The U.S. energy boom is exciting, it's notable, and it could change the world. At the same time, there are still plenty of places around the world that will need to import oil. The major supplier of that demand has been, and will continue to be, the Middle East. The nations that constitute the Middle East produce about 30% of the world's oil, and some countries in the region are looking to step up their game.
The biggest plans to increase production in the Middle East right now focus on Iraq. Ministers in the country hope to triple production by the end of the decade. Thanks to sizable investments from the big integrated oil majors and oil services companies, it's possible that the country might meet that goal.
Demand in some parts of the world may be waning, but growth elsewhere in the world more than makes up for it. The big market for more oil will be in developing nations, most notably Brazil, China, and India. As long as these countries continue to grow at a staggering pace, they will need oil to fuel that engine. Tune into the video below where Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe check in with Fool analyst Joel South to discuss the prospects for Middle Eastern oil production and assess the demand from emerging countries.
Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2015: SodaStream International Ltd.(SODA)
SodaStream International Ltd. engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of home beverage carbonation systems and related products. Its home beverage carbonation systems enable consumers to transform ordinary tap water into carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. The company offers a range of soda makers; exchangeable carbon-dioxide (CO2) cylinders; beverage-grade CO2 refills; reusable carbonation bottles; and various flavors comprising fruit, carbonated soft drink, and enhanced flavors to add to the carbonated water. It also sells additional accessories for its products, including bottle cleaning materials and ice cube trays manufactured by third parties. The company sells its products under the SodaStream and Soda-Club brand names through approximately 50,000 retail stores in 42 countries, as well as through the Internet; and distributes its products directly in 12 countries and indirectly through local distributors in other markets. It operates in Europe , North and Central America, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and east Asia. The company was formerly known as Soda-Club Holdings Ltd. and changed its name to SodaStream International Ltd. in March 2010. SodaStream International Ltd. is headquartered in Airport City, Israel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Munarriz]
4. Fizzy lifting drinks are great until you see the blades
Shares of SodaStream (NASDAQ: SODA ) opened sharply higher on Thursday after sources told Israel's Calcalist that PepsiCo had submitted a $2-billion buyout offer. - [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Jonathan Leibson/PMC/Getty Images SodaStream (SODA) has been one of Wall Street's bigger disappointments over the past year, but shareholders may finally be catching a break. Sources were telling several different international publications last week that the company behind the namesake carbonated beverage maker is in talks to be acquired for at least $40 a share. The buyout would come as a welcome relief for investors who have seen the stock fall from its sudsy peak of $77.80 last summer to below $30 this summer. Inventory woes and cascading margins have slammed SodaStream, and investors know that soda is no good when the fizz is gone. Bottling Up Optimism Buyout chatter heated up last week when Israeli business publication The Marker reported that a British investor was in negotiations to acquire SodaStream in an $840 million deal that would swap common stock for $40 a share in cash. It seemed like just the latest in a long line of empty acquisitive talk, but then things began heating up in the U.K. media channels. The Independent reported that beer behemoths Diageo (DEO) and SABMiller (SBMRF) are considering an offer for SodaStream. The Times apparently has another source naming private equity firm KKR as an investor willing to shell out $46 a share for SodaStream. All of these conflicting rumors would seem to be turning this buyout symphony into a cacophony, and conspiracy theorists would argue that SodaStream itself could be behind this in an effort to smoke out a potential suitor. However, you don't often see three different international publications talking up SodaStream as a purchase. Pop a Cap Off We've been here before. It was originally Israel's Calcalist reporting last summer that PepsiCo (PEP) had the hots for SodaStream. Canned and bottled soda sales have been sluggish. Moody's Investors Service is reporting that carbonated soft drink sales declined 2.6 percent in the U.S. last year, with an even larger drop in diet sodas. Diversifying int
- [By Rick Munarriz]
2. SodaStream (NASDAQ: SODA )
The Israeli company behind the namesake soda-making system has made a big splash in the U.S. in recent years, but it's been toiling away in the U.K. for decades.
Top 5 Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Mueller Industries Inc (MLI)
Mueller Industries, Inc., incorporated on October 03, 1990, is a manufacturer of copper, brass, plastic, and aluminum products. The Company�� products include copper tube and fittings; brass and copper alloy rod, bar, and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum and copper impact extrusions; plastic pipe, fittings and valves; refrigeration valves and fittings; fabricated tubular products; and steel nipples. The Company also resells imported brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings, faucets and plumbing specialty products. Mueller�� operations are located throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and China. The Company has two segments: the Plumbing & Refrigeration segment and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) segment. The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment is composed of the Standard Products Division (SPD), European Operations, and Mexican Operations. The OEM segment is composed of the Industrial Products Division (IPD), Engineered Products Division (EPD), and Jiangsu Mueller-Xingrong Copper Industries Limited (Mueller-Xingrong), the Company�� Chinese joint venture. On August 16, 2012, the Company acquired 100% of the stock of Westermeyer Industries, Inc. (Westermeyer), located in Bluffs, Illinois. Westermeyer designs, manufactures, and distributes high-pressure components and accessories for the air-conditioning and refrigeration markets. In October 2013, Commercial Metals Company completed the sale of Howell Metal Company, to Mueller Copper Tube Products, Inc., a subsidiary of Mueller Industries, Inc.
Plumbing & Refrigeration segment
SPD manufactures and sells copper tube, copper and plastic fittings, plastic pipe, and valves in North America and sources products for import distribution in North America. European Operations manufacture copper tube in Europe, which is sold in Europe and the Middle East; activities also include import distribution in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Mexican Operations consist of pi! pe nipple manufacturing and import distribution businesses, including product lines of malleable iron fittings and other plumbing specialties. The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment sells products to wholesalers in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, and refrigeration markets, to distributors to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries, and to building material retailers.
