Volume sunk to the lowest level of the year, but this could change if some of the big caps exceed estimates

Even though Monday turned out to be the fifth consecutive day of gains, it didn’t feel like a market that was headed higher. Perhaps it is the pause before Q2 earnings begin to pour in, or maybe after eight days down and five up investors are tired of the roller coaster. Both the NYSE and the Nasdaq traded less shares than on Friday, which was the lowest volume of the year until yesterday.

After spending most of the morning in minus territory, the Dow Industrials managed to break even at noon, but then trudged on to the close and a slight gain. Despite the overall lethargy, big-cap technology stocks were the beneficiary of analysts’ upgrades. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), and QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) benefitted from the attention. But the tech-heavy Nasdaq only rose by 0.9%.

And there was speculation that BP plc (NYSE: BP) or a substantial portion of it would be sold off to pay for the billions of dollars of losses incurred from the Gulf of Mexico crisis. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) was rumored to be a beneficiary of some of the pieces of BP, and Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) was named by the Wall Street Journal as a buyer of up to $10 billion of BP’s assets.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 18 points to 10,216, the S&P 500 gained under a point to 1,079, and the Nasdaq rose 2 points to 2,198.�

The NYSE traded 855 million shares with decliners over advancers by 1.7-to-1. The Nasdaq crossed 510 million shares and decliners there were ahead by 2.3-to-1.

Crude oil for August delivery fell $1.14 to $74.95 a barrel, and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE) lost 14 cents, closing at $52.48.�

August gold was hit with an $11.10 decline, closing at $1,198.70 an ounce, and the PHLX Gold/Silver S! ector In dex (NASDAQ: XAU) fell $1.36 to $173.73. The XAU has been hugging its 200-day moving average since February while recently in a trading range of $170 to $190. Its stochastic issued a buy signal yesterday.

What the Markets Are Saying

While everyone waits for the Q2 reports, market leadership has remained absent except for a minor run on utility stocks — the most defensive of all sectors and a discouragement for the bulls. To put it another way, looking to utilities for leadership would be about as weak as Barney Fife leading the charge up San Juan Hill.

Volume for the last two days has sunk to the lowest level of the year. This could change if some of the big caps exceed both earnings and revenue estimates. But following a rebound after a head-and-shoulders break the pattern of low volume is consistent with a faltering recovery.�

The big number to watch is the resistance zone around the S&P 500′s 1,100 area. That zone contains the primary bearish resistance line and the 50- and 200-day moving averages now at 1,094 and 1,112.�

The second quarter’s earnings started with Alcoa Inc.’s (NYSE: AA) report last night. The stock modestly exceeded analysts’ estimates for both earnings and revenues. Now let’s see what the bulls can do with it.

Today’s Trading Landscape

Earnings to be reported before the opening include: Fastenal, Hi-Tech Pharmacal and Infosys.

Earnings to be reported after the close include: AAR Corp., Adtran, Intel and YUM! Brands.

Economic reports due: NFIB small business optimism, ICSC-Goldman Sachs store sales, international trade (the consensus expects -$39 billion), Redbook and Treasury budget (the consensus expects -$70 billion).

If you have questions or comments for Sam Collins, please e-mail him at samailc@cox.net.

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Clueless About Network Marketing?

By Cora L. Foerstner

A year ago, I began reading about real estate and residual income. My desire to become an entrepreneur was born. As I read, the term network marketing and its synonym multi-level marketing (MLM) kept popping up. The authors of these buzz words didn?t bother explaining or defining them. They assumed that I, their eager reader, knew their meaning.

I asked around, but no one had a clue as to what network marketing was. One of the down sides of academia is that the business world is a mystery to many of us. And so began my quest to discover what I could about MLM. Proponents of MLM boast that anyone could start a business for as little as a few hundred dollars.

After some fruitless research, I finally struck gold. I stared open mouthed at my computer screen. The name of the network marketing company jogged an old memory. In high school, I had known a young man who belonged to this company. A couple of times, he came to pick me up for a date, but before we left, he would clean my mother?s stove or refrigerator, showing her the miracles of his product. His goal, I assume, was to make money and dazzle me with his entrepreneur qualities. I felt humiliated because my mother was taking advantage of him to get her kitchen cleaned and because this boy was embarrassing me ? I wanted to go to a movie or to a party, and he was cleaning my mother?s appliances.

I had the holy grail in my hand, but I felt apprehensive. I told my colleague what I?d discovered. He shrugged and said,"It?s a pyramid scam."

But I found that the lure of residual income far outweighed my apprehensions. Today, I?m a proud network marketer, ready to give anyone, who is as clueless as I was about network marketing, my fledgling expertise. Here?s the scoop.

DEFINITION: Network marketing is a business that markets a line of products or several lines of products through independent salespeople. An independent salesperson is recruited; she, in turn, recruits other people; these people recr! uit othe rs, and so it goes. Each representative builds her own business with her recruits and their recruits under her, and she makes commission on the sales volume of her team. The people under the independent salesperson are called the downline. The potential for increasing the downline and earning money is exponential.

SCAM or LEGIT BUSINESS: When I was in high school and amorous young men were cleaning appliances, many fawned upon these companies. Let?s face it. There were lots of jokes. Most people didn?t make much money; they pestered their family and friends, and horror of horrors, they had garages filled with unused products that they had to buy to meet their quotas (a certain amount of the products a salesperson or team has to buy). Times have changed. Today, major corporations and Fortune 500 companies, like AT&T, MCI, Citigroup, and IBM, have multilevel sales forces.

The difference between network marketing and a pyramid scam is easy to explain. Network marketers sell products; they run businesses. A pyramid scam is a con. People give someone money in hopes that they can get other people to give them money. The claim is that anyone can get rich just by finding other people to do the same. There is no product, no business. The people at the top make lots of money. The scam falls apart. This is illegal. People get arrested.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY: Not all network marketing companies are created equal. There are some excellent ones, some okay ones, and some down right awful, ugly ones. If you are looking for a network marketing company, you have to do your due diligence and make sure that you find an excellent one. Remember that you are investing in your future.

RESIDUAL INCOME: What network marketing offers is a way to create residual income, while working part-time. Network marketing is not a "get rich quick" scheme. Those who succeed work hard, but they are creating something magical: residual income.

You go to work, and you get paid. If you don?t go to work, yo! u don?t get paid. This is linear income. Residual income doesn?t depend on you working. Think of an author, who writes a book and gets a royalty check year after year. Residual income, like royalty checks, keeps coming and allows people to retire, have the freedom to travel, and do other wildly pleasant things.

