Top Portfolio Products: Schroders, Oppenheimer Add Funds

New products and changes introduced over the last week include two mutual funds from Schroders and an emerging markets fund from OppenheimerFunds.

Also, NASDAQ OMX has launched a REIT benchmark-index family, and former Goldman Sachs trader Adam Grealish has launched a financial/tech job search service.

Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:

1) Schroders Adds Two Funds

Schroders has announced the launch of the Schroder Global Multi-Asset Income Fund (SGMNX) and the Schroder Global Strategic Bond Fund (SGBNX).

SGMNX is a diversified portfolio that seeks to maximize income and manage volatility by investing directly into both equities and fixed income securities around the globe. Its benchmark is unconstrained, which enables the team to be flexible in its search for the best risk-adjusted income opportunities across regions, asset classes and sectors.

SGBNX is an actively managed portfolio with the flexibility to invest in the best opportunities throughout the fixed income universe. It enables investors to invest tactically and strategically across the whole spectrum of global fixed income sectors, regions, asset classes and FX.

2) OppenheimerFunds Adds Emerging Markets Fund

OppenheimerFunds has announced the launch of the Oppenheimer Emerging Markets Innovators Fund (EMIAX). The fund will be comanaged by Justin Leverenz and Heidi Heikenfeld.

The fund, which is country- and sector-agnostic, seeks to outperform the MSCI Emerging Markets Mid Cap Index on an absolute and risk-adjusted basis over a three- to five-year period on a cumulative basis. It will seek opportunities across the following structural growth themes: financial inclusion; logistics, distribution, e-commerce and modern retail; private education and health-care services; and internet media and content.

3) NASDAQ OMX Launches REIT Benchmark Index Family

NASDAQ OMX and ETRE Financial, LLC have announced a new partnership in the REIT benchmark index space, with the launch of 12 cobranded indexes.

The new indexes are: NASDAQ ETRE Composite REIT Index (NQETRE); NASDAQ ETRE Composite REIT Total Return Index (NQETRET); NASDAQ ETRE Healthcare REIT Index (NQETHC); NASDAQ ETRE Healthcare REIT Total Return Index (NQETHCT); NASDAQ ETRE Hospitality REIT Index (NQETH); NASDAQ ETRE Hospitality REIT Total Return Index (NQETHT); NASDAQ ETRE Office REIT Index (NQETO); NASDAQ ETRE Office REIT Total Return Index (NQETOT); NASDAQ ETRE Residential REIT Index (NQETRR); NASDAQ ETRE Residential REIT Total Return Index (NQETRRT); NASDAQ ETRE Retail REIT Index (NQETR); and NASDAQ ETRE Retail REIT Total Return Index (NQETRT).

4) Financial/Tech Job Search Service Launched

Adam Grealish, a former Goldman Sachs vice president, has launched RoleTroll.com, a job recommendation engine for finance and tech jobs. The site uses unstructured data and statistics, collectively known as big data, to match users with jobs based on their unique skills and experiences.

Roletroll uses technology that was previously applied in quantitative finance to identify profitable trades to identify profitable jobs. The site’s proprietary matching technology draws from the fields of optimization theory, natural language processing and machine learning to identify and score matches.

Read the June 20 Portfolio Products Roundup at ThinkAdvisor.

 

Why Dollar General Corporation, VeriSign, Inc., and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Are Today’s

The S&P 500 Index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) ended modestly higher on Friday, ending the week on a bullish note as the end of the second quarter approaches. Wall Street and Main Street alike are hoping that the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2014 will see higher growth than the first quarter, when the U.S. economy actually contracted at a 2.9% annualized rate. Dollar General (NYSE: DG  ) , VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN  ) , and DuPont (NYSE: DD  ) investors weren't too optimistic about growth today, as those three stocks ended as the worst performers in the entire S&P index. The S&P, for its part, tacked on three points, or 0.2%, to end at 1,960.

Dollar General lost 7.3% today after the company's Chairman and CEO, Richard W. Dreiling, surprised the stock market by announcing his retirement. Investors have plenty of reasons to like Dreiling, 60, who took control of the company at the beginning of 2008. Under his guidance, the dollar store went public in 2009, increased sales by more than 80%, and expanded its store count to more than 11,000 locations. The silver lining is that Dreiling could stay on at Dollar General for nearly another year -- until May 30, 2015 -- as the board searches for a successor.

VeriSign, which offers domain name registry, network intelligence, and other domain name-related services, shed 3.9% on Friday. A downgrade from Wells Fargo is behind today's drop, as the bank lowered its rating from outperform to market perform, noting that overall domain name registrations in the second quarter are trending lower than the company's midpoint expectations. Google's announced entry into the domain name market earlier this week also threatens to hurt VeriSign's business, especially if Google decides to offer domains at steep discounts, or even give them away for free.

DuPont is seeing farmers switch to soybeans as corn prices drop. Image Source: DuPont.

Finally, shares of chemicals giant DuPont slumped 3.3% today, giving the stock the ignominious distinction of being the Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst daily performer. The company warned investors late yesterday that it expects full-year 2014 earnings to come in between $4.00 and $4.10 per share, notably less than the $4.20 to $4.45 in per-share operating earnings it previously projected. In an industry that increasingly relies on genetically modified and patented seeds for a leg up on competition, DuPont is still subject to the whimsy of Mother Nature and Mr. Market, and challenging weather and falling corn prices combined to put the company in a tough position to grow substantially this year.

Leaked: Apple's next smart device (warning, it may shock you)
Apple recently recruited a secret-development "dream team" to guarantee its newest smart device was kept hidden from the public for as long as possible. But the secret is out, and some early viewers are claiming its everyday impact could trump the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In fact, ABI Research predicts 485 million of this type of device will be sold per year. But one small company makes Apple's gadget possible. And its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors. To be one of them, and see Apple's newest smart gizmo, just click here!

4 Big Stocks on Traders' Radars

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>5 Short-Squeeze Stocks Ready to Pop

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>5 Blue-Chip Stocks to Trade Gains

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings

Nearest Resistance: $23.50

Nearest Support: $22

Catalyst: Secondary Offering

Shares of $22 billion hotel chain Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT) are up 1.76% this afternoon on big volume, following the pricing of the firm's 90 million share secondary offering at $22.50. That price tag on the offering, which is expected to close on Friday, is a good indication that HLT still has ample demand for shares at attractive prices.

From a technical standpoint, the HLT is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a price setup that's formed by horizontal resistance above shares (at $23.50 resistance) and uptrending support to the downside. A breakout above that $23.50 price ceiling is the next high-probability buy signal for this large-cap hotelier.

Valero Energy

Nearest Resistance: $53

Nearest Support: $40

Catalyst: Lifted Oil Export Ban

Valero Energy (VLO) is down more than 8% on big volume this afternoon -- along with a slew of other domestic refiners -- thanks to a U.S. Commerce Department rule change that allows more U.S. oil exports. A handful of research firms are sending negative notes on refiners this afternoon, turning bearish on refiners now that more lightly refined oil will be eligible for export from shale formations. International buying competition means lower margins for domestic refiners, a painful change after some of the big investments in refining facilities that were made specifically for increased shale supply.

For Valero, the technical picture just turned ugly today. While shares had been bouncing their way higher in a well-defined uptrend, this morning's gap lower is officially breaking the trend line support level that's been a floor for shares since February. With support broken, VLO is a sell now.

CVR Refining

Nearest Resistance: $26.50

Nearest Support: $22

Catalyst: Lifted Oil Export Ban

Mid-cap refining stock CVR Refining (CVRR) is another oil refiner that's getting sold off close to 9% this afternoon in the wake of the Commerce Department's oil new export interpretation.

The price action in CVRR is particularly rough because this name has looked so technically attractive for the last two months. Shares were forming an ascending triangle setup since the start of May, but that pattern broke to the downside this morning. That means that there's a lot more downside risk ahead for CVRR, versus pretty tepid upside – it's a sell.

