Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014

Small cap green stocks Eco Depot Inc (OTCMKTS: ECDP), Eco Building Products Inc (OTCMKTS: ECOB) and Profire Energy, Inc (OTCBB: PFIE) has been getting some extra attention lately in various investment newsletters thanks to paid promotions or investor relation campaigns. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed promotions and investor relations campaigns, but small cap green stocks tend to be extra volatile when compared with other stocks. So how in greenbacks will these three small cap green stocks produce for investors? Here is a quick reality check:

Eco Depot Inc (OTCMKTS: ECDP) Has the Swiss Army Knife of Water Purifiers

Small cap Eco Depot Inc was formerly an "eco lighting" distributor under new management as the company is in the development stage of transitioning into a manufacturer and distributor of eco friendly consumer brand products. On Friday, Eco Depot Inc fell 6.06% to $0.0930 for a market cap of $4.54 million plus ECDP is up 210% over the past year and down 79.8% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: Powershares DB Us Dollar Index Bearish Fund (UDN)

PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Trust (the Trust). The Fund�� subsidiary is DB US Dollar Index Bearish Master Fund (the Master Fund), which is a separate series of DB US Dollar Index Bearish Master Trust (the Master Trust). The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the Shares) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the Authorized Participants) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The proceeds from the offering of Shares are invested in the Master Fund.

The Master Fund invests in futures contracts (the DX Contracts) with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank US Dollar Index (USDX) Futures Index - Excess Return (Short Index) (referred to as the Short Index or the Index) over time. The Fund earns interest income from the United States Treasury obligations and other high credit quality short-term, fixed-income securities. The Index is calculated to reflect the changes in market value over time, whether positive or negative, of short positions in DX Contracts. DX Contracts are traded through the currency markets of ICE Futures U.S. under the symbol DX. The changes in market value over time, whether positive or negative, of the DX Contracts are related to the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the U.S. Dollar Index (the USDX). The Index provides a general indication of the international value of the United States dollar relative to the six major world currencies (the Index Currencies), which comprise the USDX, including Euro, Japanese Yen, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc.

The Fund, through its Master Fund, establishes short positions in DX Contracts with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Index. The performance of the Fund also is intended to reflect the excess, if any, of its Master Fund�� interest income f! rom its holdings of the United States Treasury obligations and other high credit quality short-term, fixed-income securities over the expenses of the Fund and the Master Fund. DB Commodity Services LLC serves as the managing owner, commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund and the Master Fund. DB Commodity Services LLC is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the administrator of the Fund and the Master Fund.v

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian O'Connell]

  To make a contrarian play, the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish (UDN) works the opposite way: When the dollar declines, the fund fares better.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Apogee Enterprises Inc.(APOG)

Apogee Enterprises, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design and development of glass products, services, and systems. The company operates through two segments, Architectural Products and Services, and Large-Scale Optical Technologies. The Architectural Products and Services segment designs, engineers, fabricates, installs, maintains, and renovates the walls of glass, windows, storefront, and entrances comprising the outside skin of commercial and institutional buildings. This segment involves in the fabrication of coated and high-performance architectural glass; installation and renovation of full-service building glass; manufacture of aluminum window systems and curtain walls; painting and anodizing finishing of architectural aluminum and PVC shutters; and fabrication of aluminum storefront, entrance, and curtain wall products. Its architectural glass products and services are primarily used in commercial buildings, such as office towers, hotels, and retail centers; institutional buildings comprising education facilities and dormitories, health care facilities, and government buildings; and high-end condominiums. This segment markets its products through direct sales, and distribution and independent sales representatives to architects, building owners, general contractors, and glazing subcontractors in the commercial construction market. The Large-Scale Optical Technologies segment manufactures glass and acrylic products for the custom picture framing market. This segment distributes its products through independent distributors and mass merchandisers, as well as directly to museums, and public and private galleries. The company offers its products primarily in North America and Europe. Apogee Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  As if laying a foundation for a building, Apogee Enterprises (NASDAQ: APOG  ) is keeping its dividend level. The firm has declared its latest quarterly distribution, which is $0.09 per share. This will be paid on July 31 to shareholders of record as of July 16. That amount matches the firm's previous five distributions, the most recent of which was paid at the end of May. Prior to that, Apogee handed out slightly less -- $0.0815 per share.

• [By Rich Smith]

  I won't deny it: I've been a longtime fan of glassmaker Apogee Enterprises (NASDAQ: APOG  ) . Years ago, when the company decided to forgo some revenue by exiting the market for automotive windshields and focus instead on making higher-margin glass for building windows and picture framing, I thought that was the right call.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I went out on a limb last week, and now it's time to see how that decision played out.

