Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Invest In 2014

Big winners (up at least 5%): Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: DUST), VelocityShares 3x Inverse Natural Gas ETN (NYSE: DGAZ) and the iPath Pure Beta Crude Oil ETN (NYSE: OLEM).

Big winners (down at least 5%): Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: NUGT), iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF (NYSE: EVAL) and the VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN (NYSE: UGAZ).

Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): iShares Utilities ETF (NYSE: IDU), First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSE: FXU), iShares MSCI Germany Small Cap ETF (NYSE: EWGS), iShares MSCI USA ETF (NYSE: EUSA), SPDR S&P Emerging Europe ETF (NYSE: GUR), PowerShares Water Resources (NYSE: PHO) and the Vanguard Industrials ETF (NYSE: VIS).

Top Prefered Companies To Own In Right Now: Chevron Corp (CHV)

Chevron Corporation (Chevron), incorporated on January 27, 1926, manages its investments in subsidiaries and affiliates and provides administrative, financial, management and technology support to the United States and international subsidiaries that engage in fully integrated petroleum operations, chemicals operations, mining activities, power generation and energy services. Upstream operations consist primarily of exploring for, developing and producing crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transporting crude oil by international oil export pipelines; transporting, storage and marketing of natural gas, and a gas-to-liquids project. Downstream operations consist primarily of refining crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products; transporting crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment and rail car, and manufacturing and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses and fuel and lubricant additives.

Upstream

At December 31, 2012, Chevron owned or had under lease or similar agreements undeveloped and developed crude oil and natural gas properties worldwide. Upstream activities in the United States are concentrated in California, the Gulf of Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. During the year ended December 31, 2012, average net oil-equivalent production in the United States was 655,000 barrels per day. In 2012, net daily production averaged 163,000 barrels of crude oil, 70 million cubic feet of natural gas and 4,000 barrels of natural gas liquids (NGLs). During 2012, net daily production for the Company�� combined interests in the Gulf of Mexico shelf and deepwater areas, and the onshore fields in the region, were 153,000 barrels of crude oil, 395 million cubic feet of natural gas and 16,000 barrels of NGL.

The! Company was engaged in various exploration and development activities in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico during 2012. As of December 31, 2012, it had a 50% working interest in Jack and a 51% working interest in St. Malo Field. During 2013, the Company had 42.9% non-operated working interest in the Tubular Bells Field; 20.3% non-operated working interest in the Caesar and Tonga area, and 15.6% non-operated working interest in the Mad Dog II Project. The Company activities in the mid-continental United States include operated and non-operated interests in properties primarily in Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. The Company holds leases in the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale, primarily located in southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, and in the Antrim Shale in Michigan. Other Americas is consistd of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Net oil-equivalent production from these countries averaged 230,000 barrels per day during 2012, including the Company�� share of synthetic oil production.

Chevron�� interests in oil sands projects and shale acreage in Alberta, shale acreage and an LNG project in British Columbia, exploration, development and production projects offshore in the Atlantic region, and exploration and discovered resource interests in the Beaufort Sea region of the Northwest Territories. Average net oil-equivalent production during 2012, was 69,000 barrels per day, consisted of 25,000 barrels of crude oil, four million cubic feet of natural gas and 43,000 barrels of synthetic oil from oil sands. During 2012, the Company held a 20% non-operated working interest in the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP). In February 2013, Chevron acquired a 50%-owned and operated interest in the Kitimat LNG project and proposed Pacific Trail Pipeline, and a 50% non-operated working interest in 644,000 total acres in the Horn River and Liard shale gas basins in British Colombia; 26.9% non-operated working interest in the Hib! ernia Fie! ld and a 23.6 non-operated working interest in the unitized Hibernia Southern Extension (HSE) offshore Atlantic Canada, and 26.6% non-operated working interest in the heavy-oil Hebron Field, also offshore Atlantic Canada.

