Top Asian Stocks For 2014

After declines over the past week have sent the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) down by more than 650 points, early signs this morning point to a potential rebound for the beleaguered U.S. stock market, with projections suggesting about a 70-point rise at the open. Yet even with some favorable news emerging both abroad and domestically, you need to be cautious before concluding that the worst of the recent correction is over.

Overnight, some favorable news has calmed global investors somewhat and sent U.S. stock futures markets higher as well. With the Chinese central bank making reassuring gestures in order to address fears that a credit crisis could further slow the emerging nation's economic growth, Asian stock markets recovered from their worst levels of the trading day, with Chinese stocks in particular rising from lows not seen since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009. European markets are also up broadly, with the major stock indexes in France, Germany, and the U.K. gaining between 1% and 1.5%. With durable-goods orders in the U.S. up 3.6% last month, investors can also point to the prospects for a strong domestic economy in justifying a market advance.

Top 5 Defense Companies To Own In Right Now: First Financial Bancorp.(FFBC)

First Financial Bancorp. operates as the holding company for First Financial Bank, National Association that provides commercial banking, and other banking and banking-related services. The company accepts various deposit products that include interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing deposit accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers. It also offers various lending products, including residential real estate loans; commercial real estate loans; commercial loans for various business purposes; home equity lines of credit; and consumer loans, such as vehicle loans, second mortgages on residential real estate, and unsecured loans. In addition, the company provides trust services, brokerage, investment, and other related services. As of June 3, 2011, it operated 102 banking centers in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By , DividendChannel.com]

  Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on May 28, First Financial Bancorp�(FFBC), Goldman Sachs�(GS) and M & T Bank Corp.�(MTB) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. First Financial Bancorp will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.15 on July 1, Goldman Sachs will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.55 on June 27 and M & T Bank�will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.70 on June 30.

Top Asian Stocks For 2014: Neustar Inc (NSR)

NeuStar, Inc., incorporated on December 8, 1998, is a provider of real-time information and analysis. The Company operates in three segments: carrier services, enterprise services and information services. The Company combines data sets to develop algorithms, models, point solutions and complete work flow solutions. The Company provides services, such as database services (telephone number databases, domain names, short-codes and fixed Internet protocol (IP) addresses), analytics platforms used for Internet security services, caller identification services, Web performance monitoring services and real-time information and analytics services. In October 2013, Neustar, Inc acquired Aggregate Knowledge, Inc.

Carrier Services

The Company�� carrier services include numbering services, order management services and IP services. Its numbering services enable the dynamic routing of calls and text messages. In particular, the Company provides near real-time updates to the North American telephone numbering system that is essential for the accurate routing of telephone calls and text messages. In addition, it also facilitates order management and work-flow processing among carriers, including telephone number inventory management, and allow carriers to manage and optimize the addressing and routing of IP communications. The numbering services the Company provides to its carrier customers using these databases include number portability administration center services (NPAC Services), in the United States and Canada and local number portability (LNP), services in Taiwan and Brazil, or international LNP solutions, and number inventory and allocation management. The Company�� order management services permit its carrier customers to exchange essential operating information with multiple carriers in order to provision and manage services. The Company provides these services through a single interface or on-premise installations. In addition, it offers inventory management services that! allow its carrier customers to manage their assigned telephone numbers and associated resources. The Company provides scalable IP services to global carriers and service providers that allow them to manage access for the routing of IP communications, such as multimedia messaging service. Its solutions also provide accurate and reliable routing of text messages and voice calls by identifying terminating service provider networks. In addition, it provides a solution for carriers to migrate from the public switched telephone network to IP Interconnect through mapping a phone number to an IP address for accurate and reliable routing to a carrier�� network.

Enterprise Services

The Company�� Enterprise Services include Internet infrastructure services and registry services. It provides Internet infrastructure services that its customers use in order to direct, prioritize and manage Internet traffic. In addition, enterprise customers rely on its services to optimize their Website performance, including protecting against malicious traffic. Enterprises use its infrastructure and its datasets to identify the location of their online customers for a variety of purposes, including fraud prevention and marketing. It also operates the authoritative common short codes registry on behalf of the United States wireless industry. The Company provides a suite of domain name systems (DNS) services to its enterprise customers built on a global directory platform. These services play a key role in directing and managing Internet traffic flow, resolving Internet queries, providing security protection against distributed denial of service attacks, providing geolocation services used to enhance fraud prevention and online marketing, and monitoring, testing and measuring the performance of Websites and networks. The Company operates the authoritative registries of Internet domain names for the .biz, .us, .co, .tel and .travel top-level domains. It also provides international registry gateways for! China�� s .cn and Taiwan�� .tw country-code top-level domains. All Internet communications routed to any of these domains must query a copy of its directory to ensure that the communication is routed to the appropriate destination. The Company also operates the authoritative common short codes registry on behalf of the United States wireless industry. In addition, it operates the user authentication and rights management system, which supports the UltraViolet digital content locker that consumers use to access their entertainment content.