  I predicted that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) would close higher on the week. The consumer-tech giant was approaching new lows, and it seemed as if the fears of its demise and hype over recently introduced smartphones were overblown. Apple shares benefited from a bullish week of trading, climbing 1.6% on the week. I was right. I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? Well, the market rallied in a major way this week, with secondary stocks leading the way. The Nasdaq soared 2.8% on the week. The Dow managed to close just 2.1% higher. I was right. My final call was for Apogee (NASDAQ: APOG  ) to beat Wall Street's quarterly profit target. The maker of value-added glass products for the architectural and picture framing industries has been beating Wall Street estimates consistently over the past year. Why should that end? Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.17 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.15. I was wrong.

  Two out of three? I can do better than that. Let me once again whip out my trusty, dusty, and occasionally accurate crystal ball to make three calls that may play out over the next few trading days.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Apogee Enterprises (NASDAQ: APOG  ) has carved out a cozy living making value-added glass products for the architectural and picture-framing industries. Another thing it does is make analysts look like perpetual underachievers. If analysts say the company posted a profit of $0.17 a share in its latest quarter, I'll whip out a "greater than" sign. History's on my side!

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Ford Motor Credit Company(F)

Ford Motor Company primarily develops, manufactures, distributes, and services vehicles and parts worldwide. It operates in two sectors, Automotive and Financial Services. The Automotive sector offers vehicles primarily under the Ford and Lincoln brand names. This sector markets cars, trucks, and parts through retail dealers in North America, and through distributors and dealers outside of North America. It also sells cars and trucks to dealers for sale to fleet customers, including daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies, and governments. In addition, this sector provides retail customers with a range of after-sale vehicle services and products in the areas, such as maintenance and light repair, heavy repair, collision repair, vehicle accessories, and extended service contracts under the Ford Service, Lincoln Service, Ford Custom Accessories, Ford Extended Service Plan, and Motorcraft brand names. The Financial Services sector offers vari ous automotive financing products to and through automotive dealers. It offers retail financing, which includes retail installment contracts for new and used vehicles; direct financing leases; wholesale financing products that comprise loans to dealers to finance the purchase of vehicle inventory; loans to dealers to finance working capital, purchase real estate dealership, and/or make improvements to dealership facilities; and other financing products, as well as provides insurance services. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 and is based in Dearborn, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Elliott Gue, Editor and Publisher, The Capitalist Times]

  The only major US automaker to avoid bankruptcy during the Great Recession, Ford Motor Company (F) boasts the best-positioned product lineup to take advantage of improving automobile sales in the US, and long-term demand growth in China, and other emerging markets.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Lakes Entertainment Inc.(LACO)

Lakes Entertainment, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, finances, and manages Indian owned casino properties. It has development and management or financing agreements with three separate tribes for casino operations in Michigan and California. The company manages the Red Hawk Casino for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians situated in El Dorado County, California, which features 2,200 slot machines, 70 table games, 7 poker tables, 5 restaurants, 4 bars, retail space, a parking garage, and a child care facility and arcade. It also develops and finances a casino to be built on the reservation of the Jamul Indian Village located to the east of San Diego, California. In addition, Lakes Entertainment, Inc. engages in developing, financing, and managing non-Indian casino projects in Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, and Ohio. The company was formerly known as Lakes Gaming, Inc. and changed its name to Lakes Entertainment, Inc. in 2002. Lakes Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  I will conclude Part one of Reflections from 20 Years of Investing (2001- 2008) with the discussion of three more sizable winners: Forward Industries (FORD), Lake Gaming (LACO) and Fairchild (FA).

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Netease.com Inc.(NTES)

NetEase.com, Inc., an Internet technology company, engages in the development of applications, services, and other technologies for the Internet in China. It provides online game services to Internet users through the in-house development or licensing of massively multi-player online role-playing games, including Fantasy Westward Journey, Westward Journey Online II, Westward Journey Online III, Tianxia II, Heroes of Tang Dynasty, and Datang, as well as the licensed game, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft. The company also offers online advertising on its Web sites. In addition, NetEase has paid listings on its search engine and Web directory, and classified advertising services, as well as an online mall, which provides opportunities for e-commerce and traditional businesses to establish their own storefront on the Internet. Further, it provides wireless value-added services, such as news and information content, matchmaking services, music, and photos from the We b over SMS, MMS, WAP, IVR, and Color Ring-back Tone technologies. Additionally, the company offers community services, including instant messaging, online personal advertisements, matchmaking, alumni clubs, and community forums; and aggregates news content on world events, sports, science and technology, and financial markets, as well as entertainment content, such as cartoons, games, astrology, and jokes from over 100 international and domestic content providers. NetEase.com, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kevin Chen]

  Two companies that seem on an unstoppable path of profits are Giant Interactive� (NYSE: GA  ) and NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES  ) .�Meanwhile, Shanda Games� (NASDAQ: GAME  ) and Perfect World� (NASDAQ: PWRD  ) haven't done as well.