In December 2012, Chevron relinquished its 29.2% non-operated working interest in Exploration License 2007/26, which includes Block 4 offshore West Greenland. The Company holds operated interests in four concessions in the Neuquen Basin. Working interests range from 18.8% to 100%. In 2012, the net oil-equivalent production averaged 22,000 barrels per day, consisted of 21,000 barrels of crude oil and four million cubic feet of natural gas. During 2012, two exploratory wells targeting shale gas and tight oil resources were drilled in the Vaca Muerta formation in the El Trapial concession. Chevron holds working interests in three deepwater fields in the Campos Basin: Frade (51.7%-owned and operated), Papa-Terra and Maromba (37.5% and 30% non-operated working interests, respectively). Net oil-equivalent production in 2012 averaged 6,000 barrels per day, consisted of 6,000 barrels of crude oil and two million cubic feet of natural gas.

In Africa, the Company is engaged in upstream activities in Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Net oil-equivalent production in Africa averaged 451,000 barrels per day during 2012. In Asia, the Company is engaged in upstream activities in Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Myanmar, the Partitioned Zone located between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam. During 2012, net oil-equivalent production averaged 1,061,000 barrels per day. In Australia, the Company�� upstream efforts are concentrated off the northwest coast. During 2012, the average net oil-equivalent production from Australia was 99,000 barrels per day. In Europe, the Company is engag! ed in ups! tream activities in Bulgaria, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Net oil-equivalent production in Europe averaged 114,000 barrels per day during 2012.

Downstream

The Company markets petroleum products under the principal brands of Chevron, Texaco and Caltex worldwide. In the United States, the Company markets under the Chevron and Texaco brands. During 2012, the Company supplied directly or through retailers and marketers approximately 8,060 Chevron- and Texaco-branded motor vehicle service stations, primarily in the southern and western states. Approximately 470 of these outlets are company-owned or -leased stations. Outside the United States, the Company supplied directly or through retailers and marketers approximately 8,700 branded service stations, including affiliates. In British Columbia, Canada, the Company markets under the Chevron brand. The Company markets in Latin America and the Caribbean using the Texaco brand. In the Asia-Pacific region, southern Africa, Egypt and Pakistan, the Company uses the Caltex brand. The Company also operates through affiliates under various brand names. In South Korea, the Company operates through its 50%-owned affiliate, GS Caltex, and in Australia through its 50%-owned affiliate, Caltex Australia Limited.

The Company owns a 50% interest in its Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC (CPChem) affiliate. During 2012, CPChem owned or had joint-venture interests in 36 manufacturing facilities and two research development centers worldwide. The Company�� Oronite brand lubricant and fuel additives business is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of performance additives for lubricating oils and fuels. The Company owns and operates facilities in Brazil, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United States and has interests in facilities in India and Mexico. Oronite lubricant additives are blended into refined base oil to produce finished lubricant packages us! ed primar! ily in engine applications, such as passenger car, heavy-duty diesel, marine, locomotive and motorcycle engines.

Transportation

The Company owns and operates a network of crude oil, refined product, chemical, natural gas liquid and natural gas pipelines and other infrastructure assets in the United States. The Company also has direct and indirect interests in other the United States and international pipelines. All tankers in the Company�� controlled seagoing fleet were utilized during 2012. During 2012, the Company had 51 deep-sea vessels chartered on a voyage basis, or for a period of less than one year. The Company�� the United States-flagged fleet is engaged primarily in transporting refined products between the Gulf Coast and the East Coast and from California refineries to terminals on the West Coast and in Alaska and Hawaii. The foreign-flagged vessels are engaged primarily in transporting crude oil from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Black Sea, South America, Mexico and West Africa to ports in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. The Company�� foreign-flagged vessels also transport refined products to and from various locations worldwide.

Other Businesses

During 2012, the Company completed the sale of its Kemmerer, Wyoming, surface coal mine and the sale of its 50% interest in Youngs Creek Mining Company, LLC, which was formed to develop a coal mine in northern Wyoming.Chevron also owns and operates the Questa molybdenum mine in New Mexico. During 2012, it had 160 million tons of proven and probable coal reserves in the United States, including reserves of low-sulfur coal. The Company�� Global Power Company manages interests in 11 power assets with a total operating capacity of more than 2,200 megawatts, primarily through joint ventures in the United States and Asia. Chevron Energy Solutions (CES) completed several public sector programs, including a microgrid at the Santa Rita jail in Alameda County, and renewable and e! fficiency! programs for Huntington Beach City School District, South San Francisco Unified School District and Union City, all in California, plus Rootstown Local School District in Ohio. The Company�� energy technology organization supports Chevron�� upstream and downstream businesses by providing technology, services and competency development in earth sciences; reservoir and production engineering; drilling and completions; facilities engineering; manufacturing; process technology; catalysis; technical computing, and health, environment and safety disciplines.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Ciovacco]