Monsanto

Nearest Resistance: N/A

Nearest Support: $122

Catalyst: Q3 Earnings

Monsanto (MON) is pushing to new highs this afternoon, following the firm's third-quarter earnings release. Monsanto earned $1.62 for the quarter, beating expectations of $1.55. The firm guided earnings higher for the full year as well, up to between $5 and $5.20. Those new highs are driving a technical buy signal this afternoon for traders willing to take on a little extra risk.

New highs are significant from an investor psychology standpoint because they mean that everyone who has bought shares in the last year is sitting on gains. As a result, the "back to even" mentality is less of a concern than it would be for a name with a higher proportion of shareholders sitting on losses.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.



-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>Buy These 5 Rocket Stocks to Beat the Market

>>4 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Poised to Pop in June

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in the names mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

Could A Free Amazon Streaming Service Threaten Netflix?

In the video below Fool portfolio manager Matt Argersinger and managing editor Eric Bleeker discuss tech events across the past week. 

In this segment, the two discuss The Wall Street Journal's report that Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is considering a video streaming service that would be ad-supported. Currently, Amazon's video is part of the subscription fee for its Amazon Prime service. 

Online video is an attractive space right now for advertising. Cost analysis firm SQAD pegs the advertising cost for reaching 1,000 viewers online at $23.03, while advertising on cable channels costs $15.63 per thousand viewers. The attractive ad rates in online video has brought its share of attention to the space. 

Yet, as Eric notes, it's also a space where ad rates could be far more erratic than long-established norms on television. That makes basing business decisions on today's video rates riskier, especially relative to the consistency of a plan like Netflix's (Nasdaq: NFLX), which sets a stable recurring monthly revenue stream. 

To see Eric and Matt's full thoughts, watch the video below. 

Your cable company is scared, but you can get rich
You know cable's going away. But do you know how to profit? There's $2.2 trillion out there to be had. Currently, cable grabs a big piece of it. That won't last. And when cable falters, three companies are poised to benefit. Click here for their names. Hint: They're not Netflix, Google, and Apple. 

 

Johnson & Johnson Accepts Offer From The Carlyle Group to Acquire Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics (JNJ, CG)

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reported that it has accepted an offer from The Carlyle Group (CG) to purchase its Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics business for $4.15 billion.

JNJ was presented with the offer on January 16 and accepted it after the company consulted with the relevant works councils and trade unions. The deal is expected to close in the middle of 2014.

The company said that it will report any updates at its next earnings call on April 15.

Johnson & Johnson shares were up 76 cents, or 0.78%, during pre-market trading Monday. The stock is up 6.39% YTD.

The Carlyle Group shares were up 36 cents, or 1.05% during pre-market trading Monday. The stock is down 3.71% YTD.

5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Corporate insiders sell their own companies' stock for a number of reasons.

>>Beat the S&P With 5 Stocks Everyone Else Hates

They might need the cash for a big personal purchase such as a new house or yacht, or they might need the cash to fund a charity. Sometimes they sell as part of a planned selling program that they have put in place for diversification purposes, which allows them to sell stock in stages instead of selling all at one price.

Other times they sell because they think their stock is overvalued and the risk/reward is no longer attractive. Some even dump their own stock because they have inside knowledge that a competitor is eating their lunch and stealing market share.

But insiders usually buy their own shares for one reason: They think the stock is a bargain and has tremendous upside.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love



The key word in that last statement is "think." Just because a corporate insider thinks his or her stock is going to trade higher, that doesn't mean it will play out that way. Insiders can have all the conviction in the world that their stock is a buy, but if the market doesn't agree with them, the stock could end up going nowhere. Also, I say "usually" because sometimes insiders are loaned money by the company to buy their own stock. Those loans are often sweetheart deals and shouldn't be viewed as organic insider buying.

At the end of the day, it's large institutional money managers running big mutual funds and hedge funds that drive stock prices, not insiders. That said, many of these savvy stock operators will follow insider buying activity when they agree with the insider that the stock is undervalued and has upside potential. This is why it's so important to always be monitoring insider activity, but it's twice as important to make sure the trend of the stock coincides with the insider buying.

>>5 Stocks Ready for Breakouts

Recently, a number of companies' corporate insiders have bought large amounts of stock. These insiders are finding some value in the market, which warrants a closer look at these stocks. Here's a look five stocks whose insiders have been doing some big buying per SEC filings.

Agco

One industrial player that insiders are snapping up a huge amount of stock in here is Agco (AGCO), which manufactures and distributes agricultural equipment and related replacement parts worldwide. Insiders are buying this stock into notable weakness, since shares are off by 11.7% over the last six months.

Agco has a market cap of $5 billion and an enterprise value of $5.2 billion. This stock trades at a cheap valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 9 and a forward price-to-earnings of 10.19. Its estimated growth rate for this year is -8%, and for next year it's pegged at -4%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $1.05 billion and its total debt is $1.25 billion. This stock currently sports a dividend yield of 0.8%.

>>3 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

A director just bought 253,747 shares, or about $13.17 million worth of stock, at $51.91 per share. That same director also just bought 155,592 shares, or about $8.08 million worth of stock, at $51.94 per share.

From a technical perspective, AGCO is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and below its 200-day moving averages, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been uptrending a bit over the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $49.82 to its recent high of $54.61 a share. During that move, shares of AGCO have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of AGCO are now starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

If you're bullish on AGCO, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 50-day at $52.83 or above more support at $51.71 and then once breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $54.61 to its 200-day moving average of $56.21 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.43 million shares. If that breakout kicks off soon, then AGCO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $59.29 to $61.26 a share.

Novavax

A biotechnology player that insiders are active in here is Novavax (NVAX), which focuses on developing recombinant protein nanoparticle vaccines to address a range of infectious diseases. Insiders are buying this stock into weakness, since shares are down by 9% so far in 2014.

>>3 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

Novavax has a market cap of $970 million and an enterprise value of $845 million. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a price-to-sales of 44.69 and a price-to-book of 4.60. Its estimated growth rate for next year is 12.9%. This is a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $133.07 million and its total debt is just $2.18 million.

A director just bought 50,000 shares, or about $216,000 worth of stock, at $4.33 per share. Another director also just bought 25,000 shares, or about $111,000 worth of stock, at $4.47 per share.

From a technical perspective, NVAX is currently trending below its 50-day moving average and above its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been downtrending over the last month, with shares moving lower from its high of $6.95 to its recent low of $3.94 a share. During that move, shares of NVAX have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of NVAX have now started to rebound higher off its 200-day and the stock could be putting in a bottom here.

If you're in the bull camp on NVAX, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 200-day at $3.81 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance at $5 to its 50-day moving average at $5.72 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 5.09 million shares. If that breakout starts soon, then NVAX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.65 to its 52-week high at $6.95 a share.

Oramed Pharmaceuticals

One pharmaceutical player that insiders are in love with here is Oramed Pharmaceuticals (ORMP), which is engaged in the research and development of pharmaceutical solutions for the use of orally ingestible capsules or pills for delivery of polypeptides. Insiders are buying this stock into major weakness, since shares are down by 26% so far in 2014.

>>3 Biotech Stocks Under $10 to Trade for Breakouts

Oramed Pharmaceuticals has a market cap of $110 million and an enterprise value of $93 million. This stock trades at a fair valuation, with a forward price-to-earnings of 24.09. Its estimated growth rate for next year is 167.6%. This is a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $7.79 million and its total debt is just $47,250.

A beneficial owner just bought 75,000 shares, or about $796,000 worth of stock, at $10.62 per share.

From a technical perspective, ORMP is currently trending above its 200-day moving average and below its 50-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months, with shares falling from its high of $31.73 to its recent low of $9.64 a share. During that move, shares of ORMP have been making mostly lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of ORMP have now started to bounce off its 200-day and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

If you're bullish on ORMP, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 200-day at $10.23 or above more support at $9.64 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $12 to $12.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 787,203 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ORMP will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $14 to $15, or even its 50-day moving average of $16.37 a share.

Equinix

One technology player that insiders are loading up on here is Equinix (EQIX), which provides data center services to protect and connect the information assets for the enterprises, financial services companies and content and network providers primarily in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific. Insiders are buying this stock into modest strength, since shares are up 3.6% so far in 2014.