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  NetEase Inc. (ADR) (Nasdaq: NTES) is one of China's oldest e-commerce firms and is heavily involved in online gaming, a very lucrative market.

  Strategy Analytics estimates that China contributed $8 billion to global online gaming sales of roughly $15 billion last year. Gaming dominates NetEase's operations, accounting for 83% of the firm's $401 million in sales in last year's third quarter.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  As of early last week, we'd pulled down gains of 10% with NetEase Inc. (Nasdaq ADR: NTES), 28% with Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NYSE: QIHU), and 37% with Baidu Inc. (Nasdaq ADR: BIDU).

• [By RHPanalysts]

  NetEase (NTES), one of China's leading Internet and online game services providers, had a bad start to fiscal 2014. NetEase��results were upsetting. The Chinese gaming company posted weak results, disappointing expectations. However, management is citing this as seasonal weakness. The CEO, on the other hand, is expecting growth in the business. Let us find out what NetEase has in store for investors.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: First Financial Northwest Inc.(FFNW)

First Financial Northwest, Inc. operates as the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest that provides community-based savings bank services in Washington. Its deposit products include noninterest bearing accounts, NOW accounts, money market deposit accounts, statement savings accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises one-to-four family residential loans, multifamily loans, commercial real estate loans, construction/land development loans, and business loans, as well as consumer loans, including home equity loans, personal lines of credit, second mortgage loans, and savings account loans. First Financial Northwest, Inc., through another subsidiary, First Financial Diversified, Inc., offers escrow services. The company primarily serves customers in the King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties of Washington through a full-service banking office in Renton, Washington. First Financial Northwest, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is based in Renton, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Royal]

  The special situation
  For those of you following my Special Situations portfolio, Investors Bancorp is in a spot similar to First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ: FFNW  ) and TFS Financial (NASDAQ: TFSL  ) , both of which are featured substantially in the portfolio. While Investors Bancorp is still only a partially demutualized thrift (like TFS Financial today), it will soon become a fully public institution, like First Financial.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Caesarstone Sdot-Yam Ltd (CSTE)

Caesarstone Sdot-Yam Ltd. (Caesarstone), incorporated on December 31, 1989, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the manufacturing of engineered quartz surfaces sold under its premium Caesarstone brand. Caesarstone�� products consist of engineered quartz slabs, which are sold in 42 countries. The Company�� products are primarily used as kitchen countertops in the renovation and remodeling end markets. Other applications include vanity tops, wall panels, back splashes, floor tiles, stairs and other interior surfaces that are used in a range of residential and non-residential applications. On May 18, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of 75% of the shares of U.S. Quartz Products, Inc.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, it acquired its former United States distributor, Caesarstone USA. As of December 2011, the Company has subsidiaries in Australia, Singapore, Canada and the United States, which is engaged in the marketing and selling of the Company�� products in different geographic areas. Through its design and manufacturing processes it offers a range of colors, styles, designs and textures. Its four diverse collections include Classico, Supremo, Motivo and Concetto. Kibbutz Sdot-Yam owns 70.1% of the Company�� outstanding shares.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Alamy There are plenty of stocks going up -- and down -- in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets. Let's go over some of last week's best and worst performers. Pike (PIKE) -- Up 49 percent last week The market's biggest winner of last week was Pike, a specialty construction and engineering firm that received a bid to be taken private. J. Eric Pike -- the firm's chairman and CEO -- is teaming up with private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners to buy out shareholders at $12 a share. It's a fair premium, pricing the buyout at a better than 50 percent premium to where the stock was trading when it was announced. A few attorneys are trying to smoke out investors who feel that the CEO-led privatization push isn't fair, but it's likely to stick at that kind of healthy markup. Pike shares may have traded in the low teens last summer, but that was before revenue and earnings began heading the wrong way. Most shareholders should be more than happy to take the money and run. RadNet (RDNT) -- Up 34 percent last week Operating a network of 251 facilities that perform outpatient diagnostic imaging services is looking good for RadNet. The stock moved sharply higher after a strong quarterly report. Revenue inched slighting higher as MRI and CT scan volume increased modestly during the period. However, the real star in the report was RadNet's bottom line. Its cost-cutting and debt-slashing efforts paid off with net income soaring to $0.12 a share after clocking in at a $0.07 a share a year earlier. Analysts were only holding out for $0.05 a share. RadNet also helped improve its standing by boosting its guidance for all of 2014. You don't need any of RadNet's fancy imaging equipment to see that that's a healthy sign. Trex (TREX) -- Up 25 percent last week It was a good week for a pair of home improvement specialists. Shares of CaesarStone (CSTE) moved 20