The cruise industry is one of the most underpenetrated markets in the world. Despite a core target audience of 133 million people in the U.S. alone, only 25% of these have lived out the cruise experience. And those who did probably turned either to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) or Carnival Corporation (CCL) for a package deal, since these two companies control 75% of the global cruise market. But let�� see what it is about Carnival Corporation that has caught investment guru John Hussman (Trades, Portfolio)�� attention enough to add more of this company�� shares to his portfolio.
Cruising All over the World
As the world�� largest global cruise company, Carnival Corporation owns over 100 ships and operates 10 brands worldwide, which attract an anual customer base of�10 million. This extensive portfolio includes among others the Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Seabourn in North America; AIDA in Germany, Costa Cruises in Southern Europe, and the P&O Cruises in both Australia and the UK. This firm also owns the tour company Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, which operates in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. However, it�� the company�� 200,000 passenger ship capacity that has allowed it to reach a diverse group of consumers in a lightly penetrated vacation segment, earning it $15.5 billion in revenue.
Top 10 Paper Companies To Watch For 2015: Nu Skin Enterprises Inc.(NUS)
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. develops and distributes anti-aging personal care products and nutritional supplements worldwide. The company sells its personal care products under the Nu Skin brand; and nutritional supplements under the Pharmanex brand. Its personal care product line includes core systems, targeted treatments, total care, cosmetic, and Epoch, a product formulated with botanical ingredients. The company?s nutritional supplements product line comprises micronutrient supplements, targeted solution supplements, and weight management products. It also sells Vitameal, which are nutritious meal products for starving children or purchased for personal food storage. In addition, the company offers other products and services consisting of digital content storage, water purifiers, and other household products. It sells its products primarily through a network of independent distributors in north Asia, the Americas, Greater China, Europe, and the south Asia/Pacific. The c ompany also operates retail stores to sell its products in China. As of December 31, 2010, Nu Skin Enterprises operated 40 stores throughout China. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Provo, Utah.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Nu Skin (NUS) has dropped 44% since China’s People Daily alleged that the company’s selling practices amounted to a pyramid scheme. Yet even as Nu Skin drops again today, the conversation is turning back to where it belongs–to Herbalife (HLF) and what Nu Skin’s troubles mean for William Ackman’s bet against seller of nutrition products.
Bloomberg NewsIn “China’s Nu Skin probe may help Ackman’s Herbalife Bet,” Reuters sent a reporter to find out–despite the fact that Herbalife’s 12% three-day drop suggests it already has. From Reuters:
For some investors and academics, the Nu Skin scrutiny raised the chances that Chinese regulators might soon broaden their probe to look into Herbalife, whose global operations include�China.
“The�business�models of these two companies, Nu Skin and Herbalife, are absolutely similar,” said William Keep, dean of the School of Business at the College of New Jersey, who has written extensively on multi-level�marketing. “And it would not be a large leap for Chinese officials to make that they should also look at investigating Herbalife.”
CNBC, meanwhile, suggests that someone recently bet big against Herbalife and implies that someone could be Ackman. CNBC explains:
Is Bill Ackman adding to his short bet against Herbalife?
That is what option experts are deducing after a massive bearish bet against the stock was executed over two days this month. Incredibly, even with Herbalife’s 10 percent plunge on Thursday off a Chinese investigation into fellow multilevel marketer Nu Skin, shares still need to drop another 40 percent within a year to make the trade profitable at expiration.
“This was just a huge, huge bet to make, and the number of people who could do that is really small,” said option trader Mike Khouw, primary strategist at Dash Financial. “And Ackman has just e
Best Canadian Companies To Watch For 2014: China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited(CNR)
China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the development and operation of agricultural logistics and trade centers in northeast China. It also involves in purchasing, processing, assembling, merchandising, and distributing pearls and jewelry products. The company markets its pearls and jewelry products to wholesale distributors and mass merchandisers in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, and other parts of Asia. In addition, it develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial properties in Hong Kong and the People?s Republic of China. The company is based in Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Katie Brennan]
Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) added 0.9 percent to C$104.93 and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. rose 1.7 percent to C$131.73.
Niko Resources surged 3.4 percent to $8.64 after the company entered an agreement for a $60 million loan that will be funded by a group of institutional investors. Net proceeds from the loan will be used to fund working capital requirements.