>>2 Big Tech Stocks Bouncing Higher

Equinix has a market cap of $9 billion and an enterprise value of $12 billion. This stock trades at fair valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 96.89 and a forward price-to-earnings of 31.96. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 88.9%, and for next year it's pegged at 60.5%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $631.70 million and its total debt is $4.16 billion.

A beneficial owner just bought 325,000 shares, or about $58.56 million worth of stock, at $180.19 per share.

From a technical perspective, EQIX is currently trending above its 200-day moving average and just below its 50-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been trending lower over the last month and change, with shares moving down from its high of $196.20 to its recent low of $178.69 a share. That downtrend stopped right around EQIX's 200-day moving average and the stock has now started to bounce higher off that level. That bounce is starting to push shares of EQIX within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

If you're bullish on EQIX, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 200-day at $177.71 and then once it breaks out above is 50-day at $185.86 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 942,905 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then EQIX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $192.50 to $196.20 a share.

Chesapeake Energy

One final stock with some big insider buying is Chesapeake Energy (CHK), which is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties for the production of natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids from underground reservoirs in the U.S. Insiders are buying this stock into modest weakness, since shares are down by 7% over the last three months.

Chesapeake Energy has a market cap of $16 billion and an enterprise value of $29 billion. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 34.81 and a forward price-to-earnings of 11.81. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 26.7%, and for next year it's pegged at 12.6%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $837 million and its total debt is a whopping $13.02 billion. This stock currently sports a dividend yield of 1.4%.

A director just bought 54,250 shares, or about $1.35 million worth of stock, at $24.97 per share.
From a technical perspective, CHK is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $23.92 to $24.24 a share. Following that bottom, shares of CHK have started to uptrend a bit and the stock is now moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

If you're bullish on CHK, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some key near-term support levels at $24.24 to $23.92 and then once it breaks out above its 50-day moving average of $25.72 a share to more resistance at $26.28 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 9.73 million shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then CHK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $27.46 to $27.73 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give CHK a chance to challenge its 52-week high at $29.06 a share.

To see more stocks with notable insider buying, check out the Stocks With Big Insider Buying portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

>>5 Toxic Stocks to Sell Now

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy as Stocks Test New Highs

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Did Endocyte Just Become Buyout Bait?

Endocyte Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) is trading like the company is being acquired. This is proof that any biotech with great cancer drug news can run, regardless of market conditions. It and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) have announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given a positive opinion for conditional marketing approval of Vynfinit (or vintafolide) and companion imaging components, imaging agent Folcepri (or etarfolatide), and Neocepri (intravenous folic acid), for the treatment of adult patients with ovarian cancer in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD).

The type of ovarian cancer is folate receptor-positive, platinum-resistant, ovarian cancer. Endocyte shares have doubled on the news, giving it a market cap of just over $1 billion.

Vintafolide was targeted to be used in combination with PLD for the treatment of adult patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, specifically in those patients who expressed the folate receptor on all target lesions.

Endocyte also separately announced that results from its Phase 2b TARGET trial. The results showed that the study met the primary endpoint for the combination of vintafolide and docetaxel in folate receptor-positive recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Endocyte shares were up 101% at $29.45 after 30 minutes of trading on Friday, on more than 6.5 million shares, about 12 times an average daily volume. Merck shares were up only 0.4%, but that may be due to the notion that its market cap is $164 billion.

The consensus analyst price target on Endocyte before this move was close to $20, versus a $14.64 close on Thursday. It is safe to assume that price targets will be lifted in the next day or two.

Be advised that the Thomson Reuters consensus revenue targets are $73.1 million for 2014 and almost $38 million for 2015. Either this is not baked into the revenue projections yet, or this is a game-changer for potential revenues if approved.

With a $1 billion market cap, one still has to wonder if Endocyte is among the next wave of potential biotech buyouts.

U.S. stocks with Russian exposure rally

The USA's exposure to Russia isn't massive by any stretch, but it is increasing, thanks to a growing middle class in Europe that is snapping up U.S. products, such as cars, fast food, soda and snacks.

That's why any U.S.-led economic sanctions against Russia, and potential backlash and retaliation from an angry Kremlin, could squeeze the earnings of some U.S. firms that do business there, says Joe Quinlan, chief market strategist at U.S. Trust.

Data supplied by U.S. Trust show U.S. investment in Russia totaled $14.1 billion in 2012, the latest figures available, which accounts for just 0.3% of total U.S. global investment. U.S. sales in Russia totaled $45.8 billion in 2012, with earnings of $1.5 billion. U.S. exports to Russia account for just 0.7% of the the nation's total exports.

Still, any rift between the U.S. and Russia could spell trouble for U.S. firms doing business in Moscow and other Russian cities. So far, neither the U.S. nor Russia has announced broad punitive economic sanctions, which gave the broader stock market a big lift Monday, despite the controversial yet peaceful vote Sunday in Crimea to break from Ukraine and reunify with Russia.

MARKETS: Dow soars as investors shrug off Crimean vote

FIRST TAKE: Sanctions a first step among limited options

Here are a handful of companies that could be impacted by the Ukraine-Russia crisis:

• Ford Motor. The automaker, which established its first dealership network in Russia back in 1991 and its first manufacturing facility in 2002, upped its stake there in 2011 with a joint venture with Sollers, which includes an assembly plant in St. Petersburg.

Ford Sollers announced last year the sale of the 1 millionth Ford car sold to a Russian customer. The 50-50 Sollers joint venture has announced plans to build a $274 million engine plant elsewhere in Russia, as well as its plans to launch the sale of the all-new "EcoSport" SUV in Russia. Last year, full Russia-based production of the Ford Explorer began.

Ford shares ended regular trading Monday up 1.3% to $15.28.

• General Motors. Russia is the fifth-biggest market for GM's Chevrolet brand, according to GM. Last year, the automaker sold 174,649 vehicles in Russia, a drop of 14.8% from the prior year. Still, Russia is a big market for the U.S. automaker.

GM shares, which have been hampered by a massive recall, finished up 1.6% to $34.63.

• PepsiCo. The seller of soda and snacks got 7.4% of its $66.4 billion in 2013 revenue from Russia, according to S&P 500 company data supplied to USA TODAY by Deutsche Bank. PepsiCo sells well-known snack brands, such as Lay's potato chips, Doritos and Cheetos, and soft drinks such as 7-Up and Pepsi.

Pepsi-Co shares gained 1.3% to $82.05.

• U.S. Banks. Citigroup has the biggest exposure of U.S.-based banks in Russia, with $10.3 billion in assets there, according to data supplied by RBC Capital Markets. Roughly $1.7 billion of that exposure is tied to retail loans to Russians.

JPMorgan Chase has net Russian exposure of $5.4 billion, RBC says. The bulk of that is tied to lending, with $4.7 billion in loans outstanding.

Citigroup shares gained 1.8% to $47.73, while JPMorgan shares rose 1.4%, to $57.58.

• ExxonMobil. In 2011, the U.S. energy giant formed an alliance with Russia's state-controlled petroleum giant Rosneft to develop "offshore projects of unprecedented scale in the Russian Arctic and Black Sea regions, which are home to the world's largest hydrocarbon resources base."

Exxon shares rose 0.9% to $94.32.

AMEX at SXSW: Trying to go from exclusive to…

AUSTIN — American Express is reaching out to lower income people and folks dissatisfied with the way they bank or handle money. The financial giant attended South by Southwest this week to help stress that mission.

The stats aren't pretty:

Americans pay about $89 billion in fees and interest seeking money orders, pawnbrokers, payday loans or to go cash a check.

One of four children in the U.S. live in financially "under-banked" households.

Nearly half of all Americans live payday-to-payday, without the ability to raise $2,000 in 30 days should an emergency strike.

"You're like one car accident way from real trouble," says Dan Schulman.

Schulman is the American Express group president for enterprise growth, and in an interview cited statistics like these to shine the spotlight on the need for "financial inclusion."

At SXSW, AMEX unveiled plans to open a Financial Innovation Lab in June that, among other things, will give academics and technologists an opportunity to collaborate in the areas of savings and credit building.