MY 12 SUGGESTIONS FOR NEOPHYTES FROM ANOTHER NEOPHYTE:

1. Don?t rush into network marketing. Look around and find a good company that suits you and your needs. Don?t get pressured into anything. Ask lots of questions of the network marketer you are talking to. Avoid high pressure people.

2. As soon as you finish reading this, run out and buy Wave 4: Network Marketing in the 21st Century by Richard Poe. I don?t know Richard Poe, but I do know that this book explains everything.

3. Find a company and product that you are EXCITED about. It?s hard to sell something you don?t believe in. Ideally, you want a product that people buy over and over again, month after month, year after year, and a company with values that are congruent with your values.

4. Look for a company that has been around and proven itself. Someone who has been in network marketing and has experience might take a chance on a new company, but a novice should be more careful.

5. I?d suggested publicly traded companies. Their financial statements are public, and you can request their financial portfolio. Go to www.morningstar.com, or www.nasdaq.com, or www.valueline.com, or your favorite place and do some research. You just need the company?s ticket number, and you?re off and running. If you don?t feel confident doing this yourself, find a friend who knows something about stocks and financial statements, and ask her for help.

6. Check out the compensation plan. Is the commission fair? How often do it pay? Does excess sales money roll over? Does your team have to meet a quota? This could be a big drawback. If there are hefty quotas, you might find yourself buying products you don?t want. Poe?s b! ook is p riceless here; he explains the different commission plans.

7. Do you have to buy, store, deliver products? Most network marketing companies don?t do this any more. Most companies provide online or phone ordering, and the company distributes its products. You place an order, and they do the work.

8. Training is very important. What kind of training program do they have? In network marketing, team members help each other build their businesses. In network marketing, if the people on your team are successful, you are successful.

9. How do you work your business? Face to face with people you meet? On the internet? Or a little of both? This is important. Are there hidden costs in marketing? Ask for details.

10. See if you can find any dirt on the company. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Are there complaints against the company? What kind of complaints? You can do this online. Know what you are getting into.

11. IMPORTANT: Make sure that you are willing to commit time and energy to building your business, 10 to 20 hours per week. If you have a family, make sure they are cool with this.

12. Don?t quit your day job! At least not until you are making more money in network marketing than you are in your nine to five.

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Generac Shares Plunged: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of generator maker Generac (NYSE: GNRC  ) have plunged today, down by 14% at the low, after reporting fourth-quarter earnings this morning.

So what: Revenue rose by two-thirds to $267.3 million, but bottom-line net income of $267.1 million isn't as rosy as it sounds. Generac saw a $238 million income tax benefit resulting from the reversal of some accounting charges related to its brand transition. Adjusted net income was $51.8 million.

Now what: Residential product sales jumped by 67.6% and Generac closed its acquisition of Magnum Products. CEO Aaron Jagdfeld said the company is pleased with the initial progress of the acquisition since Magnum's financial results have come in better than expected. Jagdfeld is "particularly excited" about cross-selling opportunities that the combined company can now offer, and said the acquisition should be an "attractive use of shareholder capital."

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Las Vegas Sands Beats on Revenue, Matches Expectations on EPS

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) reported earnings on Feb. 1. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Las Vegas Sands beat expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly and GAAP earnings per share expanded.

Gross margins dropped, operating margins improved, and net margins grew.

Revenue details
Las Vegas Sands tallied revenue of $2.54 billion. The 15 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $2.47 billion. Sales were 26% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.02 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.57. The 19 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.57 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.39 for Q4 were 15% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.34 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 37.4%, 960 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 26.1%, 190 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 17.1%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.47 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.56.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $11.18 billion. The average ! EPS esti mate is $2.56.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,755 members out of 2,081 rating the stock outperform, and 326 members rating it underperform. Among 506 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 434 give Las Vegas Sands a green thumbs-up, and 72 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Las Vegas Sands is outperform, with an average price target of $59.82.

• Add Las Vegas Sands to My Watchlist.

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Introducing the 24/7 Wall St. Wire

US index futures higher this morning following an announcement from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it wants to add $500 billion to its existing $385 billion lending capability. The IMF expects a lending gap of $1 trillion in the next two years and wants the new lending capability in order to fill that gap. Separately, the World Bank lowered its global economic growth forecast for 2012 from 3.6% to 2.5%, and cut the US growth forecast from 2.9% to 2.2%. But Greece�s deal with private investors appear to be nearing completion on terms more favorable to Greece than had previously been expected.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany�s DAX is up 0.45% at 6,361.74 and France�s CAC 40 is up 0.08%, at 3,272.49. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.10%, at 5,699.92.

In Asia, Hong Kong�s Hang Seng closed up 0.30%, at 19,686.90. The Nikkei index closed up 0.99%, at 8,550.58, and the Shanghai index closed down -1.39%, at 2,266.38.

Dow futures are up 0.19%, at 12,443.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.38%, at 2,398.75 and the S&P is up 0.25%, at 1,292.50.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is down -0.428% at 80.767.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are higher this morning, with WTI up 0.79% at $101.51/barrel and Brent up 0.52% at $112.11/barrel. Gold is fractionally lower this morning, at $1,655.20/ounce.

Paul Ausick

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Indication of gum illness

How can you tell you have periodontal disease? What exactly is periodontitis? How will you obtain it? How can you address it?

Periodontitis is the inflammation of the tissues surrounding your teeth. At first, you will lose your alveolar bone that surrounds your teeth. If you leave periodontitis is untreated, it can lead to more serious problem such as loosen teeth. Gum diseases or problems do not happen in an instant. It actually takes months or years before it surfaces in your mouth. This is the reason why many believed that only people over 40 will acquire gum diseases.

Gum issues start off whenever you disregard your dentist’s assistance to frequently clean your teeth. As soon as you disregard cleaning your teeth, plaque begins to build up within your mouth. When your disease fighting capability gets weak, then shall these gum diseases for example mouth sores occur!

Below are a few tips on how to identify if you’re having gum issues.

* Redness or bleeding of gums

* Mouth sores or swelling of gums

* Bad breath

* Receding gums

* Loosening of teeth

The well known periodontal disease treatment methods are the scaling and root planing. Both of these are known as the traditional methods for taking care of your gum disease especially periodontitis. The process can only be practiced by professional dentist. Scaling and root planing are definitely the procedure for deeply cleaning your gums and teeth. Depending on how serious the gum issue, scaling and root planing are thought as an preliminary process of dental surgical treatment.

Patients as well as professional dentists attest that the periodontal disease is recognized as probably the most distressing experience they have. That is the reason why most people need to undergo extensive analysis to be able to figure out the main source of the condition. This would be to prevent reoccurrence of the problem. Furthermore, whenever surgeries occur, it is anticipated that patients might encou! nter pos t surgery pains. These can’t be prevented nevertheless there are treatments accessible over the counter. If the discomfort is really intolerable, your dentist could advised or even supply medications that may help you reduce the discomfort.