Best Canadian Companies To Watch For 2014: CNH Global N.V. (CNH)
CNH Global N.V. manufactures, markets, and distributes a line of agricultural and construction equipment and parts worldwide. It operates in three segments: Agricultural Equipment, Construction Equipment, and Financial Services. The Agricultural Equipment segment provides tractors, combine harvesters, hay and forage equipment, seeding and planting equipment, tillage equipment, and sprayers, as well as cotton picker packagers, and sugar cane and grape harvesters primarily under the Case IH and New Holland brands. The Construction Equipment segment offers heavy construction equipment, such as crawler and wheeled excavators, wheel loaders, graders, dozers, and articulated haul trucks; and light construction equipment, including backhoe loaders, skid steer and tracked loaders, mini and midi excavators, compact wheel loaders, and telehandlers primarily under the Case and New Holland Construction brands. This segment serves construction companies, municipalities, local governmen ts, rental fleet owners, quarrying and aggregate mining companies, waste management companies, forestry-related concerns, contractors, residential builders, utilities, road construction companies, landscapers, logistics companies, and farmers. The Financial Services segment provides financial products and services, including retail financing for the purchase or lease of the company�s and other manufacturers� new and used products; and facilitates the sale of insurance products and other financing programs to retail customers. This segment also offers wholesale financing to its dealers and rental equipment operators, as well as financing options to dealers to finance working capital, real estate, and other fixed assets and maintenance equipment. CNH Global N.V. sells and distributes its products through dealers and distributors in approximately 170 countries. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. CNH Global N.V. is a subsidiary of Fiat Netherlands Holding N.V.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Kubota isn't the only company aggressively challenging Deere. AGCO (NYSE: AGCO ) has made aggressive expansion efforts in Africa, working with specialty agricultural lender Rabobank to try to help farmers on the continent buy more farming equipment. Moreover, both AGCO and CNH Global (NYSE: CNH ) have made emerging markets like Latin America a high priority, reaping benefits from the more rapidly expanding economies among Latin American nations. Deere has targeted Latin America as well, but it hasn't been as aggressive with its international efforts as its peers. Deere's stock price has reflected its lack of initiative in expanding globally:
- [By vaninaegea]
In august, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) published the mid-year review for the agricultural sector. Their findings point to a slowdown for the industry, highlighting a 9.5% decline on exports through the first half of 2013. Also, late soybean planting in the USA is expected to compound the industry�� slowdown. So, what are the prospects for AGCO (AGCO), CNH Global (CNH), and Deere & Co. (DE) under such conditions?
- [By Mike the PhD]
Historically the stock prices of Deere (DE) and other agricultural equipment firms and retailers like Case-New Holland (CNH), Titan Machinery (TITN), AGCO (AGCO), Tractor Supply (TSCO), Valmont (VAL), and Lindsay (LNN) have tended to closely track the price of corn. When corn prices go up, farmers tend to make more money, and they spend that money on new equipment from Deere and other firms. This relationship is especially strong for Deere and Corn, but it holds true for all of the stocks above to some extent. (Correlation coefficients between all of the stock prices above and corn are statistically significant to at least the 5% level, see my blog here for more details.)
Best Canadian Companies To Watch For 2014: S&P 500/Barra Value(SU)
Suncor Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated energy company. The company involves in the development of petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; acquisition, exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas in Canada and internationally; transportation and refining of crude oil; and marketing of petroleum and petrochemical products primarily in Canada. Its Oil Sands segment produces bitumen recovered from oil sands through mining and in-situ technology, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock, diesel fuel, and by-products. This segment?s products include gasoline and distillates. The company?s Natural Gas segment acquires, explores, develops, and produces natural gas, natural gas liquids, oil, and by-products from reserves located primarily in western Canada, the Northwest Territories, Alaska, and the Arctic Islands. Its International and Offshore segment engages in the exploration and pro duction of oil and gas in offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, in the North Sea, and in Libya and Syria. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil at Suncor's refineries in Edmonton, Alberta; Montreal, Quebec; and Sarnia, Ontario in Canada, as well as in Commerce City, Colorado into a range of petroleum and petrochemical products for sale to retail, commercial, and industrial customers. It also transports crude oil through pipelines in eastern and western Canada, as well as through wholly-owned pipelines in Wyoming and Colorado; and produces specialty lubricants and waxes. In addition, this segment operates retail sites in Canada under the Petro-Canada brand; and in Colorado under Phillips 66 and Shell brands. Suncor Energy Inc. also engages in third-party energy trading activities. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Calgary , Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Yates]
There has been a great deal of concern about the United States suffering from a "lost generation" as Japan has now for several. For investors in oil, this has certainly not been the case: A recent article in The Wall Street Journal noted that oil has risen 310% (Brent Crude) over the last decade. The future looks equally promising for investments in the sector such as ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU), Americas Petrogas (BOE.V), and Octagon 88 (OTCBB: OCTX).