  The Energy Select Sector Spider provides exposure to a diversified basket of energy stocks, including Exxon (XOM), Chevron (CHV) and ConocoPhillips (COP). As the chart shows below, XLE has established a bullish weekly trend relative to the broader S&P 500 Index (SPY).

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Invest In 2014: Global X China Industrials (CHII)

Global X China Industrials ETF (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S-BOX China Industrials Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is a free float adjusted, liquidity tested and market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure performance of the investable universe of companies in the Industrials sector of the Chinese economy, as defined by Structured Solutions AG. Global X Management Company, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By pamatlarge]

  Investors looking to short a particular sector can choose from several Global X long ETFs. The Global X China Consumer ETF (CHIQ) concentrates its investments in consumer cyclical goods and consumer defense goods. The Global X China Energy ETF (CHIE) primarily holds stocks in coal, oil and utility companies. The Global X China Financials ETF (CHIX) only invests in financial services companies and real estate companies. The Global X China Industrials ETF (CHII) holds stocks in industrial companies and basic materials companies. The Global X China Materials ETF (CHIM) invests in basic materials stocks. The Global X China Technology ETF (CHIB) holds technology stocks as the core of its investments. All of these ETFs are particularly sensitive to sector downturns and general economic contractions.

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Invest In 2014: Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc (SGYP)

Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on February 11, 1992, is a biopharmaceutical company focused primarily on the development of drugs to treat gastrointestinal (GI), disorders and diseases. The Company�� lead product candidate is plecanatide, a guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C), receptor agonist, to treat GI disorders, primarily chronic constipation (CC), and constipation-predominant-irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). It is also developing SP-333, the second generation GC-C receptor agonist for the treatment of gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases, such as ulcerative colitis (UC). The Company�� active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and the final formulated drug products are manufactured for it by third party contractors.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company was developing plecanatide, a synthetic hexadecapeptide designed to mimic the actions of the GI hormone uroguanylin, for the treatment of CC and IBS-C. Plecanatide is an agonist of GC-C receptor. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was dosing patients in an 800-patient Phase II/III clinical trial of plecanatide to treat. It is also developing a second generation GC-C receptor analog, SP-333, which is in pre-clinical development for the treatment of gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases. SP-333 is a synthetic analog of uroguanylin, a natriuretic hormone.

The Company competes with Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Forest Laboratories, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Shire Plc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) reported a drop in its third-quarter profit. Time Warner Cable's quarterly profit fell to $532 million, or $1.84 per share, from $808 million, or $2.60 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here. Synergy Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SGYP) today announced the start of a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SP-333, its second-generation GC-C agonist and once-daily oral treatment, in adult patients with opioid-induced constipation (OIC). To read the full news, click here. Cigna (NYSE: CI) reported a 19% rise in its third-quarter earnings and lifted its full-year earnings outlook. To read the full news, click here. Charm Communications (NASDAQ: CHRM) announced today that the special committee of the Company's board of directors, consisting of independent directors Mr. Zhan Wang, Mr. Andrew J. Rickards and Mr. Gang Chen, has retained China Renaissance Securities (Hong Kong) Limited as its financial advisor and Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP as its legal advisor. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Bank of America US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Sean Williams]

  Finally, Synergy Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SGYP  ) may have had the wildest week of them all. Synergy's share price spiked 16% on Tuesday as an analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald raised her peak sales estimate for plecanatide, the company's midstage drug for chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, to $1.58 billion from $1.05 billion, as clinical data has been stronger than expected. However, the company didn't return the favor to shareholders by -- the very next day, mind you ��announcing a secondary offering of 16.375 million shares. The downside of clinical-stage companies is the always apparent risk of dilution. Shares have lost 25% since their Tuesday close.