It might greatly help in the event you avoid routines that would aggravate or even irritate the tissues of your gums. These may be through consuming spicy and fairly sweet meals, smoking or even chewing cigarettes. Studies reveal that smoking weakens your disease fighting capability as well as worsen the condition of your gums if you continue to chew or even eat cigarettes. Furthermore, smoking is also referred to as life threatening practice.

How do you treat periodontitis? There are many kinds of treatments for this kind of gum problems. Check out OraMD for an effective and safe periodontal disease treatment.

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How to Get Great Results When You Hire a Ghostwriter

If you need a ghostwriter, don’t make the process of finding one harder than it needs to be. In order to make sure that you’re hiring a professional ghostwriter, you need to keep a few simple factors in mind, such as the ones given below.

Deadlines: When you hire any freelancer, it’s necessary to agree upon a deadline for the project to be completed. Time is a critical factor when it comes to any project, so only use a ghostwriter who’s able to meet a reasonable deadline. Before hiring a ghostwriter, be sure to ask when you can expect the work to be completed. You don’t want to find yourself in the position of waiting indefinitely for a certain project to be finished, so get an exact date (leaving a day or two leeway perhaps, but no more). Some quality ghostwriters have a full schedule, and in such cases you may have to be satisfied to wait a certain amount of time. But if you are on a time limit, then it’s always better to be clear about things right in the start. To avoid any difficulties, you should come to a clear agreement about time limits when you first approach the ghostwriter.

Make sure there is no doubt about who will own the material after it’s been written for you. This is one point you simply cannot fail to be clear about. Let your writer know that the work he’s selling you is your work and yours alone he must relinquish any and all claims to the work. You should convey exactly what you’re expecting so that there isn’t any miscommunication. This is information you’ll definitely want to include in the service agreement you draw up.

You might want to ask for a guarantee or warranty to ensure less stress over the hiring process and so you know you’ll be able to get service after the sale. Sometimes small tweaks and modifications are needed that would be better done by the writer and should carry no charge. You’ll want to clarify these details before your project begins as well as what a reasonabl! e timefr ame for these adjustments to be delivered in will be. Even ghostwriters who have never written under their real names should be able to supply you with references from publishers, other writers or publications they’ve written for. Such matters can help you determine how qualified a ghostwriter really is before you commit to hiring him or her.

There’s a lot of web pages regarding woodworking plans, on the other hand, if you would like the top woodworking plans, you certainly need to go to woodworking plans. Generally there you can find the top woodworking plans.

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Has American Capital Agency Become the Perfect Stock?

Every investor would love to stumble upon the perfect stock. But will you ever really find a stock that provides everything you could possibly want?

One thing's for sure: You'll never discover truly great investments unless you actively look for them. Let's discuss the ideal qualities of a perfect stock, then decide if American Capital Agency (Nasdaq: AGNC  ) fits the bill.

The quest for perfection
Stocks that look great based on one factor may prove horrible elsewhere, making due diligence a crucial part of your investing research. The best stocks excel in many different areas, including these important factors:

• Growth. Expanding businesses show healthy revenue growth. While past growth is no guarantee that revenue will keep rising, it's certainly a better sign than a stagnant top line.
• Margins. Higher sales mean nothing if a company can't produce profits from them. Strong margins ensure that company can turn revenue into profit.
• Balance sheet. At debt-laden companies, banks and bondholders compete with shareholders for management's attention. Companies with strong balance sheets don't have to worry about the distraction of debt.
• Money-making opportunities. Return on equity helps measure how well a company is finding opportunities to turn its resources into profitable business endeavors.
• Valuation. You can't afford to pay too much for even the best companies. By using normalized figures, you can see how a stock's simple earnings multiple fits into a longer-term context.
• Dividends. For tangible proof of profits, a check to shareholders every three months can't be beat. Companies with solid dividends and strong commitments to increasing payouts treat shareholders well.

With those factors in mind, let's take a closer look at American! Capital Agency.

Factor	What We Want to See	Actual	Pass or Fail?
Growth	5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15%	129.4%*	Pass
�	1-Year Revenue Growth > 12%	176.7%	Pass
Margins	Gross Margin > 35%	100%	Pass
�	Net Margin > 15%	90.6%	Pass
Balance Sheet	Debt to Equity < 50%	796.7%	Fail
�	Current Ratio > 1.3	0.06	Fail
Opportunities	Return on Equity > 15%	19.8%	Pass
Valuation	Normalized P/E < 20	9.66	Pass
Dividends	Current Yield > 2%	16.4%	Pass
�	5-Year Dividend Growth > 10%	9.2%*	Fail
�	�	�	�
�	Total Score	�	7 out of 10

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Total score = number of passes. *Three-year growth rates.

Since we looked at American Capital Agency last year, the mortgage REIT has dropped a point. Dividend growth has slowed and recently even reversed course, which could be a sign of things to come for the company.

Investors have gravitated to mortgage REITs for their outsized dividends. With bonds yielding next to nothing, the double-dig! it yield s that American Capital Agency and its peers offer look exceptionally attractive.

But recently, changing trends are threatening those dividends. In its most recent quarter, American Capital Agency reported lower earnings per share due to a big jump in outstanding shares, and more importantly cut its dividend from $1.40 per share to $1.25 for the first quarter of 2012. The company's interest rate spread fell below 2%, prompting further concerns.

The challenges aren't unique to American Capital Agency. Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY  ) saw similar drops in interest rate spreads, prompting its own dividend cut. Moreover, Annaly and Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM  ) have started to clamp down on their leverage ratios, which helps make them less sensitive to adverse conditions going forward (but comes at the expense of some profits). Additionally, with new initiatives to help underwater homeowners refinance, prepayment rates could also hurt.

Given its leverage, American Capital Agency is as close to perfection as it's likely going to get. If conditions continue to worsen, though, the company could deteriorate further in the years ahead.

Keep searching
No stock is a sure thing, but some stocks are a lot closer to perfect than others. By looking for the perfect stock, you'll go a long way toward improving your investing prowess and learning how to separate out the best investments from the rest.

American Capital Agency has plenty of promise, but we've got some ideas you may like even better. Let me invite you to learn about three smart long-term stock plays in the Fool's latest special report. It's yours for the taking and is absolutely free, but don't miss out -- click here and read it today.

Click here to add American Capital Agency to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

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Introducing the 24/7 Wall St. Wire

Dycom Industries (DY) Company lowers forecast. Falls to $15 from 52-week high of $34.13.

Nortel Networks (NT) Sel-off at the end of the day. No news. Falls to $10.28 from 2-week high of $31.79.