American Express Ventures announced a separate initiative to fund startups working toward the financial inclusion goal. Schulman says a huge number of startups are investigating alternative credit scoring methods, different ways of encouraging savings, and fresh ways to access capital.

AMEX also showed the movie trailer for an upcoming documentary it is backing called Spent: Looking for Change. It is from Davis Guggenheim, the filmmaker behind The Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for Superman. Though details are still sketchy, AMEX plans to heavily tap into social media to encourage people to watch it.

"The saying that it's expensive to be poor — you see it right in your face," Schulman told me. "The less money that you have the more it costs you to manage and move it. And it's incredibly inconvenient as well."

Consider an all-too-common scenario in which someone stands in line for 45 minutes to get a check cashed. The c! heck-cashing place takes a 2% to 5% cut before handing the person his or her cash. The money is needed to pay bills, but you're not encouraged to send cash in the mail. So now the person must stand in line someplace else and purchase a money order. That's not cheap either, maybe $11 for the money order used to pay a $50 cable bill. Lop on another 5% to 15% if you have to wire money somewhere.

"It's practically a part-time job to manage your money, and incredibly expensive," Schulman says. "Why can't we use technology to completely redefine an alternative to traditional banking? This isn't about the un-banked, it's about reimagining financial services."

AMEX has spent 2 ½ years creating a software platform (in connection with retailers), as it attempts to move AMEX from being an exclusive brand to an inclusive brand, Schulman says.

About a year-and-a-half ago, American Express teamed with Walmart on an alternative checking/debit solution called Bluebird. More recently AMEX launched a reloadable prepay account called Serve that lets consumers deposit checks or cash, take pictures of a check to make a deposit, and engage in other financial transactions for free.

"Effectively cashiers become almost like a bank teller," Schulman says. "All the things that you used to do through a bank branch you can now either do electronically or at a retail location. And once that money is on that digital account, then you can take it (out) any number of ways."

Electronic bill pay is included in the service, Schulman says, and customers can make withdrawals by swiping a card too, as with an ATM. You can reserve a portion of your money for future purchases, and through the service can have your money automatically categorized (food, housing, entertainment, etc.). AMEX will supply a budget, and send alerts if you exceed the amount of money you've designated for a particular spending category.

"That paradigm that it is expensive to be poor — we're trying to explode it," he says.

Wh! ile AMEX ! is targeting the under-banked, unbanked, or unhappily banked," Schulman admits that AMEX isn't doing this for purely altruistic reasons.

AMEX primarily makes money when people use their card or tap a phone to make a payment at some merchant. The prepaid rate is lower than with a standard American Express card, Schulman says, but AMEX makes "our fair margin on it."

Why choose SXSW to make the big push? "At its best (SXSW) is taking big thinkers, product developers, technologists (and) focusing on an issue we can try and solve out there. And financial inclusion is one of the big problems in the world right now…it affects 2 ½ billion people. And technology can be the hero in this story."

Diversity reaches new levels in Honey Maid ads

America's biggest brands are at an advertising crossroads, and the new diversity that their ads project has suddenly emerged as one of society's most visual — if not incendiary — flash points.

And it's about to explode.

It began with several recent, high-profile diverse TV spots from two multibillion-dollar brands: a Cheerios spot staring a biracial girl with white mom and black dad; and a Coca-Cola spot featuring minorities singing America the Beautiful in their native languages. Both went viral and left trails of social media venom in their wake.

On Monday, Honey Maid will jump on the diversity bandwagon with a far-reaching campaign by the 90-year-old graham cracker brand that raises the use of diversity in mainstream ads to a whole new level.

In one 30-second Honey Maid ad, viewers will see everything from a same-sex couple bottle-feeding their son to an interracial couple and their three kids holding hands. The ad also features a Hispanic mother and an African-American father with their three mixed-race children. And there's even a father covered in body tattoos. This is not some shockvertisement for Benetton. It's an ad for one of America's oldest and most familiar brands. The people in it are not actors, but real families. The message of the ad: These are wholesome families enjoying wholesome snacks.

It's a brand new, multicolored, multisexual world of advertising. Major mainstream brands are plowing ahead and all but ignoring the expected social media blow-back, with one eye on demographics and another on survival. "The big brands are coming to the conclusion that diversity in America is inevitable," says Andrew Erlich, a cross-cultural psychologist, consultant and author. "This horse has left the barn."

Nor will that horse return any time soon. Some 37% of Americans are minorities and will likely reach the 50% mark by 2044, says demographer Cheryl Russell. Marketers are simply responding to the math, she says. "I call it the one-third rule," she ! says. "When you exceed one-third of the population, you have political and economic power that far exceeds that level because you can make coalitions with a majority."

Teddy Grahams by Honey Maid(Photo: Honey Maid)

Advertisers are simply reading the demographic numbers — and reacting. Whatever a traditional family used to be, it is no longer. One in 12 married couples in the U.S. are interracial. American women now make up 40% of primary family breadwinners. And only 62% of children live with their two biological parents.

"As a brand, you don't really care who buys your product," says Jo Muse, chairman of Muse Communications, one of the nation's first multicultural agencies. "You just want them happy — and you want them to know that you see them."

For the Honey Maid brand, which is owned by Mondelez, maker of Oreos, Ritz and Chips Ahoy, it's about an almost century-old brand of graham crackers trying to reinvent itself as a product with both cultural and snacking relevance. For a generation of Millennials, who, unlike Boomers, were not raised on graham crackers, it's an attempt to give the brand some cultural cred.

"This is a recognition that the family dynamic in America is evolving and has evolved," says Gary Osifchin, senior marketing director of biscuits for U.S. Mondelez. "We've evolved, too."

That evolution began in 2011, when executives took a long, hard look at the brand. A decision was made to move well beyond boxed graham crackers and make the brand far more relevant for snacking. So the brand created Honey Made Grahamfuls — graham cracker sandwiches filled with yummy stuff. That's also about the time it stopped using high-fructose corn syrup — and began to promote that change.

Then, it! brought Teddy Grahams under its label and started making the Teddy Bear-shaped treats with real fruit.

Honey Maid's new ads push diversity to a whole new level.(Photo: Honey Maid)

After years of stagnation, sales grew double-digit for the past two years, and now the brand is approaching $500 million in sales and even has eyes on ultimately becoming a $1 billion brand, says Osifchin.

Now, it's all about appealing to a new generation that looks and acts different. All of this demographic change, the new Honey Maid ad implies, is just as wholesome as the brand itself.

"No matter how things change," says an off-camera narrator in the ad, created by the agency Droga5, "what makes wholesome never will." The camera then shows quick images of the gay couple with their infant and the mixed-race family out walking while holding hands. It also shows images of the folks eating Honey Maid crackers. The narrator then continues: "Honey Maid everyday wholesome snacks. For every wholesome family."

No matter what their skin color or sexual orientation, "these families that we portray all have wonderful parent and child connections," says Osifchin.

Clearly, mainstream brands are adapting to a new demographic reality. Executives at Coca-Cola declined to comment for this story. But General Mills executives say the reason for the mixed-race casting in their recent ads is simple. "We wanted these Cheerios ads to represent today's families," says Camille Gibson, vice president of marketing for Cheerios.

Now, Honey Maid is doing the same. "We want to be a brand that is current," says Osifchin. "No matter how things out there in the world have changed, the enduring value of wholesome connections between parent and chil! d have en! dured."

