2013 turned out to be an exceptional year for equity markets, which drove strong investment returns for clients. Our U.S. portfolio, in Canadian dollars, delivered returns over 40% while Leith Wheeler clients also enjoyed both Canadian and International stock returns close to 25%. Bonds delivered slightly negative returns given the increase in interest rates over the year, partly due to a brightening economic outlook. While these returns are encouraging, the natural question becomes what to expect in 2014 and beyond.
Global Growth
We expect global economic growth to continue to improve gradually, increasing 2-3% per annum. The U.S. housing market continues to gather forward momentum, as new home starts of over a million homes annually represents its best performance since 2008. Also, U.S. consumers have made substantial progress in improving their balance sheets, despite reasonably tepid job growth and income gains. Consumer spending has ticked up and retail sales are growing. Auto sales are on track for 17 million in annual sales, a level the U.S. has not seen since 2007
Top 5 Warren Buffett Companies To Watch In Right Now: Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd(TNP)
Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides seaborne crude oil and petroleum product transportation services worldwide. The company offers marine transportation services for national and independent oil companies and refiners under long, medium, and short-term charters. As of August 16, 2011, its fleet consisted of 50 vessels comprising 59 tankers, including 2 dynamic positioning 2 (DP2) shuttle tankers under construction, and 1 liquefied natural gas carrier. The company was formerly known as MIF Limited and changed its name to Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited in July 2001. Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited was founded in 1993 and is based in Athens, Greece.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Munarriz]
We can start with Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (NYSE: TNP ) . Shares of the energy transporter moved 27% higher last week after surprising the market with a quarterly profit. Business isn't great at Tsakos. Revenue dipped slightly during the period, and a profit of $0.02 a share may not turn heads. However, analysts were bracing for a loss of $0.08 a share on a sharper decline in revenue.
Hot Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (ARE)
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the ownership, operation, management, development, acquisition, and redevelopment of properties for the life sciences industry. Its properties consist of buildings containing scientific research and development laboratories, and other improvements. The company offers its properties for lease primarily to universities and independent not-for-profit institutions; and pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, life science product, service, biodefense, and translational research entities, as well as governmental agencies. As of December 31, 2006, it had 159 properties, including 156 properties located in 9 states in the United States and 3 properties located in Canada. As a REIT, the company is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes 100% of its taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in Pasadena, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
- [By Shauna O'Brien]
Real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc (ARE) announced on Tuesday that its board has approved a 4.6% increase to its quarterly dividend.
The firm has raised its dividend from 65 cents to 68 cents per share, or $2.72 annually. The dividend will be paid on October 15 to shareholders of record on September 30. The stock will go ex-dividend on September 26.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is down 9% YTD.
- [By Bill Stoller]
After a banner 2013, the overall market has had a challenging start to 2014. However, these four companies have been crushing it: Alexander Real Estate (NYSE: ARE ) , BioMed Realty Trust (NYSE: BMR ) , CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH ) , and Sun Communities (NYSE: SUI ) early on in 2014 vs. the S&P 500. Their relative out-performance can also be seen when compared to the Vanguard REIT Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VNQ ) a good yardstick to measure sector performance.
Hot Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sun Life Financial Inc.(SLF)
Sun Life Financial Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides various life and health insurance, savings, investment management, retirement, and pension products and services to individuals and corporate customers. It offers individual life insurance policies, including individual term life, universal life, critical illness, disability, accident, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance policies; and group life insurance policies. The company also provides individual health insurance, long-term care insurance, group health benefits, dental benefits, and group insurance; and various individual and group annuity, retirement, and investment income products and services, such as mutual and pooled funds, variable and fixed annuities, savings, retirement and pension plans, and education savings. In addition, it offers asset management services for corporate retirement plans, separate accounts, public or government funds, and insurance company assets to institutional clients; and advisory services to individual investors. Further, the company provides run-off reinsurance services. Sun Life Financial Inc. distributes its products through direct sales agents, independent and managing general agents, financial intermediaries, broker-dealers, banks, pension and benefit consultants, and other third-party marketing organizations. The company operates primarily in Bermuda, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Philippines, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Sun Life Financial Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Brugger]
Initially, the deal Sun Life Financial (NYSE: SLF ) struck in December to sell its U.S. annuity portfolio and some life insurance products for $1.35 billion to Delaware Life Holdings, a Guggenheim Partners-owned company, was scheduled to be completed by Q2 of 2013.
Hot Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SAP AG(SAP)
SAP AG provides business software primarily in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific Japan region. The company?s products includes SAP Business Suite software, which supports large organizations in their core business operations, such as supplier relationship, production, warehouse management, sales, administration, and customer relationship; SAP Business All-in-One, a business management software that assists midsize companies in managing various business functions, including financials, human resources, procurement, inventory, manufacturing, logistics, product development, sales, and marketing; SAP Business One, a business management application for small businesses; and SAP Business ByDesign, an on-demand solution for integrated business management applications. Its products also comprises SAP BusinessObjects Edge business intelligence and enterprise performance management solutions; Xcelsius, a data visualization software; Crystal Reports, which helps users design interactive reports; Sybase IQ, an optimized analytics server designed to deliver results for business intelligence, analytics, data warehousing, and reporting solutions; SAP solutions for sustainability; and SAP NetWeaver technology platform, which integrates information and business processes across various technologies and organizational structures. In addition, the company offers industry and solution-focused, business transformation, information technology transformation, custom development, and support services; and program, project management, quality assurance, and education and certification services. It sells its products through its subsidiaries and resellers. SAP AG has a strategic relationship with Cap Gemini S.A. to develop and deploy enterprise mobility solutions. The company was formerly known as SAP Aktiengesellschaft Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung. SAP AG was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Walldorf , Germany.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Brugger]
A legitimate concern for Salesforce, just as it's always been, is growing competition in both the CRM and cloud computing markets. German-based SAP (NYSE: SAP ) and CRM up-and-comer Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) and its Dynamic CRM are certainly not to be trifled with.