Tapestry Pharmaceuticals (TPPH) Company cuts 65% of work-force move toward Chapter 11. Falls to $.04 from 52-week high of $2.07.

Nxstage Medical (NXTM) Bigger than expected quarterly loss. Sells off to $8.01 from 52-week high of $15.61.

Neurometrix (NURO) Company has loss in quarter. Falls to $4.04 from 52-week high of $12.10.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Costs running higher than expected. Drops to $16.04 from 52-week high of $41.42.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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FOREX-Greek uncertainty pushes down euro as deadline nears – Reuters

RT

FOREX-Greek uncertainty pushes down euro as deadline nears Reuters * Euro drops as time running out for Greek debt deal * Dollar hits 1-wk high vs yen on rise in US yields * Aussie slips after retail sales, eyes on RBA By Anirban Nag LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) – The euro fell broadly on Monday on investor concern that … WORLD FOREX: Euro Falls As Focus Remains On Greek TalksWall Street Journal FOREX-Euro slips as Greek deadline looms, A$ falls on dataReuters UK FOREX: Euro Slumps, US Dollar Gains as Greece Flirts with DefaultDailyFX all 276 news articles »

{forex} – Forex News

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The Retirement Rule of Thumb

When in doubt, resort to the rule of thumb. 

It isn’t the ideal way to make investment choices, but it is, unfortunately, what most people on the verge of retirement do, says Alessandro Previtero, an assistant professor of finance at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Previtero’s research has shown that when faced with the choice between a lump sum and an annuity, individuals typically base their decision on stock market returns, and will more often than not opt for a lump sum if stock market returns have been good for the period preceding their retirement.

What’s most worrying for Previtero is that the relationship between stock market returns and annuities grows stronger with age, thereby indicting that older people tend to rely more on rules of thumb to make complicated decisions as they age. This is something, he says, that advisors have to take into account when they’re discussing lump sums versus annuities with their clients.

“If we try to put this into practice, an advisor needs to be very sensitive about stock market performance, and they have to speak openly with their clients about why they’re choosing to invest in equities, whether they’re choosing to do so because it is the right thing to do or because they see that the equity market is coming out of a positive trend,” Previtero says. “It’s very important for advisors to see what’s driving clients to choose lump sum or equities and to understand their underlying behavior. It’s even more important for advisors to pay attention to behavioral biases and potential mistakes that investors may make because if someone has made the wrong decision based on a rule of thumb, it can also mean that the relationship they have with their advisor can potentially sour.”

Granted, annuities are a complex beast, difficult to explain and understand, even in recent years, when there’s been a concerted effort by the retirement finance industry to shed greater light on them and clear them of their tainted past. Annuities experts believe that the evolution of the industry will engender different kinds of products that would allow retirees to take advantage of stock market upside, and that they would be more readily available in retirement plans.

Nevertheless, it is still important for advisors to have the dialog with their clients as to why or why not to choose an annuity, says Jeffrey Brown, William G. Karnes professor in the department of finance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and director of the Center for Business and Public Policy in the College of Business. The conversation, he says, has to begin with what a client wants in their retirement and introducing in that context the idea of guaranteed lifetime income.

Brown and other academics like Julie Agnew, associate professor of economics and finances at the College of William and Mary, have done extensive work in the area of framing, an approach that can perhaps help advisors give better direction to the annuities conversation and enable both themselves and their clients to better understand the reasons why they should or shouldn’t invest in annuities.

Brown conducted a survey in which he first presented annuities as an investment choice, the classic way in which they are almost always presented. He then changed things around by reframing annuities in a consumption-related framework.

“In half the sample, we described the product – which we didn’t name – by using terms like ‘investment’ and ‘returns,’ and in the other scenario, we talked about the amount of income that this product would yield,” Brown says. “In the first context, people thought annuities were inferior and only 20% said the product was a better choice compared to savings account. In the second scenario, though, after simply changing the terms of the discussion to words like ‘consume,’ ‘spend’ and so forth, 70% of the people in the survey preferred the annuity.”

The subtle change in wording, which resulted in people looking at annuities in terms of what they want to consume and spend in retirement, led to a total change in mindset.

“We’re doing more research on consumption-related frameworks because we think that if we take this a little further, we’d be part of a much-needed and fundamental rethinking in how we talk about retirement planning,” Brown says.

Framing the retirement conversationin a consumption-related context also leads onto other very important issues, such as inflation, long-term care, and whatever else people might need to maintain their standard of living. These elements are all part of a different conversation from the one that focuses on maximizing wealth, Brown says, and within that context advisors can help their clients to better see the benefits and downsides of the options they have, including whether to put their money in the stock market or in annuities, and to perhaps go beyond resorting to simple rules of thumb.

Choose the Best Spa tub for Your Property

Portable hot tub. Searching for an ultimate time to acquire entire pleasure as well as amusement to your and your loved ones? If so you then must look into obtaining a top quality hot spa getting probably the most soothing benefits. In addition to offering any level of comfort, hot spa day spa acts while stunning house décor equipment. It’s for certain which a top quality bath tub can easily enhance your life style to a degree.

You are able to go with a much more traditions design, that you must build a sizable clip or barrel generally involving wooden. These kinds of solid wood staves are generally useful with regard to four to eight people as they go well with certain requirements. First and foremost, the river in the conventional swimming pool is still similar to swimming pool. You have to move in order to heat as well as filter the idea. In addition, sufficient level of chlorine as well as disinfectants are expected only to conserve the security with the drinking water.

Getting a solid wood outdoor patio in a very transportable hot spa is a great location for any hot spa. You are able to repair all of them outdoors in order that there’s no need to get extra place for these spas. If you’re investing in a bath tub to the amusement goal, mending the idea in the indoors might be only ideal for a person. Generally, any bath tub carries a solid wood chair or even counter caught the actual wall space, in order that it is easy for folks to sit down as well as relax. Temperature the river in various ways such as gas main, electrical power, propane, as well as using the assistance involving wooden to consume enough heat. Portable hot tub.

In the present contemporary spas, you will get complicated design to a less difficult pattern only to satisfy your choices. Perhaps, the options involving components are generally abundant and you’ll get the materials that you just sense will be close the needs you have. Search extensively and obtain the top ! to addre ss your current wants, comfort and ease as well as stimulating level. Portable hot tub.

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Moving cheaper pharmaceuticals is much more profitable

Big Pharma undoubtedly hates the thought of losing billions in sales as some of its biggest selling drugs losing patent protection in the next few years. But there��s one health industry colleague that��s licking its chops at the prospect of several of the biggest blockbusters going generic: pharmaceutical distributors.