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Invest In 2014: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp (VAC)

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, incorporated on June 21, 2011, is a developer, marketer, seller and manager of vacations ownership and related products under the Marriott Vacation Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands. The Company is also the global developer, marketer and seller of vacations ownership and related products under the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club brand, and the Company has the non-exclusive right to develop, market and sell whole ownership residential products under the Ritz-Carlton Residences brands. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. (Ritz-Carlton), a subsidiary of Marriott International, generally provides on-site management for Ritz-Carlton branded properties.

As of December 28, 2012, the Company had 64 vacation ownership resorts in the United States and nine other countries and territories and approximately 421,000 owners of its vacation ownership and residential products. The Company offers the majority of its products through two points-based ownership programs: Marriott Vacation Club Destinations(MVCD) and Marriott Vacation Club, Asia Pacific.

The Company designs , build, manage and maintains its properties at upscale and luxury levels in accordance with the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton brand standards that the Company must comply with under the License Agreements. The Company offers its products under four brands: Marriott Vacation Club, Grand Residences, Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and Ritz-Carlton Residences.

The Marriott Vacation Club brand is the Company's signature offering in the upscale tier of the vacation ownership industry. Marriott Vacation Club resorts typically combine many of the comforts of home, such as spacious accommodations with one, two and three bedroom options, living and dining areas, in-unit kitchens and laundry facilities, with resort amenities such as feature swimming pools, restaurants and bars, convenience stores, fitness facilities and spas, as well as sports and recreation facilities appro! priate for each resort's location.

Grand Residences by Marriott is an upscale tier vacation ownership and whole ownership residence brand. The accommodations for this brand are similar to those the Company offers under the Marriott Vacation Club brand. The time period for each Grand Residences by Marriott vacation ownership interest ranges between three and thirteen weeks. The Company also offers whole ownership residential products under this brand.

The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club is a luxury tier vacation ownership brand. The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club provides luxurious vacation experiences commensurate with the legacy of the Ritz-Carlton brand. Ritz-Carlton Destination Club resorts typically feature two, three and four bedroom units that generally include marble foyers, walk-in closets and custom kitchen cabinetry, and luxury resort amenities, such as feature pools and access to full service restaurants and bars. The on-site services, which usually include daily maid service, valet, in-residence dining, and access to fitness facilities as well as spa and sports facilities as appropriate for each destination, are delivered by Ritz-Carlton.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences is a luxury tier whole ownership residence brand. The Ritz-Carlton Residences include whole ownership luxury residential condominiums and home sites for luxury home construction co-located with Ritz-Carlton Destination Club resorts. Owners can typically purchase condominiums that vary in size from one-bedroom apartments to spacious penthouses. Ritz-Carlton Residences owners can avail themselves of the services and facilities that are associated with the co-located Ritz-Carlton Destination Club resort on an a la carte basis. On-site services are delivered by Ritz-Carlton.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  It may be surprising�to�hear that hospitality and tourism are the fastest-growing industries in the world. One of the biggest names in the industry, unsurprisingly, is Marriott, which represents a variety of names in hotels, motels, and resorts around the world. As a spin-off from Marriott In late 2011,�Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE: VAC  ) �is a business that specializes in vacation ownership, otherwise known as timeshares. While thoughts of the quintessential timeshare salesman may bring a sting to your gut, this business offers investors bright prospects on the back of a booming industry. Here's what you need to know about Marriott Vacations.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp (VAC): President and CEO Stephen P. Weisz Bought 8,000 Shares
  
  President and CEO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp (VAC) Stephen P. Weisz bought 8,000 shares during the past week at an average price of $43.60. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is a Delaware Corporation. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp has a market cap of $1.54 billion; its shares were traded at around $43.60 with a P/E ratio of 30.67 and P/S ratio of 0.94.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  So, which timeshare stocks are the ones to buy? Read on.

  Marriott Vacations Worldwide (VAC)

  Marriott Vacations Worldwide (VAC) is a great starting point for timeshare stocks. It holds 62 properties made up of 12,829 villas, held by 420,000 customers across the U.S. and nine other countries.