Weekly Mortgage Rates Ease After Two Weeks of Gains

Tony Dejak/AP WASHINGTON --Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages eased slightly this week, remaining near historic lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate for a 30-year loan declined to 4.17 percent from 4.20 percent last week. The average for the 15-year mortgage fell to 3.30 percent from 3.31 percent. Rising prices and higher interest rates beginning in mid-2013 have made homes less affordable for would-be buyers. At the same time, a limited supply of homes is available to buy. Sales of new homes are running about half the rate of a healthy housing market. Reflecting the struggle for many Americans to afford new houses, data issued Tuesday by the Commerce Department showed that the pace of U.S. home construction slipped in May. Builders started work at a seasonally adjusted yearly rate on 1.01 million homes, down 6.5 percent from 1.07 million in April. And U.S. homebuilders are feeling more confident about the housing market but don't think it is healthy yet, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index for June showed Monday. Mortgage rates are about a quarter of a percentage point higher than they were at the same time last year. The increase in rates over the past year or so was driven in part by speculation that the Federal Reserve would reduce its bond purchases, which have helped keep long-term interest rates low. Indeed, the Fed has announced five declines in its monthly bond purchases since December because the economy appears to be steadily healing. But the Fed has no plans to raise its benchmark short-term rate from record lows. After the central bank ended a two-day policy meeting, Fed Chair Janet Yellen sent the message Wednesday that the economy still isn't healthy enough to grow at a consistently strong pace without the Fed's help. Yellen made clear that despite a steadily improving job market and signs of creeping inflation, the Fed sees no need to raise short-term interest rates from record lows anytime soon.

U.S. stocks in worst sell-off in a month

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The U.S. stock market finished Monday sharply lower amid a global push into safe havens as political tensions in Ukraine and Russia over the Crimean peninsula escalated.

News of an armed invasion over the weekend overshadowed several better-than-expected economic reports in the U.S. The losses in the blue-chips and large-caps were the worst in a month when investors were worried about China and Turkey.

The S&P 500 index (SPX)  finished the day 14.02 points, or 0.8%, lower at 1,845.43, after closing at a record on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)  was down as much as 250 points at session lows, but ended the day 153.68 points, or 0.9%, lower at 16,168.03.

Reuters Russian forces are massing at the Crimea border crossing.

The Nasdaq Composite (COMP)  lost 30.82 points, or 0.7%, to 4,277.30.

As escalating military tensions in Ukraine dominated news on Monday, better-than-expected economic reports did little to provide relief from broad-based selling.

"The most surprising thing is how little anyone can do about Russia's behavior in Crimea," said John Rutlege, chief investment strategist at Safanad.

"This is the time to tighten the risk and stay away from emerging markets," he added.

Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at ConvergEx Group, a global brokerage company based in New York described jittery markets as being back to 'old normal', with a lot more volatility than we grew accustomed to during the past year.

The implied volatility on the S&P 500 as measured by the CBOE Vix index jumped 14% to 16, last seen on Feb. 3, when markets sold off on fears over Turkey and China.

In economic news, consumers boosted spending in January, but a good chunk of the money went to pay higher utility bills during an unusually cold winter, according to government data released Monday.

TRADING STRATEGIES: MARCH
MarketWatch photo illustration
• See full Trading Strategies report /conga/story/2014/03/trading-strategies.html 298587

The final reading of Markit's U.S. purchasing managers index accelerated in February, the economic information firm said Monday. The final reading for February was the highest level in almost four years. The report shows that output and new business picked up sharply.

U.S. manufacturers expanded at a faster pace in February and business would have been even better if not for severe winter weather, according to a survey of executives.

Lorillard, Inc (LO)  share jumped 9.3% on news reports in the Financial Times that Reynolds is exploring a possible deal with its smaller rival. Shares in Reynolds (RAI)   rallied 4.8%.

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015

In case you haven't noticed, there are some serious consolidation efforts going around the cable and telecom industries. On one end, there are satellite TV providers chasing spectrum as if it's the gold rush of 1849. Now, it appears that Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) may be courting Liberty Media (NASDAQ: LMCA  ) for a merger in an attempt to leverage Charter Communications' (NASDAQ: CHTR  ) �highly coveted network. Let's determine who is the biggest winner in this latest media M&A dance, and where you should be putting your funds.

The players�
Charter Communications is not as big a name as, say, Comcast, but it is the fourth-largest cable provider in the United States, at least by market cap. The company was recently beleaguered and underwater financially (entering bankruptcy in 2009), but has since become a market darling, largely fueled by buyout speculation. John Malone's Liberty Media currently holds a 27% position in the company, with the ability to gain as much as 40%.

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015: Lenovo Group Ltd (LNVGF.PK)

Lenovo Group Limited is principally engaged in investment holding. It is a personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries. The Company is a personal computer (PC) vendor. The Company develops, manufactures and markets technology products and services. Its product lines include Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. It offers a range of commercial desktops and notebooks to businesses of all sizes that feature cutting-edge technology, customer-centric innovation and productivity features. It operates in three segments: China, Emerging Markets (excluding China) and Mature Markets. Lenovo has research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina, the United States. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Investometrica]

  x86: With regards to the specific x86 server business, it seems that IBM is considering the possibility of fully divesting it. According to Morgan Stanley, the server business generated about $4.9 billion of the company's $15.4 billion in server sales last year. This enormous volume is due to the fact that IBM may be producing the overall market's highest volumes, at the lowest profit level; which suggests this segment is doomed. Finally, IBM has a history of aggressive shifts to areas with better growth prospects and margins. For example, the company agreed to sell off the PC business to Lenovo (LNVGF.PK) at a moment where the PC still seemed attractive.

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015: Discount Dental Materials Inc (DDOO)

Discount Dental Materials, Inc. (DDM), incorporated on December 18, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses on selling disposable dental supply products at discount prices over the Internet. As of November 30, 2011, the Company had not generated any revenues.

The Company focuses on selling a limited number of products including burs (modern dental drills that can rotate at up to 800,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and generally use hard metal rotary files). Dental burs come in a variety of shapes designed for specific applications. They are often made of steel with a tungsten carbide coating or of tungsten carbide entirely. The bur may also have a diamond coating), bearings, turbines and sterilization pouches. The Company uses a facility in Burbank, California to store and ship products.

The Company competes with Henry Schein and Patterson Dental.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, DDOO remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $1.00 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:12AM EDT�June 25, 2013).

  Bond Laboratories, Inc. previously reported NDS launched two exciting new products at the annual GNC庐 Global Franchise Convention.

  Cerebain Biotech Corp. a subsidiary of Discount Dental Materials, Inc. previously reported the appointment of Dr. Surinder Saini as Chairman of its Scientific Advisory Board. The advisory board provides key clinical insight into the company�� efforts to develop and commercialize a novel approach to the treatment for patients suffering from Alzheimer�� disease. Dr. Saini is the lead scientist behind the development of the world’s first medical device specifically designed for the treatment of Alzheimer�� disease utilizing the Omentum

Best New Stocks To Watch Right Now: TherapeuticsMD Inc (TXMD)

TherapeuticsMD, Inc., incorporated in 1907, promotes, distributes and sells certain products developed and sold by Spectrum Health Network, Inc. (Spectrum) relative to its digital media network. Through the license agreement, the Company focuses on multispecialty group practices and independent physician associations (IPAs) to sell them subscriptions for software, hardware and content developed for and distributed by Spectrum. Spectrum sells its network to IPAs for equipment and installation. On October 4, 2011, the Company acquired VitaMedMD, LLC (VitaMedMD). As a result of the acquisition, VitaMedMD became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

VitaMedMD is a specialty pharmaceutical company, VitaMed is focused on providing products to the women�� health market. The Company focuses on market both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription nutritional supplements, drugs, medical foods and other medical products through pharmacies and its Web-site. Its brand includes a range of products for women�� health and associated with pregnancy, child birth, nursing, post birth and menopause. Its OTC product line available through its Website includes prenatal vitamins, DHA, iron supplements, calcium supplements, Vitamin D supplements, women�� multivitamins, natural (non-hormonal) menopause relief, and scar reduction creams. In March 2012, the Company launched its first prescription-only prenatal vitamin, vitaMedMD Plus Rx.

vitaMedMD Plus Prenatal Multi-Vitamin + DHA is a two pill combo pack that contains 18 essential vitamins and minerals and 300 milligrams (mg) of life�� DHA. vitaMedMD is a single dose daily multivitamin that provides 14 vitamins, minerals and 200 mg of vegetarian, plant-pure life�� DHA. vitaMedMD Plus Rx is a product with a single-dose combo-pack containing one prenatal vitamin tablet with Quatrefolic Acid. vitaMedMD Plus Rx is a product with a single-dose daily multivitamin containing Quatrefolic Acid. vitaMedMD Iron-150 is a iron replacement supplement. ! vitaMedMD Menopause Relief with Lifenol Plus Bone Support offers a natural solution for hot flashes, night sweats and mood disturbances. vitaMedMD Calcium + Vitamin D is a dietary supplements that help replenish and maintain beneficial levels of Vitamin D. vitaMedMD Stretch Mark Body Cream contains naturally-derived ingredients, including Peptides, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Fruit Extracts, that hydrate, soothe and pamper skin to make it softer, smoother and younger-looking.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 specialty pharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is TherapeuticsMD (TXMD), which is focused on the sales, marketing and development of branded and generic pharmaceutical and OTC products primarily for the women's health care market. This stock has been in play with the bulls so far in 2013, with shares up 56%.

