
Rediff.com India (NASDAQ: REDF) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings.
10 Best Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2014: HHGregg Inc.(HGG)
hhgregg, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, home appliances, and related services. The company offers video products, such as flat panel televisions, blu-rays, and DVD players; appliances, including washers and dryers, refrigerators, cooking ranges, dishwashers, freezers, and air conditioners; and digital camcorders, digital cameras, gaming bundles, home theater receivers, mattresses, MP3 players, computers, personal navigation, tablets, speaker systems, and telephones. It also sells a suite of services, including third-party premium service plans, and third-party in-home service and repair of products, as well as delivery and installation, and in-home repair and maintenance. The company operates its stores under the name of hhgregg. As of February 08, 2012, it operated 208 stores in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jayson Derrick]
hhgregg (NYSE: HGG) pre-announced sales totals for the fourth quarter in which net sales fell to $538.3 million from $597.6 million in the same quarter last year and below the consensus estimate of $551 million. Net loss per share for the quarter is expected to be $0.25, well below the $0.31 per share profit the company earned a year ago. Analysts were expecting the company to earn a profit of $0.10 per share in the quarter. Finally, hhgregg estimates that its fourth quarter comparable store sales decreased 9.9 percent with consumer electronics decreasing 18.9 percent and the wireless category decreasing 22.6 percent for the quarter. Fourth quarter and full year earnings are expected to be released on May 20. Shares lost 9.53 percent, closing at $7.88.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Best Buy had searched far and wide for a new helmsman. The Frenchman had to secure a foreign work visa just to start the job. Saving a struggling bricks-and-mortar chain was never going to be easy. The "showrooming" trend was -- and is -- going strong, with more and more people checking out products at local stores before turning around and buying them for less online. The irony is rich here: Best Buy sells the smartphones that make showrooming possible. And they sell the tablets, e-readers, and portable media players that have spurred the growth of digitally delivered media, and dried up the markets for CDs, video games and DVDs. In short, Best Buy is selling the products that make Best Buy less necessary. Despite the challenge, Joly's attack plan gained traction. His five-point "Renew Blue" strategy sought to make the chain relevant again by reinvigorating the customer experience, attracting dynamic hires, cutting costs so that it could pass savings on to shoppers, and making other improvements. Investors and employees bought into Joly's vision, but customers weren't so quick to play along. Selling the Future It's easy to wonder why the stock more than tripled last year. By the time the fiscal year was through we saw Best Buy's revenue, comparable store sales, adjusted earnings, and operating margins all decline for the year. Best Buy wasn't in better shape than it was a year earlier. It was doing worse in nearly every facet of the game. Even some trends that were working for other consumer electronics retailers -- like the appliance and furniture sales that helped Conn's (CONN) and hhgregg (HGG) as housing began to boom again -- failed to make much of a difference at Best Buy. Best Buy's report on Thursday paints a mixed portrait. It predicts same-store sales will continue to decline through the next two quarters, and that's not what Wall Street wanted to hear. However, Best Buy's strong profitability during the first quarter suggests that the compan
- [By Dan Burrows]
True, there’s probably room for one national chain, such as Best Buy or maybe even HHGregg (HGG). After all, brick-and-mortar retail is hardly dead. But outside of a merger or roll-up, but it’s hard to see how RadioShack — a company that’s been behind the curve for a decade or more — could be the one left standing.
10 Best Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2014: Splunk Inc (SPLK)
Splunk Inc. (Splunk) provides a software platform. Splunk�� software collects and indexes data regardless of format or source, and enables users to search, correlate, analyze, monitor and report on this data, all in real time. Its software is designed to help users in various roles, including information technology (IT) and business professionals, analyze machine data and realize real-time visibility into and about their organization's operations. The core of its software is a machine data engine, comprised of collection, indexing, search and data management capabilities. Its software can collect and index terabytes of information daily, irrespective of format or source. As of January 31, 2012, the Company had approximately 3,700 customers.
The Company�� software enables users to identify problems, get answers and gain new business insights and intelligence from machine data across their globally distributed enterprise all through one platform. Its software contains features and functionality, such as Universally collect, index, store and archive any machine data, from any source, search and investigate, user-friendly interface, knowledge store, monitor and alert, report and analyze, custom dashboards and views, platform extensibility, role-based access and controls.
The Company competes with BMC Software, Inc., CA, Compuware, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft Corporation, Quest Software, Adobe Systems, Google, Webtrends, EMC, Oracle and SAP.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt Jarzemsky]
The start of the year saw a spate of similar offerings, including equity sales by advertising-technology firm Rocket Fuel Inc.(FUEL), data-analysis firm Splunk Inc.(SPLK) and human-resources software maker Workday Inc.