- [By IBTimes]
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images After BlackBerry announced last month that it would slash 40 percent of its workforce, Apple reportedly has begun snapping up the struggling smartphone maker's employees near the company's corporate headquarters in Canada. According to a report from the Financial Post, Apple hosted a recruitment drive on Sept. 26 at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre in Waterloo, Ontario, a place that is roughly 12 miles away from BlackBerry's home base. The report said that Apple (AAPL) sent the event's invitations to BlackBerry employees via LinkedIn. "Most positions will be based in Cupertino, [Calif.]," the LinkedIn invite, obtained by Financial Post, said, adding that Apple would also provide immigration assistance and relocation compensation for successful candidates. However, exactly what positions Apple is looking to fill remains unknown. On Sept. 20, the same day Apple released the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, BlackBerry said it expected to post almost a $1 billion loss in the second quarter and would cut approximately 4,500 jobs, or about 40 percent of its global workforce. On Monday, BlackBerry (BBRY) handed out layoff notices, confirming 300 employees would be laid off from its Waterloo headquarters this week as part of the first round of job cuts. BlackBerry's talent base is also being eyed by other players such as Intel (INTC), which held an "information session" at the Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel & Conference Centre in Kitchener, Ontario, on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29 to look for engineers to join the company's Mobile and Communications Group. While Apple didn't comment on the recruitment drive, an Intel spokesperson said its session "was designed to engage with engineers." BlackBerry, which is now contemplating a $4.7 billion takeover bid from a consortium led by Fairfax Financial Holdings, the company's biggest shareholder, is also reportedly considering a break-up of the company. The phonemaker's
- [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]
BlackBerry (BBRY) �shares advanced 3.6%. The stock was boosted after a late Friday report from Reuters that said BlackBerry had reached out to potential strategic buyers, including Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) , Google Inc. (GOOG) �and SAP AG (SAP) , as part of its sales process. Last month, the smartphone maker reached a preliminary deal to go private for $4.7 billion by Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd.
Hot Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Grupo Televisa S.A.(TV)
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a media company in Mexico and internationally. It operates in seven segments: Television Broadcasting, Pay Television Networks, Programming Exports, Publishing, Sky, Cable and Telecom, and Other Businesses. The Television Broadcasting segment engages in the production of television programming and broadcasting of channels 2, 4, 5, and 9; and production of television programming and broadcasting for local television stations in Mexico and the United States. The Pay Television Networks segment provides programming services for cable and pay-per-view television companies in Mexico, as well as other countries in Latin America, the United States, and Europe. The Programming Exports segment offers international licensing of television programming. The Publishing segment primarily publishes Spanish-language magazines in Mexico, the United States, and Latin America. The Sky segment provides direct-to-home broadcas t satellite pay television services in Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. The Cable and Telecom segment operates a cable and telecommunication system in the Mexico City metropolitan area. This segment provides data and long-distance services solutions to carriers and other telecommunications service providers through its fiber-optic network in Mexico and the United States; basic and premium television, pay-per-view, and telephone services. The Other Businesses segment engages in sports and show business promotion, soccer, feature film production and distribution, Internet, gaming, radio, and publishing distribution operations. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Wolfe]
Grupo Televisa (TV)
Over the past quarter the most gurus held on to Grupo Televisa S.A.B. There were twelve guru owners with seven gurus making buys last quarter and eight making sells. These gurus hold a combined weighting of 7.07%.
Hot Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Primerica Inc.(PRI)
Primerica, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution of financial products on behalf of third parties to middle income households in the United States and Canada. The company operates in three segments: Term Life Insurance, Investment and Savings Products, and Corporate and Other Distributed Products. The Term Life Insurance segment underwrites term life insurance products. The Investment and Savings Products segment distributes mutual funds, variable annuities, fixed annuities, and segregated funds. The Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment provides mortgage loans, which include debt consolidation or refinance, and purchase money loans; unsecured loans; prepaid legal services that assist subscribers with legal matters, such as drafting wills, living wills and powers of attorney, trial defense, and motor vehicle-related matters; mail-order student life products; short-term disability benefit insurance; and auto and homeowners? insurance products. The company was founded in 1927 and is based in Duluth, Georgia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Private equity investor Warburg Pincus has been a shareholder in term life insurance underwriter Primerica� (NYSE: PRI ) since its IPO in 2010. However, the financial products marketer will be buying back all of the holdings Warburg Pincus owns for $154.7 million. That translates into�almost�2.5 million shares of common stock�and warrants that �are�exercisable for 4.1 million shares.
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