  If you take a look at the chart for TherapeuticsMD, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong over the last three months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $2.03 to its recent high of $5.27 a share. During that uptrend, shares of TXMD have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of TXMD within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TXMD if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.93 a share to its 52-week high at $5.27 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 450,661 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TXMD will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $6 to $7 a share.

  Traders can look to buy TXMD off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at 4.30 a share, or near its 50-day moving average of $4.15 a share. One can also buy TXMD off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday, mid cap women�� health stock Hologic, Inc (NASDAQ: HOLX) fell more than 10% after disappointing Wall Street on earnings,�meaning it might be time to take a look at it and�small cap women�� health stocks�The Female Health Company (NASDAQ: FHCO) and TherapeuticsMD Inc (NYSEMKT: TXMD) because after all, women account for half the population and these three small caps are all focused on the women�� health:

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015: Resolute Forest Products Inc (RFP)

Resolute Forest Products Inc., AbitibiBowater Inc., is a global forest products company. The Company�� products include newsprint, commercial printing papers, market pulp and wood products. The Company owns or operates pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea. On November 7, 2011, it began doing business as Resolute Forest Products. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or operated 18 pulp and paper mills and 23 wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea. The Company�� segments include newsprint, coated papers, specialty papers, market pulp and wood products. On January 14, 2011, it acquired the noncontrolling interest in Augusta Newsprint Company (ANC). In April 2012, the Company held approximately 48.8% of the outstanding shares of Fibrek Inc. In December 2012, the Company purchased Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited. oklyn Power Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Saibus Research]

  Consolidation has been incremental in the paper and forest products industry. In May 2012, Resolute Forest Products (RFP) (formerly AbitibiBowater) announced that it had acquired 50.1% of Fibrek and acquired the remaining 49.9% in August. 2011 saw International Paper (IP) announce a hostile takeover of Temple-Inland and after offering $32/share in cash as well as the assumption of $600M of TIN's debt, IP was able to close the deal in February 2012. 2011 also saw Rock-Tenn (RKT) acquire Smurfit-Stone to create the number two player in the linerboard segment with 20% market share, trailing only International Paper's 40%. We see these moves as a prudent step to consolidation in the industry as certain types of paper such as newsprint and uncoated free sheet (office paper) are seeing falling demand due to increased use of digital resources.

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015: Dex Media Inc (DXM)

Dex Media, Inc., incorporated on August 17, 2012, is a provider of social, local and mobile marketing solutions for local businesses. The Company provides marketing solutions that include Websites, print, mobile, search engine and social media solutions. The Company�� brands include Dex One and SuperMedia. Through both brands, it delivers a range of social, mobile, and print solutions.

The Company's consumer services include the Dex Knows.com and Superpages.com online and mobile search portals and applications and local print directories. On April 30, 2013, Dex One Corporation and SuperMedia Inc. announced the completion of their merger, creating Dex Media, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Since the last conference, for every winning pick like Akamai Technolgies (AKAM)–which gained 19% after being picked by Blue Harbour Group’s Clifton Robbins–or Digital Realty Trust (DLR)–which rose fell 27.5% after being picked as a short by Jonathon Jacobson of Highfields Capital Management–there’s been a stinker like Chipotle Mexican Grill�(CMG)–which gained 29% after Double Line’s Jeffrey Gundlach recommended shorting it–or Dex Media (DXM)–which advanced 53.7% after Hayman Capital’s Kyle Bass recommended selling. In fact, the average pick lost 3.8%, even as the S&P 500 gained 15.2%.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Dex Media (DXM) is a provider of marketing solutions that include Web sites, print, mobile, search engine and social media solutions for local businesses, through its Dex One and SuperMedia Marketing Consultants. This stock closed up 5.6% at $10.25 in Thursday's trading session.

  Thursday's Volume: 471,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 280,277
  
  Volume % Change: 105%

  From a technical perspective, DXM spiked sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $9 with above-average volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last four months, with shares plunging lower from its low of $23.86 to its recent low of $8.85. During that move, shares of DXM have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of DXM have started to see its downside volatility stop as the stock has rebound off oversold levels. This stock got so oversold that its relative strength index reading recently dipped below 20. Shares of DXM are now starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if DXM manages to take out its 200-day moving average at $11.61 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in DXM as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $9 or $8.85 and then once it sustains a move or close above Thursday's high at $10.51 and its 200-day at $11.61 with volume that's near or above 280,277 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then DXM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 50-day moving average of $13.72.

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015: Five Oaks Investment Corp (OAKS)

Five Oaks Investment Corp., incorporated on March 28, 2012, focused on investing in, financing and managing a leveraged portfolio of Agency and Non-Agency residential mortgage-backed securities, or RMBS, residential mortgage loans and other mortgage-related investments. The Company invests in both Agency RMBS and Non-Agency RMBS.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� portfolio consisted of Agency RMBS and Non-Agency RMBS. The Company is managed by Oak Circle Capital Partners LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Five Oaks Investment Corp. (NYSE: OAKS) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

  Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2015: LSI Industries Inc.(LYTS)

LSI Industries Inc. provides corporate visual image solutions primarily in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Latin America. It operates in three segments: Lighting, Graphics, and Technology. The Lighting segment manufactures and markets outdoor and indoor lighting, canopy lighting, landscape lighting, light emitting diodes (LED) lighting, light poles, and photometric layouts products, as well as lighting analysis services. The Graphics segment manufactures and sells exterior and interior visual image elements for use in visual image programs. It offers signage and canopy graphics; pump dispenser graphics; building fascia graphics; decals; interior signage and marketing graphics; aisle markers; wall mural graphics; fleet graphics; prototype program graphics; and solid state LED video screens for the sports and advertising markets, as well as installation services for graphics products. The Technology segment designs, produces, and supports light engines and large fo rmat video screens using LED technology; and specialty LED lighting. Additionally, the company offers menu board systems. It serves commercial, industrial, and multi-site retail markets; petroleum/convenience stores; sports and advertising; and entertainment markets. The company sells its products through regional sales managers, independent sales representatives, and distributors. LSI Industries was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In Daktronics' report, be sure to look at how the company compares to results that industrial-lighting and display competitor LSI Industries (NASDAQ: LYTS  ) announced late last month. Even with a 5% gain in revenue for its March quarter, LSI posted a loss, showing the difficulty in producing high-margin business in the industry. For its part, if Daktronics can keep pushing past its operational challenges, it should be in better position to stay profitable both this quarter and well into the future.

UAW asks labor board for new vote at Volkswagen

DETROIT -- The UAW asked the National Labor Relations Board on Friday to set aside last week's vote at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., plant and hold another election because of what it called outside interference from elected officials and lobbyists.

Workers voted 712-626 last week to reject union representation at the plant.

Before workers voted, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., urged workers to reject the union and suggested that Volkswagen would not build a new SUV in Chattanooga if workers voted for the UAW. Volkswagen management said the union vote would not affect a decision on where to build the SUV.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said accepting the UAW would discourage other companies from moving into the state. The leader of the state senate threatened to withhold tax incentives to support new investment at a UAW-affiliated Volkswagen.

"Senator Corker's conduct was shameful and undertaken with utter disregard for the rights of the citizens of Tennessee and surrounding states that work at Volkswagen Chattanooga," the UAW said in a 58-page document filed Friday with the NLRB. "It is a more than adequate basis for sustaining these objections."