Mueller�� Plumbing & Refrigeration segment includes SPD, which manufactures a line of copper tube, in sizes ranging from 1/8 inch to eight inch diameter, which are sold in various straight lengths and coils. Mueller is in the air-conditioning and refrigeration service tube markets. In addition, Mueller supplies a variety of water tube in straight lengths and coils used for plumbing applications in virtually every type of construction project. SPD also manufactures copper and plastic fittings and related components for the plumbing and heating industry that are used in water distribution systems, heating systems, air-conditioning, and refrigeration applications, and drainage, waste, and vent systems. SPD�� products are used in the domestic residential and commercial construction markets. The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment also fabricates steel pipe nipples and resells imported brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings, faucets, and plumbing specialty products to plumbing wholesalers, distributors to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries and building materials retailers.
The Company competes with Cerro Flow Products, Inc., Cambridge-Lee Industries LLC , Wolverine Tube, Inc., KobeWieland Copper Products LLC, Howell Metal Company, Elkhart Products Company, NIBCO, Inc. and Charlotte Pipe & Foundry.
OEM segment
The OEM segment manufactures and sells brass and copper alloy rod, bar, and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum and copper impact extrusions; refrigeration valves and fittings; fabr! icated tu! bular products, and gas valves and assemblies. Mueller-Xingrong manufactures engineered copper tube primarily for air-conditioning applications. The products are sold primarily to OEMs located in China. The OEM segment sells its products primarily to original equipment manufacturers, many of which are in the HVAC, plumbing, and refrigeration markets.
Mueller�� OEM segment includes IPD, which manufactures brass rod, nonferrous forgings, and impact extrusions that are sold primarily to OEMs in the plumbing, refrigeration, fluid power, and automotive industries, as well as to other manufacturers and distributors. The Company extrudes brass, bronze and copper alloy rod in sizes ranging from 3/8 inches to four inches in diameter. These alloys are used in applications that require a high degree of machinability, wear and corrosion resistance, as well as electrical conductivity. IPD also manufactures brass and aluminum forgings, which are used in a variety of products, including automotive components, brass fittings, industrial machinery, valve bodies, gear blanks, and computer hardware. IPD also serves the automotive, military ordnance, aerospace, and general manufacturing industries with cold-formed aluminum and copper impact extrusions. The OEM segment also includes EPD, which manufactures and fabricates valves and custom OEM products for refrigeration and air-conditioning, gas appliance, and barbecue grill applications. In addition, EPD manufactures shaped and formed tube, produced to tight tolerances, for baseboard heating, appliances, and medical instruments.
The Company competes with Chase Brass and Copper Company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) has dropped 5.2% so far this year, while Mueller Industries (MLI), which has plunged 55%, Medidata Solutions (MDSO), which has plummeted 44%, Financial Engines (FNGN), which has slid 42%, and Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS), which has tumbled 42%, are the index’s biggest losers.
Top 5 Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Arch Capital Group Ltd.(ACGL)
Arch Capital Group Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers casualty; construction; executive assurance; healthcare; collateral protection, debt cancellation, and service contract reimbursement products; national accounts casualty; professional liability; programs; property, energy, marine, and aviation; surety; and travel and accident insurance products. It also provides other insurance products, such as excess workers compensation and employers' liability insurance coverages for qualified self-insured groups, associations, and trusts; captive insurance programs; and accident, disability, and medical plan insurance coverages for employer groups, medical plan members, students, and other participant groups. This segment markets its products through a network of licensed independent retail and wholesale brokers. The Reinsurance segment rei nsures third party liability and worker?s compensation exposures; individual property risks that include personal lines and commercial property exposures; other specialty lines, including surety, accident and health, workers' compensation catastrophe, multi-peril crop, trade credit, and political risk; catastrophic perils, such as hurricane, earthquake, flood, tornado, hail, and fire; marine business, which includes coverage for hull, cargo, and transit and offshore oil and gas operations, as well as aviation business that comprises coverage for airline and general aviation risks; and non-traditional business to provide insurers with risk management solutions. This segment markets its reinsurance products through brokers, as well as directly with the ceding companies. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
Arch Capital (ACGL)'s Dinos Iordanu recently described to our analysts how he met me in 2001. Before we invested in his business, we asked him all sorts of personal questions about how he came to America from Cyprus; whether or not his wife had a job; and how big was his house? He told our analysts that "Ron was trying to get a sense of me. He wanted to understand how I viewed risk. No one else asked us such questions. They were the right questions since you were investing in our business, which was assuming underwriting risk on your behalf. "We got it right with Dinos and have about quadrupled our money in the past twelve years, not exactly the most propitious time to invest in stocks! Of course, there can be no assurance that future investments will be as profitable��lthough you can be assured that we will continue to work hard to try to achieve similar results.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.
Top 5 Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Credit Acceptance Corporation(CACC)
Credit Acceptance Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides auto loans, and related products and services to consumers in the United States. Its loan programs include portfolio program, which advances money to dealer-partners in exchange for the right to service the underlying consumer loans; and purchase program that buys the consumer loans from the dealer-partners and keeps amounts collected from the consumers. The company markets its products through a network of approximately 55,000 independent and franchised automobile dealers. Credit Acceptance Corporation was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Moroney]
Credit Acceptance (CACC) provides financing for auto purchases through a national network of nearly 4,500 car dealers. Its programs help dealers sell cars by attracting credit-challenged consumers unable to get conventional loans.
No comments:
Post a Comment