Information Services

The Company�� Information Services include identification services, verification and analytics services, and local search and licensed data services. It utilizes databases and solutions to inform real-time decisions on customer initiated interactions over the telephone, Internet and at points of sale. Its services correlate attributes, such as demographic information, projected buying behaviors and location. Its business listings identity management services manage the placement of its customers��online local business listings on search engines, improving brand awareness and targeted advertising. The Company provides Caller ID services to carriers in the United States and real-time identification and location services to over 1,000 businesses in the United States across multiple industries. Its location service enables clients to match a 10-digit phone number to a latitude and longitude, and is used for a number of applications, including intelligent site planning, market scoring, and Web-based location lookup. In addition, it provides services that enable clients to remarket to non-converting prospects and to help identify whether an inbound inquiry is coming from an existing customer or a prospect. The Company provides lead verification services that allow clients to validate customer data, enhance leads and assign a lead quality rating to each lead to provide a client the ability to contact a customer. The Company provide! s an onli! ne local business listing identity management solution that serves local search platforms, national brands, authorized channel partners and local businesses. This service provides businesses and channel partners the essential tools to verify, enhance and manage the identity of local listings on local search platforms across the Web, and offers local search platforms an accurate, complete and up-to-date database of local business listings for online publishing.

The Company competes with Accenture plc, Computer Sciences Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, International Business Machines Corporation, Noblis, Inc., Nortel Networks Corporation, Pearson Education, Inc., Perot Systems Corporation, Telcordia Technologies, Inc., VeriSign, Inc., Afilias Limited, Oracle Corporation, Synchronoss Technologies, Inc., Syniverse Technologies, Inc., Akamai Technologies, Inc., F5 Networks, Inc., Keynote Systems, Inc., Compuware Corporation, TNS, Inc., eBureau, LLC, Acxiom, Nielsen Holdings N.V., DataLogix International Inc. and infoGROUP Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Moore]

  You may not have heard of NeuStar (NYSE: NSR  ) , but the services it provides can affect you greatly. This $3 billion company is also handily beating the market as it shifts its focus to move deeper into the information and analytics industry.

Top Asian Stocks For 2014: Stellus Capital Investment Corp (SCM)

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. The Company was formed to originate and invest primarily in private middle-market companies.

The Company is focusing on a variety of industry sectors, including business services, energy, general industrial, government services, healthcare, software and specialty finance. Its investment activities will be managed by its investment adviser, Stellus Capital Management. It intends to originate and invest primarily in private middle-market companies through first lien, second lien, unitranche and mezzanine debt financing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Investing Caffeine]

  With the stock market reaching all-time record highs (S&P 500: 1900), you would think there would be a lot of cheers, high-fiving, and back slapping. Instead, investors are ignoring the sunny, blue skies and taking off their rose-colored glasses. Rather than securely sleeping like a baby (or relaxing during a three-day weekend) with their investment accounts, people are biting their fingernails with clenched teeth, while searching for a market boogeyman in their closets or under their beds.If you don�� believe me, all you have to do is pick up the paper, turn on the TV, or walk over to the office water cooler. An avalanche of scary headlines that are spooking investors include geopolitical concerns in Ukraine & Thailand, slowing housing statistics, bearish hedge fund managers (i.e., Tepper Einhorn, Cooperman), declining interest rates, and collapsing internet stocks. In other words, investors are looking for things to worry about, despite record corporate profits and stock prices. Peter Lynch, the manager of the Magellan Fund that posted +2,700% in gains from 1977-1990, put short-term stock price volatility into perspective:��ou shouldn�� worry about it. You should worry what are stocks going to be 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now.��ather than focusing on immediate stock market volatility and other factors out of your control, why not prioritize your time on things you can control. What investors can control is their asset allocation and spending levels (budget), subject to their personal time horizons and risk tolerances. Circumstances always change, but if people spent half the time on investing that they devoted to planning holiday vacations, purchasing a car, or choosing a school for their child, then retirement would be a lot less stressful. After realizing 99% of all the short-term news is nonsensical noise, the next important realization is stocks are volatile securities, which frequently go down -10 to -20%. As much

• [By Investing Caffeine]

  DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients hold long positions in certain exchange traded funds (ETFs), but at the time of publishing SCM had no direct position in GS, SCHW, ICE, or any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC Contact page.