STORY: UAW faced tough sell with happy VW workers

STORY: VW's Tennessee workers reject union

Volkswagen has said the SUV will be built either in Tennessee or Puebla, Mexico.

On Saturday, Corker said the state had "re-engaged," in discussions with Volkswagen.

"It's an outrage that politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee," UAW President Bob King said in a statement. "It is extraordinary interference in the private decision of workers to have a U.S. senator, a governor and leaders of the state legislature threaten the company with the denial of economic incentives and workers with a loss of product."

Labor experts have said that it would have been against the l! aw for Corker and others to threaten future jobs if they were speaking on behalf of Volkswagen. However, the law is much less clear if Corker and others were simply voicing their opinions.

Morgan Stanley Plays New Role in Facebook's $16B WhatsApp Deal

NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Morgan Stanley (MS) was pilloried for its role in running Facebook's (FB) May 2012 initial public stock offering, which sold $16 billion shares in the social network at a valuation of about $100 billion. Now, the investment bank has another $16 billion deal involving Facebook; the company's acquisition of messaging application WhatsApp, announced on Wednesday.

This time, however, Morgan Stanley is on the other side of the table.

The investment bank advised WhatsApp on its sale to Facebook in the $16 billion deal, which will be paid with $4 billion in cash and $12 billion in Facebook stock at an exchange ratio of $65.2650 a share. Additionally, the deal will give WhatsApp's founders and employees $3 billion in restricted stock units that will vest over four years subsequent to closing of the acquisition.

At Wednesday closing share prices, the deal would dilute Facebook investors by less than 8% when counting the stock component of the deal and restricted stock units. The deal will also carry a $2 billion breakup fee, split between $1 billion in cash and $1 billion in stock. Wednesday's merger, if completed, would significantly boost Facebook's presence in mobile messaging, helping it to compete with messaging apps on Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) handsets and a new breed of messaging-based social networks like Snapchat. Facebook's existing Messenger app will remain independent, the company said.

Currently, over 450 million people use WhatsApp each month, with 70% of those users active on a given day. Facebook said the combination will help accelerate growth and user engagement across both companies. "WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable," Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook said in a press release. Zuckerberg is a controlling shareholder of Facebook's voting shares, meaning that the deal has virtually no likelihood of being rejected by shareholders. Facebook was advised by Allen & Company and law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. In its 2012 purchase of Instagram, Facebook didn't hire outside advisors.

Freeman Consulting Services calculated in a preliminary estimate that WhatsApp advisors could earn between $35 million-to-$45 million, while Facebook advisors would earn between $32 million-to-$41 million in fees. "WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide. We're excited and honored to partner with Mark and Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world," Jan Koum, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. Prior to Facebook's IPO, the company bought photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion in a deal that some skeptics called overvalued at the time. Instagram, however, has been instrumental in increasing photo-sharing on Facebook and driving the company's mobile engagement. Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook said that its acquisition of WhatsApp would likely mirror the company's purchase of Instagram in execution. As with Instagram, WhatsApp's brand will be maintained. The company's core messaging product will continue to operate independently from Facebook's existing Messenger app, Facebook said. WhatsApp founder Jan Koum will join Facebook's Board of Directors. "Facebook fosters an environment where independent-minded entrepreneurs can build companies, set their own direction and focus on growth while also benefiting from Facebook's expertise, resources and scale. This approach is working well with Instagram, and WhatsApp will operate in this manner," Facebook said. Facebook shares were trading lower by nearly 4% in after-hours trading to $65.65.

Stock quotes in this article: FB 

4 Biotech Stocks Under $10 to Watch

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- A smart trader keeps a close eye on unusual upside volume in stocks -- and unusual volume in a stock that trades below $10 should really make you sit up and pay attention.

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

Stocks that trade below $10 a share can make big moves to the upside very quickly, and short-term traders can try to capture some of that massive volatility. Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits.

If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for Big Gains

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making sharp moves higher with unusual upside volume flows.

Pacific Biosciences of California

Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) develops, manufactures and markets an integrated platform for genetic analysis. This stock is trading up 8% to $7.05 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $6.51-$7.17

52-Week Range: $1.95-$8.20

Tuesday's Volume: 1.22 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 891,153

From a technical perspective, PACB is soaring higher here right above some near-term support at $6.18 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PACB within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PACB manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $7.45 to $7.59 and then once it clears its 52-week high at $8.20 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PACB as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $6.50 or above more support at $6.18 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 891,153 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PACB will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory above $8.20, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $10 to $11.

China Pharma

China Pharma (CPHI) develops, manufactures and markets generic and branded pharmaceutical and biochemical products to hospitals and private retailers in the People's Republic of China. This stock is trading up 8% to 56 cents per share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $0.50-$0.56

52-Week Range: $0.19-$0.80

Tuesday's Volume: 365,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 221,247

From a technical perspective, CPHI is ripping higher here and breaking out above some near-term overhead resistance at 53 cents per share with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of CPHI within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if CPHI manages to take out some more near-term overhead resistance levels at 60 to 64 cents per share with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CPHI as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at 50 cents to 48 cents per share and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 221,247 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CPHI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 52-week high of 80 cents per share.

Xencor

Xencor (XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering and developing engineered monoclonal antibodies to treat severe and life-threatening diseases. This stock is trading up 8% to $9.62 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $9.00-$9.94

52-Week Range: $7.70-$10.90

Tuesday's Volume: 144,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 83,279

From a technical perspective, XNCR is ripping higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $8.96 with above-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways the last month, with shares moving between $8.40 on the downside and $9.74 on the upside. Shares of XNCR are now quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent range. That trade will hit if XNCR manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $9.74 to $10.20 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in XNCR as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $8.96 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 83,279 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then XNCR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its all-time high at $10.90.

Discovery Laboratories

Discovery Laboratories (DSCO), a specialty biotechnology company, focuses on developing products for critical care patients with respiratory disease and care in pulmonary medicine. This stock is trading up 4% to $2.36 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $2.28-$2.40

52-Week Range: $1.50-$3.05

Tuesday's Volume: 593,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 494,948

From a technical perspective, DSCO is trending higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $2.29 with above-average volume. This move is starting to push shares of DSCO into breakout territory, since this stock has started to trend above some near-term overhead resistance at $2.34. Shares of DSCO are now quickly moving within range of triggering an even bigger breakout trade. That trade will hit if DSCO manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.57 to $2.64 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in DSCO as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $2.16 to $2.10 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 494,948 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then DSCO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $3.05.

To see more stocks under $10 that are making notable moves higher with volume, check out the Stocks Under $10 Spiking Higher With Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>4 Big-Volume Stocks Triggering Breakouts

>>5 Shareholder Yield Stocks to Beat the S&P

>>5 Big Trades for a Correction Day

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com.

You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Government seeks to regulate maps apps

The Department of Transportation will issue guidelines on handheld devices behind the wheel. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Will using mobile navigation apps soon join texting-while-driving on the list of government-enforced no-no's for drivers?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently in the process of developing guidelines to address the use of handheld devices behind the wheel. The guidelines are expected to be released later this year.

"Safety is our top priority," the Department of Transportation said in a statement. "We're working to address all forms of distraction to reduce the amount of deaths and ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel."

The move will follow the NHTSA's voluntary distracted driving guidelines released in 2013, which address drivers' use of in-vehicle electronic devices, including GPS navigation tools. News of the impending guidelines for handheld devices has led to speculation about the potential impact on the mobile navigation app market, including the wildly popular Google (GOOG) Maps, Waze, MapQuest and Apple (AAPL, Tech30) Maps.

NHTSA maintains that it already has the authority to regulate and recall specific electronic devices, including certain apps on handheld devices, including those that can be considered accessories or additions to vehicles.

NHTSA is not currently planning on introducing mandatory regulations, however. It is seeking, as part of the GROW AMERICA Act transportation bill, to clarify its authority in the area as new technologies develop.

Currently, texting-while-driving is banned in 44 states and Washington, and the use of handheld cell phones while driving is prohibited by 12 states and Washington.