Best Canadian Companies To Watch For 2014: Mad Catz Interactive Inc(MCZ)
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes accessories for videogame platforms and personal computers (PC), as well as for iPod and other audio devices. Its products include videogame, PC, and audio accessories, such as control pads, video cables, steering wheels, joysticks, memory cards, light guns, flight sticks, dance pads, microphones, car adapters, carry cases, mice, keyboards, and headsets. It markets its products primarily under the Mad Catz, Saitek, Cyborg, Eclipse, Joytech, GameShark, Tritton, and AirDrives brands. The company also develops flight simulation software; operates flight simulation centers under its Saitek brand; operates a videogame content Website under its GameShark brand; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties. It distributes its products through retailers in the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as in Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zeal and, and Singapore. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
If the name Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (NYSEMKT:MCZ) rings a bell, it might be because yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on the video-gaming hardware (joysticks, control pads, headsets, etc.) back on August 20th. Neither MCZ nor my write-up were received as anything partially special at the time - it was just another stock dissected by just another guy, and you may or may not have given it a second thought. The 37% rally in the meantime, however, may garner a little more attention.
Best Canadian Companies To Watch For 2014: PerkinElmer Inc.(PKI)
PerkinElmer, Inc. provides technology, services, and solutions to the diagnostics, research, environmental, industrial, and laboratory services markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Human Health and Environmental Health. The Human Health segment develops diagnostics, tools, and applications to help detect diseases earlier, as well as accelerate the discovery and development of critical new therapies. This segment provides early detection for genetic disorders from pre-conception to early childhood, as well as digital x-ray flat panel detectors and infectious disease testing for the diagnostics market. It also provides a suite of solutions, including instrumentation for automation and detection solutions, in vitro and in vivo imaging and analysis hardware and software, and a portfolio of consumable products, such as drug discovery and research reagents that enable researchers to enhance the drug discovery process. The Environmental Health segment offers t echnologies and applications to facilitate the creation of safer food and consumer products, secure surroundings, and efficient energy resources. This segment provides analytical technologies that address the quality of environment, sustainable energy development, and ensure safer food and consumer products; analytical instrumentation for the industrial market, which includes the semiconductor, chemical, petrochemical, lubricant, construction, office equipment, and quality assurance industries; and laboratory services. The company markets its products and services directly through its own sales forces and distributors for customers, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, laboratories, academic and research institutions, public health authorities, private healthcare organizations, doctors, and government agencies. PerkinElmer, Inc. was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Daniel Lauchheimer]
Let us contrast this with TROV's progress. TROV has secured two critical partnerships -- with Illumina (ILMN), and PerkinElmer (PKI). Company filings on the ILMN deal don't provide much detail, but the filings with the PKI deal detail how PKI wants to use TROV's science to develop a new t assay to detect the presence of hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC). While these two partnerships do not guarantee approval in any way, they do provide a solid validation for TROV's technology.
- [By David Goodboy]
In other bullish news, TrovaGene entered into a material agreement with multibillion-dollar diagnostics technology leader PerkinElmer (NYSE: PKI) to jointly develop a test to determine a person's risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The terms have not been disclosed, but PerkinElmer will make milestone payments to TrovaGene.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
The market erased early-morning losses after strong service-sector data confirmed that the US economy has managed to keep-on keeping-on, no matter what has happened overseas. PerkinElmer (PKI), Boeing (BA), and Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR) have gained, while Plug Power (PLUG) and Tyson Foods (TSN) have dropped.
- [By Rich Smith]
The Department of Defense awarded a dozen separate contracts Thursday, worth more than $225 million in aggregate. Notable winners (among publicly traded companies) included:
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