The big three of drug wholesalers are McKesson (NYSE:MCK), Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) and AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC), and all are expected to enjoy steep paydays as a result of the coming generic boon. That may come as a surprise to many investors, because brand-name drugs are much more expensive. But here��s the rub: generics are much more profitable for wholesalers. And that could mean huge dollars for the big
three because, during the next five years, more than $100 billion of branded-drug revenue will be lost to generic competition, according to one
industry consultant.

So is now a good time for investors to jump on the wholesaler bandwagon and capitalize on the coming generic surge?

Or are they already late to the party? After all, in the past two years, both AmerisourceBergen and McKesson have had nice runups, posting share gains of 140% and nearly 100%, respectively. Cardinal, meanwhile, rewarded shareholders with a 60% gain, the same as the Dow.

Still, the influence the big three wield shouldn��t be overlooked. In the battle for prized distribution deals, generic manufacturers must make substantial price concessions to the drug wholesalers if they want their products carried. Cardinal, for example, negotiates deals with generics manufacturers on behalf of its retail customers. That’s good for Cardinal because independent pharmacies provide higher margins, and it��s good for small pharmacies because Cardinal can pool its purchasing power and negotiate lower generic prices than the pharmacies could on their own.

It appears ther! e are st ill growth opportunities here for investors:

• San Francisco-based McKesson is the giant of the industry with a market cap of more than $21 billion and annual sales of more than $100 billion. The company said in May that it expects earnings to range between $5.55 and $5.75 a share for the year ending in March 2012. Analysts, however, think McKesson is lowballing and expect the number to be just over $6. If the analysts are right, the company��s stock is trading at a forward price-to-earnings of just 14 based on its current share price of $84.43. Wall Street expects McKesson��s EPS growth rate to average just under 11% during the next 5 years.
• AmerisourceBergen, trading near its 52-week high of $43.47 recently raised its guidance for 2011, saying profits should be between $2.41 and $2.49 a share. The company��s new CEO, Steve Collis, says the smallest of the big three will stay the course by focusing on specialty distribution and generics.
• Reflecting the importance of specialty distribution, Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal bought P4 Healthcare last November for a half-billion dollars. The acquisition got the company back into the oncology and specialty pharma service game, according to CEO George Barrett. The company posted better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results and raised its earnings guidance for the year. Investor confidence didn��t seem to be shaken by a prominent hedge fund��s move out of the stock in the second quarter.

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Fulsome Volume Stock at NASDAQ ¨C JVA

Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:JVA) witnessed volume of 5.02 million shares during last trade however it holds an average trading capacity of 366,858.00 shares. JVA last trade opened at $11.42 reached intraday low of $11.23 and went +9.23% up to close at $13.26.

JVA has a market capitalization $72.80 million and an enterprise value at $65.61 million. Trailing twelve months price to sales ratio of the stock was 0.76 while price to book ratio in most recent quarter was 4.64. In profitability ratios, net profit margin in past twelve months appeared at 3.27% whereas operating profit margin for the same period at 4.97%.

The company made a return on asset of 12.31% in past twelve months and return on equity of 22.10% for similar period. In the period of trailing 12 months it generated revenue amounted to $87.77 million gaining $16.03 revenue per share. Its year over year, quarterly growth of revenue was 20.00% holding 86.60% quarterly earnings growth.

According to preceding quarter balance sheet results, the company had $2.87 million cash in hand making cash per share at 0.52. The total of $1.82 million debt was there putting a total debt to equity ratio 12.60. Moreover its current ratio according to same quarter results was 2.29 and book value per share was 2.62.

Looking at the trading information, the stock price history displayed that its S&P500 52 Week Change illustrated 16.43% where the stock price exhibited up beat from its 50 day moving average with $6.99 and remained above from its 200 Day Moving Average with $5.06.

JVA holds 5.49 million outstanding shares with 2.15 million floating shares where insider possessed 49.37% and institutions kept 3.90%.

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Bug Rings And Bug Gifts

Bug rings and insect display jewelry are extremely one of a kind types of jewelry that use real preserved insects as their key designs. Traditional jewelry is well known for combining beads, wood, metal, and precious stones to create amazing designs; bug jewelry throws those styles out and prefer scorpions and spiders instead. Children are rather enamored by the world they see around them in nature and are therefore sure to enjoy the concept of bug jewelry that brings bugs out of the dirt and into their jewelry. Kids are not the only individuals using these creative fashion accessories; many adults like the eclectic style they offer and are wearing them too.

Natural insect necklaces are usually crafted with a pendant featuring a bug that has been carefully encased in insect display case. There is no escape for the little creatures within the necklace pendants since their cases are made with an acrylic material that is extremely tough to damage. This acrylic is also perfect for the pendants since it is perfectly clear and allows you to observe the bug within at every angle. People everywhere are sure to ask about your necklace and gaze at the fascinating bug forever encased within your unique jewelry.

You can also find a wide variety of bug display bracelets which, much like their necklace counterparts, feature insects encased in clear acrylic. The insect display at the center of your bracelet can be matched with several different styles of bracelet, some of which are made from plastic, leather, or wood. Since the acrylic material that holds the insect in place is clear and very durable, you can even use a microscope on the specimen within your bracelet to get a better look at its every detail.

Apart from necklaces and bracelets, similar bug styled gifts and jewelry items exist too. Expect to give some people a surprise when wearing bug rings, since the insects inside sometimes appear to be climbing over your fingers. People interested in natural science and insect life will love frog! skeleto n paperweights and insect key chains that they can use in the home and on the go.

Not many area stores carry a good selection of insect display jewelry and bug rings since they are a specialty item. Internet based stores are the best places to shop for these unique items whether you want them yourself or plan on giving them as a gift.

Are you searching science, nature and Jewellery store with More? please visit at insect display or frog skeleton. Heartful credit is given to Chauncey J. Donaldson for his involvement for the subject validation.

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Shutterfly Snaps Up Deals With an Eye on the Big Picture

Shutterfly (SFLY) completed its acquisition of Tiny Prints on April 25 for $333 million, which included approximately $146 million in cash and approximately 4 million shares of Shutterfly common stock. Tiny Prints was a privately held e-commerce company offering stylish cards, invitations, personalized stationery and photo books operating in the same vertical as Shutterfly.

Acquisitions of this nature will help Shutterfly grow its customer base and compete with online services like Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) Snapfish, Kodak EasyShare Gallery and American Greetings (AM)' Photoworks and Webshots brands. Increasingly, Walmart (WMT), Costco (COST) and Sam's Club also offer low cost digital photography products and services and compete in this market.

Our price estimate for Shutterfly is $65.88, which is around 20% ahead of the market price.