NHTSA's 2013 study on the impact of handheld and hands-free cell phone use while driving found that there is an extreme risk associated with drivers taking their eyes off the road in order to interact with mobile devices.

In April, NHTSA launched an $8.5 million National Distracted Driving Enforcement and Advertising Campaign, including a call-to-action for drivers to power down their electronic devices and put them out of reach while behind the wheel.

Vanguard Charitable Reports on 10 Years of Giving Through Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds are an increasingly popular philanthropic vehicle, used by charitably minded people to give away millions of dollars every year.

But questions exist about DAFs’ effectiveness and the charitable intent of donors who give with these vehicles.

Vanguard Charitable, one of the country’s largest DAF sponsors, recently examined 10 years’ worth of granting by its account holders to answer these questions.

Pulling data from 2004 through 2013, researchers analyzed the granting patterns of more than 15,000 donors based on gender and generation makeup, balance and tenure of their accounts.

They also asked donors and numerous charities they supported their thoughts about giving with a DAF. Was philanthropy more strategic? Were donors and charities better giving partners?

Vanguard’s study found the following about its account holders:

Vanguard said it granted 20.3% of assets to charity annually, but giving levels of individual accounts varied based on donors’ individual strategies and goals.

It said account holders may prefer to give regularly in equal amounts to their favorite charities, while others do not give in one year in order to recommend a large grant for a major project in the following year.

The minimum grant from Vanguard Charitable is $500. Vanguard data showed that accounts with higher balances of more than $100,000 tended to recommend fewer but larger gifts to charity, while accounts with smaller balances made many smaller grants.

For their part, 63% of charities surveyed said they preferred many small grants — for one thing, a broad base of supporters lowers risk over the long term — while 37% preferred fewer but larger grants — big donors tend to be very committed to the charity’s mission, and large gifts can be “game changers.”

Vanguard data also showed that donors give to charities across the country and around the world.

Ninety-four percent of donors said they donated to the same charity more than once, 47% gave similar amounts every time they donated to repeat charities; and 22 charities in foreign countries received direct grants and many received grants through intermediary organizations.

In terms of interest areas, male-only account holders supported human services, education and religion; female-only account holders favored human services, education, and arts and culture; and male and female donors targeted education, human resources and civic causes.

Vanguard said that while the majority of grants supported general operating expenses, the majority of money does not. Very large grants are often restricted to enable the donor to monitor progress and meet goals for a specific project.

Vanguard found that its DAF account holders were both involved with the charities they supported and strategic in their giving. Seventy-three percent of donors were involved with the charities they supported, through volunteering, involvement with the board and the like.

Sixty-one percent of donors said they were strategic about their philanthropy when giving with a DAF by following a long-term plan that included a budget, investment strategy and appropriate time horizon to meet their current and long-term giving objectives

Finally, 79% of nonprofit organizations said they were completely or mostly satisfied with DAFs as a giving partner.

Just as donors see DAFs as a way to simplify and maximize giving, charities see how they can partner with DAFs to scale development activities while increasing reach, according to Vanguard.

Nonprofit organizations described donors who gave with a DAF as sophisticated, savvy, accountable, “high-capacity givers with extended funding cycles” and “steadfast partners.”

3 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

>>5 Huge Stocks to Trade for Huge Gains

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume recently.

Agios Pharmaceuticals

Agios Pharmaceuticals (AGIO), a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapeutics in the field of cancer metabolism and inborn errors of metabolism in the U.S. This stock closed up 5.9% at $47.50 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 566,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 409,914

Volume % Change: 50%

From a technical perspective, AGIO spiked sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $42.50 with above-average volume. This move pushed shares of AGIO into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $47.47. Shares of AGIO are now quickly moving within range of triggering another major breakout trade. That trade will hit if AGIO manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels $48.94 to $48.98 and then once it clears its all-time high at $49.79 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AGIO as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $42.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that this near or above 409,914 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then AGIO will set up to enter new all-time-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $55 to $60.

Myriad Genetics

Myriad Genetics (MYGN), a molecular diagnostic company, focuses on the development and marketing of predictive medicine, personalized medicine and prognostic medicine tests primarily in the U.S. This stock closed up 3.4% at $35.02 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 2.27 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 1.67 million

Volume % Change: 50%

From a technical perspective, MYGN spiked notably higher here right above some near-term support at $33.40 with above-average volume. This spike higher on Friday is quickly pushing shares of MYGN within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if MYGN manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $36.06 to its 50-day moving average of $37.16 and then once it clears more resistance at $38.32 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in MYGN as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $33.40 or at $33.25 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 1.67 million shares. If that breakout starts soon, then MYGN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $42 to its 52-week high of $42.50.

AMAG Pharmaceuticals

AMAG Pharmaceuticals (AMAG), develops and commercializes specialty pharmaceutical products. This stock closed up 7.2% at $19.31 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 603,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 443,202

Volume % Change: 50%

From a technical perspective, AMAG soared higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $18.09 with above-average volume. This move pushed shares of AMAG into breakout territory, since the stock took out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $18.79 to $19.08. Market players should now look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if AMAG manages to clear Friday's intraday high of $19.31 with strong upside volume flows.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AMAG as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $18.09 or above more near-terms support at $17.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above $19.31 with volume that's near or above 443,202 shares. If that move gets started soon, then AMAG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $21.75 to $22.74, or even $23.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar Higher

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

>>5 Health Care Stocks to Trade for Gains in June

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Twitter Still Among 'Priciest Stocks in the Universe'?

Richard Drew/AP Social media site Twitter (TWTR) saw its shares tumble 17 percent in extended-hours trading despite reporting quarterly results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. Analysts gave a mixed assessment of the company's fortunes on Thursday morning, highlighting key areas in which the microblogging company needed to improve in order for its share price to continue its meteoric rise. That rise which has seen it appreciate 47 percent in the 60 trading days since its initial public offering. Swiss bank UBS (UBS) was least impressed. A team led by Eric Sheridan downgraded its view on the stock to "sell" rating from "neutral" due to negative trends in Twitter's user growth and engagement. "Given the likely forward effort to improve user growth and engagement [including product development costs], we see little potential for upside in estimates over coming quarters. Even after last night's stock correction, Twitter remains one of the most expensive stocks in our universe," the bank said in a note on Thursday morning. Twitter posted earnings of 2 cents a share for the fourth quarter, excluding one-time items, on sales of $243 million, on Wednesday after the close. The numbers beat expectations in a Reuters poll but the more detailed metrics had analysts scribbling into the early hours. The company said it averaged 241 million monthly users, up just 3.8 percent from the previous quarter -- the lowest rate since Twitter began disclosing its user figures. And timeline views dropped sharply from 159 billion to 148 billion in the quarter, signaling that users were refreshing their Twitter accounts less often. UBS added that Twitter needed to demonstrate a clearer trajectory of user and advertising growth in order for it to become more constructive on the stock. It still considered it to be a "unique social media platform" with long-term monetization potential. It gave it a 12-month price target of $45, against Wednesday's closing price of $65.97 and its extended-hours price of $54.80. Pivotal Research Group kept its "sell rating" for Twitter with a target price of just $34. RBC Capital Markets was more sympathetic, giving it an upside to $60 and maintaining its "outperform" rating. Twitter needs to prove that it can successfully increase its reach with advertisers and that it can successfully increase its user base and engagement levels, according to RBC. The latter can be done by "mainstreaming its offering", it said. "We know that Twitter's 'mainstreamization' efforts have only just begun, initial moves to incorporate media elements (e.g., photos, videos) are intuitively mainstream, and our history of the Internet suggests that good execution can lead to improved user/usage growth," the bank's analysts, led by Mark Mahaney, said in a research note. Meanwhile, analysts at Evernote also maintained their "overweight" rating but shaved their target price to $66 from $70, demanding Twitter demonstrate stronger user growth and engagement. JPMorgan (JPM) kept its "neutral" rating on the stock but upped its price target to $44 from $40. JPMorgan said that it believes Twitter is fundamentally changing the way people communicate and consume information, but sees it at more than fairly valued at current levels.