10 Best Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2014: HFF Inc (HF)
HFF, Inc. is a provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to both the users and providers of capital in the United States commercial real estate industry. It is a full-service commercial real estate financial intermediary in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated out of 20 offices nationwide. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company advised on approximately $35.6 billion of completed commercial real estate transactions. The Company offers debt placement, investment sales, distressed debt and real estate owned advisory services, structured finance, private equity placement, investment banking services, loan sales and commercial loan servicing. In October 2011, the Company sold Las Olas City Centre. In March 2012, the Company sold 801 9th Street, NW, a 236,054 square-foot, Class A office building in Washington, D.C. In July 2013, the Company announced that it has closed the sale of Washington Harbour, a 557,961-square-foot, mixed-use project located along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown submarket. In September 2013, the Company announced that it has closed the sale of Greenway Plaza, a 4.4 million-square-foot, Class A office complex in Houston, Texas, and 777 Main, a 980,374-square-foot Class A office property in Fort Worth, Texas. In November 2013, HFF Inc closed the sale of The Granary. In November 2013, the Company�� subsidiary, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. sold Avalon on the Sound East, a 588-unit, 39-story, Class A multi-housing tower in New Rochelle, New York. In December 2013, HFF Inc sold its Pacific Commons Shopping Center, an 865,783-square-foot center in Fremont. In January 2014, HFF Inc has closed the sale of 225 West Santa Clara, a 16-story, 349,318-square-foot, transit-oriented trophy office property in downtown San Jose, California. In January 2014, HFF, Inc. sold two Central Florida Publix-anchored retail properties in Orlando and suburban Tampa, and sold eight-property, fully leased industrial portfolio in! the Meadowlands submarket of New Jersey. In January 2014, HFF Inc closed the sale of 800 Madison, a 217-unit, Class A multi-housing community with ground floor retail in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Debt Placement Services
The Company offers its clients a range of debt instruments, including but not limited to, construction and construction/mini-permanent loans, adjustable and fixed rate mortgages, entity level debt, mezzanine debt, forward delivery loans, tax exempt financing and sale/leaseback financing. Its clients are owners of various types of property, including, but not limited to, office, retail, industrial, hotel, multi-housing, self-storage, assisted living, nursing homes, condominiums and condominium conversions, mixed-use properties and land. The Company�� clients range in size from individual entrepreneurs who own a single property to the large real estate funds and institutional property owners worldwide who invest globally, especially in the United States. Debt is or has been placed with capital funding sources, both domestic and foreign, including, but not limited to, life insurance companies, conduits, investment banks, commercial banks, thrifts, agency lenders, pension funds, pension fund advisors, real estate investment trusts (REITs), credit companies, opportunity funds and individual investors. In 2011, its transaction volume in debt placements was approximately $18.7 billion.
Investment Sales Services
The Company provides investment sales services to commercial real estate owners who are seeking to sell one or more properties or property interests. In 2011, it completed investment sales of approximately $12.6 billion.
Structured Finance and Private Equity Services
The Company offers an array of structured finance and private equity alternatives and solutions at both the property and ownership entity level. In 2011, it completed approximately $2 billion of structured finance and advisory services transactions.
Private Equity, Investment Banking and Advisory Services
The Company�� broker-dealer subsidiary, HFF Securities L.P. (HFF Securities), undertakes both discretionary and non-discretionary private equity raises, select property specific joint ventures and select investment banking activities for its clients. At December 31, 2011, it had $1.9 billion of active private equity discretionary fund transactions. Through HFF Securities, it offers its clients the ability to access the private equity markets for an identified commercial real estate asset and discretionary private equity funds, joint ventures, entity-level private placements and advisory services, as well as structured finance services. HFF Securities��services to its clients include joint ventures, private placements, advisory services, and marketing and fund-raising.
Loan Sales
The Company assists its clients to sell all or portions of their commercial real estate debt note portfolios, which can include performing, non-performing and distressed debt and/or real estate owned properties. It had consummated $2.3 billion in loan sales transactions in 2011.
Commercial Loan Servicing
The Company provides commercial loan servicing (primary and sub-servicing) for life insurance companies, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) through relationships with a range of delegated underwriting and servicing (DUS) lenders, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) originators, mortgage REITS and debt funds, groups that purchase performing and/or non-performing loans, as well as owners who sell commercial real estate subject to a purchase money mortgage. During 2011, it had approximately 35 correspondent lender relationships with life insurers.
The Company competes with CBRE Capital Markets, Cushman & Wakefield, Eastdil Secured, Jones Lang LaSalle, Northmarq Capital and Berkadia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Hilary Kramer]
2. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) The REIT is another alternative vehicle that's gone mainstream in recent years. Hundreds of broad-based and specialized real estate companies and ETFs are available, and after a correction a few months ago, many are on the cheap side. Like any other alternative, this should be a seasoning for your portfolio and not the sauce itself. For most retail investors, a stake in an indexed fund like the SPDR Dow Jones REIT (NYSE: RWR) should be more than adequate, or look into the companies that provide services to the REIT industry like HFF (NYSE: HF) and Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL).
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