Twin Acquisitions to Aid Revenues and Grow User Base

Shutterfly acquired WMSG last year in November 2010 to boost its commercial printing business. It also hopes to capitalize on WMSG's technology, analytics and its experienced leadership's understanding of the commercial printing space. Shutterfly will be attempting to leverage WMSG's longstanding deep relationships with well-known companies.

On the other hand, we expect the acquisition of Tiny Prints to generate new customers for Shutterfly's business. Shutterfly earns more than 50% of its annual revenues in the fourth quarter due to sales related to the holiday season. Tiny Prints has a large user base in the cards and photo-ca! rds mark et, and its Wedding Paper Divas division is solely focused on wedding cards. Orders for the wedding season pick up during the third quarter, which will help reduce the seasonality in Shutterfly's sales and their heavy reliance on fourth-quarter business. Shutterfly's increasing disposition for acquisitions signals its desire to scale quickly without having to grow organically, which can be an advantage over other competitors.

Partnerships for Broader Reach

In 2010, Shutterfly partnered with Groupon to offer multiple nationwide flash promotions to more than 10 million Groupon members. They also partnered with Best Buy (BEST) to promote Shutterfly products when customers purchased a qualifying digital camera or camcorder in stores.

Shutterfly's partnership with Target (TGT) provides an alternate sales channel for their products. In 2010, it also expanded its print-to-retail relationships which enabled customers to pick up 4x6 prints at CVS Pharmacy (CVS) and Walgreens (WAG) stores. These measures have ensured that consumers with limited Internet availability are able to enjoy Shutterfly services, and have also helped it establish an offline customer base.

See our complete analysis for Shutterfly's

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Introducing the 24/7 Wall St. Wire

Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) share of the US online ad revenue market was 23.7% in Q4. That number fell from Q3, but only by .5%.

Research group IDC said that a combination of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) would have 17% of the market.

IDC was quoted as saying "It would not quite bring Microsoft-Yahoo! to where Google is in online advertising in the U. S., but it would give them a much better fighting chance than if they went it alone."

Douglas A. McIntyre

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The Stock Pick for the Technology of the Future

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series in which editor/analyst Isaac Pino and consumer goods editor/analyst Austin Smith discuss topics across the investing world.

In today's edition, Isaac discusses a company that's been on his radar for a while, a highly innovative technology firm that is disrupting a software and printing industry that has seen few advancements in decades. Isaac believes that this company has built a war chest of proprietary technologies that are finally reaching a broader market and starting to pay off for shareholders.

3D Systems introduced an innovative product that could create an entirely new revolution in printing. Find out about another upstart leading an even larger revolution in technology. To better prepare investors for this new revolution, The Motley Fool has just released a free report on mobile -- named "The Next Trillion Dollar Revolution" -- that details a hidden component play inside mobile phones that also is a market leader in the exploding Chinese market. Inside the report, we not only describe why the mobile revolution will dwarf any other technology revolution seen before it, but we also name the company at the forefront of the trend. Hundreds of thousands have requested access to previous reports, and you can access this new report today by clicking here -- it's free.

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Introducing the 24/7 Wall St. Wire

The news about the demise of newspapers is now at least two years old. Each month newspaper chains put out their advertising numbers and each month they are worse.

The only real question about the newspaper industry is whether online versions of print papers can help offset falling print ad revenue. So far, that has not been working well. The best case is probably The New York Times (NYT) which gets about 10% of its revenue online now.

Goldman Sachs now says that a recession will take newspaper ad revenue down 7.9% next year. Only recently the investment bank was calling for a 2.6% decline.

This year will probably be the year that the newspaper industry has dreaded. Some companies with significant debt like McClatchy (MNI) and Journal Register (JRC) may have to go through large financial restructuring. Common shareholders may not make it out alive. At firms like Gannett (GCI) and The New York Times the only alternative will be to cut staff, perhaps sharply.

The future has finally caught up to the industry.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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2 Upstart Stocks with 50% Upside

It's so hard for new companies to gain traction in a mature industry. A few big players typically control most of the market share, so when upstarts come along with a better set of products or services, they often get acquired by the big players anyway.

Yet despite long odds, every year brings a new set of companies that are largely unfamiliar to investors. These companies push hard to boost sales at a fast pace, and once the revenue base hits a certain level, they can suddenly get a much bigger following on Wall Street. If successful, these companies can get swept up in a virtuous cycle of bullish research reports, increased hedge-fund interest, and analysis from folks like me in the financial journalism community. All of these usually lead to higher share prices, giving investors who got in early substantial gains.

 

To be sure, the road to higher sales gets very bumpy. These companies often need to keep raising cash just to fund key growth initiatives. And because these companies seek out small acquisitions to widen their reach, they are a turn-off to investors that shun a growth-through-acquisition strategy.

I've been looking at two of these "industry upstarts," both of which saw their stock slump sharply in 2011. Might they finally fulfill their promise in 2012?

1. MDC Partners (Nasdaq: MDCA)
This company is attempting to crack the mature advertising agency market that is dominated by veterans such as Omnicom (NYSE: OMC), Interpublic (NYSE: IPG), Publicis (Pink Sheets: PUBGY) and WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY).

MDC has carved out a niche as a developer of online marketing and branding strategies (57% of revenue is tied to interactive advertising). And thanks to a combination of strong internal growth and selected acquisitions, MDC is on a hot growth streak. Sales rose 28% in 2010 to $698 million, and likely! rose mo re than 30% in 2011 to more than $900 million. (Roughly one-third of that growth has been organic and the remainder through acquisitions.) MDC should handily crack the $1 billion revenue mark this year, yet the company is still largely unknown on Wall Street.

MDC would have a deeper following among investors -- and a richer stock price -- if the company wasn't spending every spare penny investing in growth. On that 2010 sales base cited above, MDC Partners generated just $15 million in free cash flow. The 2011 numbers aren't likely to look much better. (That's the result of 20 acquisitions during the past three years.)

Management appears committed to a better balance between growth and free cash flow, having surely been chastened after seeing the company's stock fall from $21 in late July to a recent $13.

Yet investors may soon realize that MDC is actually very well-positioned in the ad biz. The company knows how to get blue-chip firms to better adapt to the era of social networking and mobile devices. Companies like BMW, Samsung and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) are among MDC's 900 clients. As that customer base has expanded, customer concentration has decreased. MDC's top 10 clients accounted for 49% if sales in 2009, though that figure is now below 30%. (The loss of an account with Burger King this past summer dealt shares a blow, highlighting the perceived risk of customer concentration.)

It's hard to assess what free cash flow will look like in 2012, as MDC may or may not make additional cash-sapping acquisitions. But at the current sales base, 2012 EBITDA should top $120 million. This means shares trade for less than seven times EBITDA, on an enterprise-value basis. When investors come to understand this company's attractive industry positioning better, this multiple should expand to 10, which would push this stock back to its 52-week high of $21 seen last summer. That's 50% upside from here.

