Beginning April 1, the cost to store commodities like aluminum and copper in London Metal Exchange (LME) bonded warehouses will rise at average of 3% and transportation charges out of the warehouses will rise about 2%. Both increases are significantly lower than the rate hikes imposed in April 2013 when storage rates rose about 7% and transportation rose 8%.
The smaller increases are part of an effort by warehouse owners to launch a charm offensive against charges that they have manipulated the flow of commodities out of their warehouses in a move to prop up prices. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), which owns Detroit-based storage operator Metro International, has said it will raise its storage rate for aluminum from $0.48 per metric ton (tonne) per day to as much as $0.51 per tonne per day. Metro’s transport charge remains unchanged at $38.95 a tonne.
The warehouses have been getting heat for more than two years for long delays in shipping aluminum to buyers. The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) filed a complaint with the LME in 2011 alleging that Metro brought aluminum into its warehouses and then refused to let the stuff leave, which caused delays in delivery, higher storage charges and higher prices for aluminum. Coke claimed that Goldman/Metro paid cash incentives to producers like Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) and Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE: RIO) to store aluminum in Metro’s warehouses during the 2008 and 2009 recession.
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Watch For 2015: Cabot Corp (CBT)
Cabot Corporation (Cabot), incorporated in 1960, is a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company. The Company�� principal products are rubber and specialty grade carbon blacks, fumed metal oxides, inkjet colorants, aerogels and cesium formate drilling fluids. Cabot and its affiliates have manufacturing facilities and operations in the United States and approximately 20 other countries. The Company operates in four business segments: the Core Segment, the Performance Segment, the New Business Segment and the Specialty Fluids Segment. It is organized into three geographic regions: The Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. On January 23, 2012, the Company sold its Supermetals Business to Global Advanced Metals Pty Ltd. On August 1, 2012, it acquired Norit.
Core Segment
Carbon black is a form of elemental carbon that is manufactured in a highly controlled process to produce particles and aggregates of varied structure and surface chemistry, resulting in many different performance characteristics for a variety of applications. Its rubber blacks products are used in tires and industrial products. The Company owns, or has a controlling interest in, and operates plants that produce rubber blacks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands and the United States.
Performance Segment
The Performance Segment consists of two product lines: specialty grades of carbon black and thermoplastic concentrates; and fumed silica, fumed alumina and dispersions thereof. In each product line, it designs, manufactures and sells materials that deliver performance in a range of customer applications across the automotive, construction and infrastructure, and electronics and consumer products sectors. In addition, Cabot manufactures and sources thermoplastic concentrates and compounds that are marketed to the plastics industry. The Company owns, or has a ! controlling interest in, and operates plants that produce specialty grades of carbon black in China, The Netherlands and the United States. Its products are produced in facilities that it owns, or has a controlling interest in, located in Belgium, China and the United Arab Emirates. The Company also owns, or has a controlling interest in, manufacturing plants that produce fumed metal oxides in the United States, China, the United Kingdom and Germany. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), it closed its masterbatch manufacturing facility in Grigno, Italy.
New Business Segment
The Company�� New Business Segment consists of the Inkjet Colorants, Aerogel, Cabot Superior MicroPowders and Cabot Elastomer Composites Businesses. During fiscal 2011, its Cabot Elastomer Composites Business became part of its New Business Segment. The Company produces and sells aqueous inkjet colorants primarily to the inkjet printing market. Its inkjet colorants are produced for various inkjet printing applications, including small office and home office, corporate office, and commercial and industrial printing, as well as for other applications. Its inkjet colorants are manufactured at its facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Cabot�� aerogel is a hydrophobic, silica-based particle with a high surface area that is used in a variety of thermal insulation and specialty chemical applications. In the construction industry, the product is used in insulative composite building products and translucent skylight, window, wall and roof systems for insulating eco-daylighting applications. In the oil and gas industry, aerogel is used to insulate subsea pipelines. In the specialty chemicals industry, the product is used to provide matte finishing, insulating and thickening properties for use in a variety of applications. It manufactures its aerogel products at its facility in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Company manufactures its aerogel products at its facility in F! rankfurt,! Germany. Finished products for use in the oil and gas industry are fabricated at a facility in Billerica, Massachusetts. The principal area of commercial focus for Cabot Superior MicroPowders Business (CSMP) is in developing covert taggants for a range of anti-counterfeiting security applications. Development and manufacturing activities are conducted primarily at its facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Mountain View, California. In addition to the carbon black the Company makes using conventional carbon black manufacturing methods, it has developed elastomer composite products that are compounds of natural latex rubber and carbon black made by a liquid phase process. Its Cabot Elastomer Composites Business (CEC) products are targeted for tire, defense, mining, automotive and aerospace applications. It manufactures CEC products at its facility in Port Dickson, Malaysia.
