Top Forestry Companies To Watch In Right Now

The average balance in Fidelity Investments’ IRA accounts grew by 53% to $81,100 in the five-year period to the end of the 2012 tax year.

Fidelity’s annual analysis of its approximately 7 million IRA accounts, released Tuesday, also showed that total contributions increased by 7.5% from tax year 2008 to 2012, with the average contribution reaching $3,920 in the last tax year.

“Age-appropriate asset allocation strategies, market appreciation, and annual contributions all played a part in driving balances higher,” Fidelity Investments vice president Ken Hevert said in a statement.

Fidelity said investors in their 60s continued to save the most in their traditional and Roth IRAs. For tax year 2012, they contributed on average $4,910 to Traditional IRAs and $4,840 to Roth IRAs.

As tax law changes were being debated on Capitol Hill in 2012, Roth IRA conversions increased by 12% year over year and by 52% year over year for the month of December.

Top Blue Chip Stocks For 2016: Genpact Limited (G)

Genpact Limited provides business process management and information technology services worldwide. It offers finance and accounting services, including accounts payable services, payment and inquiry management, order to cash services, preparation of financial statements, closing and reporting, cash management, treasury, cash flow analysis, tax return preparation, financial planning and analysis, governance, and internal controls services. The company also provides smart decision services, such analytics and research; business consulting and enterprise risk consulting services comprising internal audit, compliance advisory, regulatory advisory, enterprise, IT, and fraud risk management services; and re-engineering services. In addition, it offers supply chain and procurement services consisting of direct and indirect sourcing and procurement, demand forecasting and management, engineering, inventory optimization and planning, fleet and logistics, and aftermarket services. Further, the company provides enterprise application services comprising enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, financial management and customer relationship management solutions, and securities trading and accounting services, as well as testing, database administration, and architecture services; IT management services, including onsite and remote monitoring, management and support of the IT functions, and IT infrastructures; and collections and customer services in the areas of consumer finance, commercial finance, and mortgage services. It primarily serves banking and insurance, capital markets, consumer goods and retail, life sciences, infrastructure, manufacturing and services, and healthcare industries. Genpact Limited has a strategic partnership with Research Now. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Genpact (NYSE: G) were down 17.82 percent to $14.16 after the company issued a downbeat FY14 revenue forecast.

Top Forestry Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ply Gem Holdings Inc (PGEM)

Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. (Ply Gem Holdings), incorporated on January 23, 2004, is a manufacturer of residential exterior building products in North America. The Company operates in two segments: Siding, Fencing, and Stone and Windows and Doors. These two segments produce a product line of vinyl siding, designer accents, cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim, vinyl fencing, vinyl and composite railing, stone veneer and vinyl windows and doors used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling in the United States and Western Canada. It also manufactures vinyl and aluminum soffit and siding accessories, aluminum trim coil, wood windows, aluminum windows, vinyl and aluminum-clad windows and steel and fiberglass doors, enabling it to bundle complementary and color-matched products and accessories with its core products. The Company�� subsidiaries includes including Ply Gem Industries, MWM Holding, AWC Holding Company, MHE, and Pacific Windows. On July 30, 2012, Ply Gem acquired substantially all of the assets of Greendeck Products, LLC.

Siding, Fencing, and Stone Segment

In the Siding, Fencing, and Stone segment, its principal products include vinyl siding and skirting, vinyl and aluminum soffit, aluminum trim coil, J-channels, wide crown molding, window and door trim, F-channels, H-molds, fascia, undersill trims, outside/inside corner posts, rain removal systems, injection molded designer accents, such as shakes, shingles, scallops, shutters, vents and mounts, vinyl fence, vinyl and composite railing, and stone veneer. It sells its siding and accessories under its Variform, Napco, Mastic Home Exteriors, and Cellwood brand names and under the Georgia-Pacific brand name through a private label program. It also sells its Providence line of vinyl siding and accessories to Lowe�� under its Durabuilt private label brand name. Its vinyl and vinyl-composite fencing and railing products are sold under its Kroy and Kroy Express brand names. Ply Gem Holdings stone veneer produ! cts are sold under its United Stone Veneer brand name.