2. Rentrak (Nasdaq! : RENT)< /strong>
This company has been transforming from a provider of weekly DVD sales data (which is of interest to very few people these days) to a provider of media-consumption data. Its analytical software helps advertisers and broadcasters understand what consumers are watching in the online and broadcast spheres.
 
Rentrak's stock hit almost $30 by the end of 2010 (from $15 a year before) as investors saw a potential budding rival for media-tracking giant Nielsen Holdings (Nasdaq: NLSN).

At the start of 2011, management laid out a series of lofty growth targets that simply could not be met. Rentrak missed quarterly analysts' estimate in three of the last four quarters -- by a significant margin -- and shares fell more than 50% compared the past year. The shortfalls were the result of a faster-than-expected decline in the DVD sales tracking business, and a slower-than-expected ramp in the new media consumption tracking segment. Since the new business can't ramp fast enough to offset the declines in the legacy business, Rentrak's total sales are expected to actually shrink 4% to $94 million in fiscal (March) 2012. Further expected sales declines in the DVD business will likely cap 2013 sales growth at around 10%.

Yet its' the viewing tracking business, known as TVEssentials, that is the real focus for investors. After a solid run of new contract signings throughout calendar 2010, Rentrak found few new takers for its TVEssentials service in the first half of 2011, giving the impression that upstart's momentum had stalled. The good news: Rentrak signed up more than 30 new licensees in the September quarter, and the December quarter appears to have been strong as well.

TVEssentials now has more than 160 customers, of which two-thirds are local broadcasting affiliates of the major networks. Rentrak is winning contracts against Nielsen because it does a better job of gauging viewership by the second, highlighting which commercials! are bei ng watched. (Nielsen takes a snapshot of viewership every 15 minutes.) This article from trade publication Variety neatly summarizes the distinction.

The market opportunity is huge. Nielsen generated $1.5 billion in revenue from its TV rating service in 2011. Rentrak is on track for just $40 million in TVEssentials' revenue in fiscal (March) 2012. Yet analysts see that revenue base rising at a 30% annual clip through 2015. This is a stock you should get to know. If the March quarter comes in ahead of forecasts, this may be a rising star of 2012.

Risks to Consider: Aggressive growth stocks bring heightened execution risk as management sets lofty growth targets and then stresses the company to meet them. Management appears chastened, but these companies will need to deliver a string of solid quarters to win back investors.

> After a sharp drop in 2011, each of these stocks appears more attractively valued when measured against their still-robust growth prospects. Even minor market share gains against their much bigger rivals would translate into robust organic sales growth. Pay attention to both of these stocks. I wouldn't be surprised to see 50% upside in either of these names this year.

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Cash Is Best Now

CASH IS A POSITION

You will never hear that from any broker. Even thediscount brokers won’t utter it.Almost every investor I speak with tells me his account has lost value over the past several months. Mostsay they have lost about 20%. It is going to get worse.

Brokers tell investors that mutual funds are “safe”. Safe from what? Certainly not from seeing your money
disappear. They never want you to sell.

Why?

There are many hidden fees even in no-load mutual funds. Between the fund and the brokerage company they are skimming about 2% of your money every year. There are a few that do have less than ?%expenses, but they are few and far between.

In a brokerage company if a broker had his clients go to cash he would be fired. That piddling 1% skim means a great deal to the office manager. His office is rated on the total amount of funds. If one of his brokers suddenly had his clients transfer several million to a money market account the next day the broker would not have a desk.

Mutual fund managers are paid by the totalamount in the fund and NOT by how well or how much they make for shareholders. When a broker gets his registration he is given two manuals. The first has all the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He must not violate any of these or he will lose his license.

The second is a sales manual on how to open new accounts. That is basically every broker’s job – bring in new money and lots of it.

There is no third manual. What third manual?

That is how to make money for customers, but more important how to protect a client’s money from loss.

During the 2000 – 2003 crash that saw the NASDAQ evaporate 78% most brokers were in shock. They asked their boss what can we do. He either did not know or was not allowed to tell them.

Brokerage companies will sacrifice their customers rather than try to help them preserve their capital.

Se! ems pret ty horrible. That’s life on Wall Street. The current credit crisis is all about the greed for money. The little guy in a local office that you know just doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. He was never taught, It is not going to change.

It is your money. YOU must protect it. There are two choices. Find a fee based broker or financial planner (and most of them don’t know how to come in out of the rain) or YOU must have an exit strategy.

Check the portfolio of the broker to see what he did in 2000 to 2003. Make him give references.

You may not like what I said. You will wish you did when it comes to retirement time.

Al Thomas’ best selling book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!” has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter and receive his market letter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street does not want you to know. Copyright 2009 Williamsburg Investment Co. All rights reserved

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Dion's Monday ETF Winners and Losers

Welcome to Don Dion's "ETF Winners and Losers." Be sure to stop by throughout the week to find out which ETFs are gaining or losing.

Winners

iPath Dow Jones UBS Natural Gas Subindex Total Return ETN(GAZ) 3.2%

A 15.5% premium is heavily impacting the performance of GAZ, causing it to perform out of line with its fellow natural gas futures-tracking ETF, the United States Natural Gas Fund(UNG). While GAZ is sitting solidly in positive territory, UNG, which boasts not premium, is up around 1%.

Premiums are not something to toy with. Steer clear of this product.

First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech ETF (FBT) 2.1%

The biotechnology industry is pushing higher, leading FBT to its fifth consecutive day of gains. Dendreon(DNDN) is leading the way, locking in over 17% gains.

While impressive, investors may want to hold of on jumping in here; given its steep run up, there is a chance that this and other ETFs linked to biotechnology could take a breather in the near future.

SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF(XOP) 1.2%

While the premium-laden futures-backed natural gas ETN is leading the way higher, other corners of the energy sector are gaining ground as well. Producers, for example, are enjoying a bounce, pushing XOP and the PowerShares Dynamic Oil & Gas Services Portfolio(PXJ) to impressive gains.

Solar is strengthening as well. The Guggenheim Solar ETF(TAN) is up around 1%.

Losers

iShares MSCI Indonesia Investable Market Index Fund(EIDO) -2.3%

The U.S. marketplace has started off the first full week of February on a conservative note. With major stock market indices struggling to find gains,! investo rs are showing hesitance towards inherently volatile emerging markets. Asian nations are getting hit particularly hard; EIDO, the iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund(EWY) and the iShares MSCI Taiwan Index Fund(EWT) are among the biggest decliners.

iShares MSCI South Africa Index Fund(EZA) -2.1%

South Africa's marketplace is taking a shot across the bow as developing nations fall out of favor. Though notable, the fund's losses are not overly discouraging. EZA has enjoyed a strong run up during the start of the year. The fund is sitting at its highest levels since last August.