Specialty Fluids Segment
The Company�� Specialty Fluids Segment produces and markets cesium formate as a drilling and completion fluid for use primarily in high pressure and high temperature oil and gas well construction. It has a mine and a cesium formate manufacturing facility in Manitoba, Canada, as well as fluid blending and reclamation facilities in Aberdeen, Scotland and in Bergen and Kristiansund, Norway.
The Company competes with Aspen Aerogel, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Victor Selva]
The company has a current ratio of 17.8% which is higher than the industry mean of 6.55%. Also, it's higher than the one registered by Akzo Nobel NV (AKZOY), Cabot Corporation (CBT) and Olin Corporation (OLN). For investors looking for a higher ROE, PPG Industries Inc. (PPG) could be the option.
- [By Eric Volkman]
Cabot (NYSE: CBT ) has elected not to shift its dividend policy for the time being. The company declared its latest common stock distribution, which is to be $0.20 per share paid on September 13 to shareholders of record as of August 30.�That amount matches each of the firm's previous five distributions, the most recent of which was handed out in the middle of last month. Prior to that, Cabot paid $0.18 per share.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Concur Technologies Inc.(CNQR)
Concur Technologies, Inc. provides integrated travel and expense management solutions for companies of various industries, sizes, and geographies. It offers the Concur Connect platform, a cloud computing software solution primarily on a subscription basis, which enables customers, partners, suppliers, and third-party developers to connect. The company provides various solutions to streamline the travel procurement, itinerary management, expense management, and invoice management processes. Its solutions include online travel procurement solutions, which automate corporate travel booking and processing; itinerary management solutions that enable individual business travelers and their organizations to manage and share travel itinerary information; and automated expense management solutions, which simplify the expense reporting process. The company also offers other value-added and extended services that leverage its integrated cloud offerings, including expense reimbursemen t; expense report auditing services to streamline the process of managing and substantiating expense receipts; business intelligence that enable customers to use captured data to analyze trends, influence budget decisions, improve forecasting, and monitor for fraudulent activity; and invoice management solutions to automate, simplify, and reduce the costs associated with the process of entering, approving, and managing the payment of vendor invoices. In addition, it provides consulting; and various extended services, such as site administration, audit and compliance services, advanced analytics, and customized integration in connection with its integrated travel and expense management solutions. Concur markets and sells its solutions worldwide through direct sales organizations; and indirect distribution channels, such as strategic resellers and referral partners, as well as through its Website. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
The Lazard trading desk said that active traders may want to look at software stocks that still had unusually high short interest. Those included Concur Technologies (NASDAQ: CNQR), Tangoe Inc. (NASDAQ: TNGO), Jive Software (NASDAQ: JIVE), Marketo Inc. (NASDAQ: MKTO), VeriSign Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) and VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW). Stocks with high short interest can explode to the upside if the company gets back on track and short sellers are forced to cover.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Intel Corporation(INTC)