The Company sells the siding and accessories to specialty distributors (one-step distribution) and to wholesale distributors (two-step distribution). Its specialty distributors sell directly to remodeling contractors and builders. Its wholesale distributors sell to retail home centers and lumberyards who, in turn, sell to remodeling contractors, builders and consumers. In the specialty channel, it has developed a network of approximately 800 independent distributors, serving over 22,000 contractors and builders nationwide.

Windows and Doors Segment

In the Windows and Doors segment, its principal products include vinyl, aluminum, wood and clad-wood windows and patio doors, and steel, wood, and fiberglass entry doors that serve both the new home construction and the repair and remodeling sectors in the United States and Western Canada. Its products in its Windows and Doors segment are sold under the Ply Gem Windows, Great Lakes Mastic by Ply Gem, and Ply Gem Canada brands.

The Company competes with Alsco, Gentek, U.S. Fence, Homeland, Westech, Bufftech, Royal, Azek., Eldorado Stone, Coronado Stone, Jeld-Wen, Simonton, Pella and Andersen, MI Home Products, Atrium, Weathershield, Milgard, Jeld-Wen, Gienow, All Weather and Loewen.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Traders Reserve]

  There hasn�� been a January effect rally in shares of Ply Gem (PGEM). In fact, it has been quite the opposite. Shares are down a whopping 25% during the month. For a stock I rated as on of the Top 10 Sizzling Stocks, such a move is painful, but not disastrous. Sizzling Stocks are meant to be held for the duration of the year and we have 11 months to go. Small-cap stocks like Ply Gem can move sharply one direction or the other.

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  Installed Building Products��debut follows mixed performance from shares of some newly public building-products companies. Through Tuesday, siding manufacturer Ply Gem Holdings Inc.(PGEM)�� shares were down 39% from the offer price in its $381 May debut. Wood-products maker Boise Cascade Co.(BCC) was up 46% from its $284 million February IPO.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Ply Gem Holdings (NYSE: PGEM) shares reached a new 52-week low of $11.48 after the company reported wider-than-expected Q4 loss and issued a weak Q1 revenue forecast.

Top Forestry Companies To Watch In Right Now: Unione di Banche Italiane ScpA (BPD)

Unione di Banche Italiane Scpa is an Italy-based holding company engaged in the governance, control, coordination and support of Unione di Banche Italiane Group. The Company�� activities are divided into three business segments. The Banking sector comprises of nine network banks of the Group, including IW Bank SpA, Banque de Depots et de Gestione SA and UBI International SA. The Non-banking financial sector includes Centrobanca SpA, Ubi Leasing SpA, Ubi Factor SpA, Ubi Pramerica SGR SpA, Banca 24-7 SpA, Silf SpA, Prestitalia SpA, Ubi Fiduciaria SpA and UBI Gestioni Fiduciarie SIM SpA. The Corporate Centre segment comprises UBI Banca Scpa and Ubi Sistemi e Servizi Scpa, among others. The Company is engaged in the corporate banking, consumer credit, asset management, factoring, leasing, life and non-life bancassurance sectors, among others. On May 6, 2013, it completed merger of Centrobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario e Mobiliare SpA into the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  US oil production has risen from 5 million barrels per day (BPD) in 2008 to 7.3 million BPD in the most recent quarter. The US is now the fastest-growing oil producing region in the world.

• [By April Yee]

  In its annual outlook, released this month, Opec said demand for its crude would dip to between 28 million and 29.2 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2018, from 30.3 million bpd today.

Top Forestry Companies To Watch In Right Now: iShares Residential Real Estate Capped ETF (REZ)

iShares FTSE NAREIT Residential Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the FTSE NAREIT Residential Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the residential real estate sector of the United States equity market.

The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. A significant number of the real estate investment trusts (REITs) included in the Index may make direct investments in real estate. These REITs are referred to as equity REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in real property and earn rental income from leasing those properties. The Fund invests in equity REITs that primarily have exposure to residential real estate. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Susan J. Aluise]

  Riding the growth in multifamily homes, NYMT is up 13% this year. Because mREITs use leverage to invest in mortgage debt, they tend to be riskier than property-based REITs –�they’re more vulnerable to interest rate fluctuations. A rising rate environment is anathema to mREITs, and NYMT is no exception …�but I think the growth in the multifamily sector plus the hefty dividend will provide solid rewards for investors willing to stomach a little more risk.