EZA's ample exposure to precious metal producers is likely doing little to help ease pressure. The Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF(GDXJ) is off around 2%.

iShares MSCI Italy Index Fund(EWI) -1.7%

After a four-day string of gains pushed the fund to its highest levels since early November, the Italy ETF appears to be taking a breather.

In recent weeks investors have enjoyed some encouraging news regarding the European sovereign debt crisis. Be warned, however, this remains a risky region not suitable for conservative investors.

All prices are as of 2:13 PM EST.

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ETF Securities: What's Next

At the start of the week, investors learned that a leading provider of domestic and international commodity-linked exchange traded products may be putting itself on the selling block.

Although the news is noteworthy, investors should remain calm and avoid taking any brash action as long as the overall impact remains unknown.

ETF Securities has become a notable success story within the U.S. ETF universe. Although the company had managed to gather plenty of attention in the international ETF realm since the first half of the decade, it was not until 2009 that domestic investors were able to access the company's products.

Despite being introduced into a highly competitive environment, the company's first U.S.-listed products -- ETFS Physical Silver Shares(SIVR) and ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares(SGOL) -- have managed to hold their own, boasting $619 million and $1.8 billion in assets, respectively.

Like other companies such as Vanguard, ETF Securities has turned to costs in order to attract fans to its product line. The SIVR's 0.39% expense ratio undercuts the veteran iShares Silver Trust(SLV) by 11 basis points. SGOL, meanwhile, held rank as the cheapest physically-based gold ETF until Blackrock(BLK) decided to slash the expenses associated with iShares Gold Trust(IAU) in mid-2010.

In addition to taking aim at veteran products, the company has become a precious metal pioneer as well. In the period following the launch of SIVR and SGOL, the firm introduced the first-ever ETFs backed by physical stockpiles of both platinum and palladium. Additionally, the launch of the ETFS Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares(GLTR) and the ETFS Physical White Metals Basket Shares(WITE) has allowed investors to gain one-stop-shop exposure to a diversified basket of physical precious metals.

According to the November fund flow data compiled by the National Stock Exchange, the company's line of seven products had managed to accumulate nearly $4 billion in assets. In Europe, meanwhile, the company is reportedly the fourth largest fund provider in terms of AUM.

With this level of success, it is understandable that followers of the ETF industry were caught off guard by reports that the company may now be up for sale. The Financial Times reports that the company is looking for $1.6 billion. Goldman Sachs(GS), the firm that has been hired as an adviser for the sale, is reportedly asking that unconditional offers be submitted before Christmas.

Based on what we have seen in the past, there are a number of ways this scenario can play out.

For instance, a purchase can have little to no effect on investors. A prime example of this scenario occurred in mid-2009, when Blackrock took over the iShares product line from Barclays through its purchase of Barclays Global Investors. The cash and stock deal was valued at $13.5 billion. The transition to Blackrock from Barclays caused little in the way of shake-up for iShares investors.

In other cases, however, a takeover can lead to a dramatic restructuring of a company's offerings. In 2011, it was announced that Merrill Lynch was in the process of handing over control of six of its HOLDRS funds to Van Eck. Under the new management, funds like the Oil Services HOLDRS(OIH) would see a considerable facelift; while these products will maintain their familiar ticker symbols, they will adopt brand new names and underlying indices.

Given the success and popularity of ETF Securities' product line, I do not foresee this latter scenario playin! g out. I nvestors with exposure to funds like SGOL and ETFS Physical Palladium Shares(PALL) will want to keep tabs on how this situation progresses. However, for now, there does not appear to be any reason to be alarmed.

In its young existence, the ETF universe has witnessed a number of exciting shifts. This news is just the most recent development in this industry's ongoing evolution.

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Is PotashCorp a Buffett Stock?

As the world's third-richest person and most celebrated investor, Warren Buffett attracts a lot of attention. Thousands try to glean what they can from his thinking processes and track his investments.

We can't know for sure whether Buffett is about to buy PotashCorp (NYSE: POT  ) -- he hasn't specifically mentioned anything about it to me -- but we can discover whether it's the sort of stock that might interest him. Answering that question could also reveal whether it's a stock that should interest us.

In his most recent 10-K, Buffett lays out the qualities he looks for in an investment. In addition to adequate size, proven management, and a reasonable valuation, he demands:

1. Consistent earnings power.
2. Good returns on equity with limited or no debt.
3. Management in place.
4. Simple, non-techno-mumbo-jumbo businesses.

Does PotashCorp meet Buffett's standards?

1. Earnings power
Buffett is famous for betting on a sure thing. For that reason, he likes to see companies with demonstrated earnings stability.

Let's examine PotashCorp's earnings and free cash flow history:

Source: S&P Capital IQ.

Over the past five years, PotashCorp's earnings have fluctuated a bit along with potash prices, but they've held reasonably steady given the magnitude of the current economic upheaval.

2. Return on equity and debt
Return on equity is a great metric for measuring both management's effectiveness and the strength of a company's competitive advantage or disadvantage -- a classic Buffett consideration. When considering return on equity, it's important to make sure a company doesn't have an enormous debt burden, because that will skew your calculations and make the company look much more efficient than it is.

Si nce competitive strength is a comparison between peers, and various industries have different levels of profitability and require different levels of debt, it helps to use an industry context.

Company	Debt-to-Equity Ratio	Return on Equity	5-Year Average Return on Equity
PotashCorp	58%	42%	36%
CF Industries (NYSE: CF  )	34%	33%	31%
Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  )	14%	22%	23%
Agrium (NYSE: AGU  )	37%	26%	21%

Source: S&P Capital IQ.

The fertilizer industry is fairly concentrated with some barriers to entry. Potash production has especially long lead times for new projects. All of the companies above continue to generate strong returns on equity with modest amounts of debt.

3. Management
CEO Bill Doyle has been at the job since 1999. Before that he served in other roles at the company for a number of years.?

4. Business
Fertilizer isn't particularly prone to technical disruption -- we're not talking astro-bionanorobotics here.

The Foolish conclusion
So is PotashCorp a Buffett stock? It could very well be. The company exhibits several of the characteristics of a quintessential Buffett investment: more-or-less consistent earnings, high ret! urns on equity with limited debt, tenured management, and a technologically straightforward business. To stay up to speed on PotashCorp's progress, or that of any other stock, simply add it to your stock watchlist. If you don't have one yet, you can create a watchlist of your favorite stocks by clicking here.

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