Top Asian Stocks For 2014: IMF (AUSTRALIA)

IMF (Australia) Ltd investigates, manages, and funds litigation and arbitration claims primarily in Australia and the United States. Its litigations include commercial claims, insolvency claims, and group actions. The company offers funding for litigation and investigations preliminary to litigation; payment of adverse costs orders; strategic planning, monitoring, and managing of litigation; factual investigation, including asset tracing; and assistance in facilitating settlements and maximizing the value of each claim. IMF (Australia) Ltd is based in Sydney, Australia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  News Corp. (0.4%) (NWSA - $16.06 (0.3%) NWS - $16.43 (0.1%) - NASDAQ)(NWSA), based in New York, operates in five segments: 1) News and information services ��U.S., United Kingdom, and Australian publishing businesses, including The Wall Street Journal, the Times of London, and the New York Post, along with News America Marketing Corp., a leading provider of free standing inserts (FSIs or cents off coupons); 2) Cable network programming ��Fox Sports Australia; 3) Digital real estate services ��a 62% interest in publicly traded REA Group Ltd. (Australia); 4) Book publishing ��Harper Collins, one of the largest English language publishers in the world; and 5) Other ��primarily the company's K-12 education business ��Amplify. On June 28, 2013, 'old News' Corp. (now Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (2.4%)) spun off most of its non entertainment assets ('new News') to holders on a one for four basis. We estimate that the company will generate about $800 million of EBITDA on $8.7 billion of revenues for the year ending June 30, 2014.�

• [By Charles Mizrahi]

  Companies rely on third party contractors, such as Atwood Oceanics (ATW) to provide rigs in these deep-water environments. High utilization rates have resulted in rig shortages, creating upward pressure on prices. Atwood's largest customers include Chevron (Australia), Noble, and Kosmos Energy Ghana.

Top Asian Stocks For 2014: Barclays PLC (II)

Barclays PLC (Barclays) is a global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. The Company�� operations include its overseas offices, subsidiaries and associates. The Company operates in eight segments: UK Retail and Business Banking (UK RBB), Europe Retail and Business Banking (Europe RBB), Africa Retail and Business Banking (Africa RBB), Barclaycard, Barclays Investment Bank, Barclays Corporate Banking, Wealth and Investment Management, and Head Office and Other Operations. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than original cost. As stated in the current prospectus, the Fund�� Investor Class Share�� annual operating expense ratio (gross) is 1.28%. The Fund�� adviser has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit total annual operating expenses at 1.25%, which is in effect until October 31, 2015. Other share classes may vary. The Fund charges a 2.0% redemption fee on shares redeemed within six months of purchase. For the most recent month-end performance, please call (877)328-9437 or visit the Advisor�� website at www.auxierasset.com. The recent growth rate in the stock market has helped to produce short-term returns that are not typical and may not continue in the future.Spring 2014 Market CommentaryAuxier Focus Fund�� Investor Class returned a modest 0.25% for the quarter ended March 31, while Standard and Poor�� 500 Stock Index (S&P) rose 1.81%. The Fund ended the quarter with 70% in U.S. stocks, 16% foreign stocks, 1.7 % bonds and 12.3% cash. Since inception in 1999, the Fund�� equity exposure has averaged 72%. Our stockholdings in the healthcare industry generally gained for the quarter. But many of our multinational and foreign stocks were hurt by the threat of currency repercussions from geopolitical events in Russia and Ukraine. The foreign portion of the Fund is easily the most undervalued. Longer term, we see a very favorable risk/reward potential with our UK and European holdings. Some emerging market companies we follow are the cheapest in over twenty years. In allocating capital, we much prefer the gloom of down to flat markets and the corrective process that tempers exuberance. We remember that one of th

Top Asian Stocks For 2014: General Communication Inc.(GNCMA)

General Communication, Inc. provides communication services to residential and business customers under the GCI and Alaska Wireless brand names in Alaska. The company?s Consumer segment provides local and long distance voice services; video services and products, including cable, high-definition television, digital video recorder, premium channel programming, video on demand, and pay-per-view programming services; Internet access; and fixed and mobile wireless voice and data services. This segment also sells handsets, personal computer wireless data cards, and accessories to residential customers; and offers bundled services and products, which comprise long-distance, cable television, cable modem Internet access, local access, and wireless services. Its Network Access segment provides interstate and intrastate-switched message telephone, multi-protocol label switching, frame relay, private line and dedicated Internet, and wireless services to GSM and CDMA wireless carrie rs. The company?s Commercial segment offers local and long distance communication, video, Internet, data network, managed, wireless, and bundled products and services. Its Managed Broadband segment offers Internet access, data network, and managed services to rural school districts, hospitals, and health clinics. The company?s Regulated Operations segment provides wireline communications services, including local access and long-distance, and Internet services and products, to residential, business, and governmental customers in areas of rural Alaska. General Communication, Inc. sells its services primarily through direct contact marketing, as well as through local media advertising, and its retail stores and Website. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 87,900 long-distance customers, 138,100 local access lines in service, 142,600 basic cable subscribers, 139,900 wireless subscribers, and 119,400 cable modem subscribers. The company was founded in 1979 and is bas ed in Anchorage, Alaska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Alaska Communications and General Communication (NASDAQ: GNCMA  ) -- also known as GCI -- have finalized the transaction they proposed last summer to form The Alaska Wireless Network, or AWN, both companies announced today.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Long Distance Carriers: This industry fell 1.97% by 10:50 am ET. General Communication (NASDAQ: GNCMA) shares dropped 2.2% in today's trading. General Communication's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is 0.98%.

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Alaska Communications and General Communications, (NASDAQ: GNCMA  ) , or GCI, today signed the network sharing agreement they proposed last summer.