Intel Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of integrated circuits for computing and communications industries worldwide. It offers microprocessor products used in notebooks, netbooks, desktops, servers, workstations, storage products, embedded applications, communications products, consumer electronics devices, and handhelds. The company also provides system on chip products that integrate its core processing functionalities with other system components, such as graphics, audio, and video, onto a single chip. In addition, it offers chipset products that send data between the microprocessor and input, display, and storage devices, including keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, and CD, DVD, or Blu-ray drives; motherboards designed for desktop, server, and workstation platforms, and that has connectors for attaching devices to the bus; and wired and wireless connectivity products consisting of network adapters and embedded wireless cards used to translate and transmit data across networks. Further, the company provides NAND flash memory products primarily used in portable memory storage devices, digital camera memory cards, and solid-state drives; software products comprising operating systems, middleware, and tools used to develop, run, and manage various enterprise, consumer, embedded, and handheld devices; and software development tools that enable the creation of applications. Additionally, it develops computing platforms, which are integrated hardware and software computing technologies designed to offer an optimized solution. The company sells its products principally to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, PC components and other products users, and other manufacturers of industrial and communications equipment. It has a strategic alliance with Scientific Conservation Inc. Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 and is based in Santa Clara, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Meanwhile, chipmaking giant Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) is getting ready to put some money in investors' pockets. On Wednesday, Intel declared a quarterly dividend of $0.225 per share -- consistent with its previous payout -- that will be payable on June 1 to shareholders of record as of May 7.�Intel is going through a major transition as its PC-processing division shrinks�that has required it to devote billions to researching and developing mobile and cloud-based products. Thankfully, because it holds such dominant share in the PC-processing industry, it has been able to rely on beefy margins and tighter cost controls to easily fuel a bountiful payout. I'd be surprised if Intel were unable to move this payout up to $1 on an annual basis within the next two years.
- [By Steve Symington]
It's been more than 40 years since Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) invented the first microprocessor in 1971, and today, the company has grown into a $124 billion tech giant largely by providing powerful central processing units -- the brains of traditional computers, if you will -- to the ever-growing PC industry.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Washington Banking Company(WBCO)
Washington Banking Company operates as the bank holding company for Whidbey Island Bank that provides community commercial banking services in northwestern Washington. Its deposit products include interest-bearing demand and money market accounts, saving deposits, time deposits, NOW accounts, and noninterest-bearing demand deposits. The company?s portfolio of loans comprises secured and unsecured commercial loans for working capital and expansion; real estate mortgage loans, including one-to-four family residential and commercial real estate loans; and real estate construction loans, such as commercial real estate, one-to-four family residential construction, and speculative construction loans. Its consumer loan portfolio include automobile loans, boat and recreational vehicle financing, home equity and home improvement loans, and other secured and unsecured personal loans, as well as SBA guaranteed loans for small and medium sized businesses. In addition, the company pro vides non-deposit managed investment products and services, and sweep investment options. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 30 branches in 6 counties located in northwestern Washington. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Oak Harbor, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Washington Banking (NASDAQ: WBCO ) is diverting some of its capital to repurchase its own stock. The company announced that its board has authorized a buyback program for up to 775,000 shares. The program is expected to continue through the end of 2014, although the firm stressed that it "is under no obligation to repurchase a specific number or dollar amount of shares and the repurchase program may be discontinued at any time."
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation(SNP)
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas properties primarily in China. It operates 16 oil and gas production fields in China. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s estimated proved reserves of crude oil and natural gas consisted of 3,963 million barrels-of-oil equivalent comprising 2,888 million barrels of crude oil and 6,447 billion cubic feet of natural gas. It also engages in the refining of crude oil; marketing and distribution of refined petroleum products; and production and sale of petrochemical products that consist of intermediate petrochemicals, synthetic resins, synthetic fiber monomers and polymers, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and chemical fertilizers, as well as owns and operates oil depots and service stations. The company was founded in 2000 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation is a subsidiary of China Petrochemical Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Carroll]
China's nascent energy sector's also hurting between manufacturing's fall and weak exports. Chinese diesel exports declined�to their weakest in seven months in May, and China's Xinhua News Agency sees Chinese domestic diesel demand falling further in the current quarter to match falling�prices. That's not good news for Sinopec (NYSE: SNP ) , one of the world's largest companies and China's leading oil giant. While Sinopec's about as safe a stock as you can imagine in China -- it's the fifth-largest�oil company in the world and has engaged in multiple deals with foreign oil giants in exploration and other activities -- the firm's shares could take a hit if domestic demand and prices continue to slump.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Grupo Casa Saba S.A. de C.V.(SAB)
Grupo Casa Saba, S.A.B. de C.V., through its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-channel and multi-product wholesale distributor primarily in Mexico. It distributes pharmaceutical products; health and beauty aids; publication products, such as magazines, books, albums, and stickers; food and non-perishable products; personal care and consumer goods; and general merchandise. The company also sells pharmaceutical products through its Farmacias ABC pharmacy chain located in Guadalajara, Jalisco; Farmacias Provee de Especialidades primarily located in Monterrey and Nuevo Leon of Mexico, as well as in the states of Chihuahua and Coahuila; and through Farmacias Benavides. In addition, it provides freight services to third parties. Further, it operates medical clinics; and offers specialized medical, rehabilitation, and surgical services, as well as provides real estate services. The company serves pharmacies, mass merchandisers, retail and convenience stores, specialty stores, sup ermarkets, and other specialized channels. As of December 31, 2010, it operated a distribution network consisting of 22 active distribution centers. It also operates in Brazil, Chile, and Peru. Grupo Casa Saba, S.A.B. de C.V. was founded in 1892 and is based in Mexico, Mexico.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dividend Mantra]
Altria Group, Inc. operates as a holding company with a number of subsidiaries, including Philip Morris USA Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC, John Middleton Co., Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. and Philip Morris Capital Corporation. They also hold approximately 26.9% of the economic and voting rights of SABMiller plc (SAB).
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (BFR)
BBVA Banco Franc茅s S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services to corporations, medium and small companies, and individual customers in the Republic of Argentina. The company offers checking and savings accounts, time deposits, and investment accounts. It also provides short and long-term loans to companies, overdraft lines of credit, discounted instruments, loans to financial institutions and the governmental sector, collateral loans, and real estate mortgage, as well as consumer loans comprising credit card loans and other consumer loans. In addition, the company offers home and personal accident insurance; payroll services; asset management services; and insurance advisory services to customers in the areas of coverage of risks related to life, personal accidents and home insurance, and automated teller machine (ATM) robbery insurance. Further, it provides foreign trade services, including letters of credit, collections, bank drafts, fund transfers, and foreign currency transactions; and electronic banking, ATM, self-service terminals, Internet and mobile banking, call center, and trust services. Additionally, the company engages in capital market and securities activities, principally underwriting and placement of corporate bonds, commercial paper, and equity securities; corporate advisory; and securities brokerage. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 268 branches comprising 240 retail branches, 28 branches specialized in small and medium enterprises segment, 13 in-company branches, 7 corporate banking units, and 3 points of sale, as well as 654 ATM�s and 695 quick deposit boxes. The company was formerly known as Banco Frances del Rio de la Plata S.A. and changed its name to BBVA Banco Franc茅s S.A. in October 2000. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in Buenos Aires, the Republic of Argentina. BBVA Banco Franc茅s SA operates as a subsidiary of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Federico Zaldua]
Banco Frances (BFR), 75% controlled by Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria, is among the biggest banks in Argentina. The bank has the smallest exposure to Argentina's public debt out of the three banks analyzed in the article and presents the lowest pace of growth. That said, its one of the healthiest banks in the country given that it has the lowest NPL ratio and the highest reserve ratio to absorb potential losses. The bank also trades cheaply at 3.5 times P/E and 85% its book value. Being more expensive (although still very cheap relative to the sector's average) and with the lowest liquidity among this group of three, I would exclude Banco Frances from my Argentinean bank portfolio.
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