  REIT ETF:�FTSE NAREIT Residential Index Fund�(REZ)

  If you��e looking for exposure to the multifamily rental housing boom, but want to diversify beyond either single housing stocks or REITs, an ETF like FTSE NAREIT Residential Index Fund�(REZ)�might be just what you��e looking for.

Top Forestry Companies To Watch In Right Now: Wisdomtree International Energy Sector Fund (GNAT)

WisdomTree International Energy Sector Fund (The Fund) is a non-diversified fund. It seeks investment results that closely correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree International Energy Sector Index (The Index). The Fund is managed by WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.

The Index is derived from WisdomTree Index of Europe, Far East Asia and Australasia (DEFA) Fund. It measures the performance of dividend-paying companies in developed markets outside of the United States and Canada within the international energy sector. The companies are weighted in the Index based on regular cash dividends paid. The Index includes companies from oil and gas producers, oil and gas services, pipelines, alternative energy sources, and coal industries.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): Market Vectors Gaming ETF (NYSE: BJK), Guggenheim Timber ETF (NYSE: CUT), WisdomTree Global Natural Resources ETF (NYSE: GNAT), iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners (NYSE: RING) and the Global X Social Media Index ETF (NASDAQ: SOCL).

Top Forestry Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ares Capital Corp (ARCC)

Ares Capital Corporation (Ares Capital), incorporated on April 16, 2004, is a specialty finance company, which is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiaries and vehicles managed or sub-managed by its wholly owned portfolio company, Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P. (IHAM). It is externally managed by its investment adviser, Ares Capital Management LLC (Ares Capital Management or its investment adviser), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management LLC (Ares Management), a global alternative asset manager. Ares Operations LLC (Ares Operations or administrator), its administrator, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, provides the administrative services. It invests in United States middle-market companies. It invests in first and second lien senior loans and mezzanine debt, which in some cases includes an equity component. It also makes preferred and/or common equity investments.

The Company�� portfolio company, IHAM, manages 10 unconsolidated credit vehicles and sub-manages or sub-advises four other unconsolidated credit vehicles (these vehicles managed or sub-managed/sub-advised by IHAM). It has also made direct investments in securities of certain of these vehicles. Ares Management�� (Ares) finance activities include the origination, acquisition and management of senior loans, bonds, mezzanine debt and special situation investments. Ares' private equity activities focus on providing flexible, junior capital to middle-market companies.

The Company has an investment portfolio of first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt and equity investments in private middle-market companies. The Company and General Electric Capital Corporation and GE Global Sponsor Finance LLC (GE) co-invest through the Senior Secured Loan Fund LLC, which operates using the name Senior Secured Loan Program. As of December 31, 2011, the Senior Secured Loan Program (SSLP) consisted of a portfolio of loans to 32 different borrowers and th! e portfolio companies in the SSLP are in industries similar to the companies in Ares Capital's portfolio. It also makes preferred and/or common equity investments. It makes senior secured loans in the form of first and/or second lien loans. Its first and second lien loans have terms of three to 10 years. The list of the industries, in which it has invested include aerospace and defense, business services, consumer products, containers and packaging, education, energy, environmental services, financial services, food and beverage, healthcare services, investment funds and vehicles, manufacturing, restaurant and food services, retail, and telecommunications. It has made investments in its portfolio company, IHAM, which manages 10 unconsolidated credit vehicles: Ivy Hill Middle Market Credit Fund, Ltd. (Ivy Hill I), Ivy Hill Middle Market Credit Fund II, Ltd. (Ivy Hill II), Ivy Hill Middle Market Credit Fund III, Ltd. (Ivy Hill III), Ivy Hill Senior Debt Fund, L.P. and related vehicles (Ivy Hill SDF and, together with Ivy Hill I, Ivy Hill II and Ivy Hill III, the Ivy Hill Funds); Knightsbridge CLO 2007-1 Limited, Emporia Preferred Funding I, Ltd., Emporia Preferred Funding II, Ltd. and Emporia Preferred Funding III, Ltd. (collectively, the Emporia Funds), and Ares Private Debt Strategies Fund II, L.P. and Ares Private Debt Strategies Fund III, L.P. (collectively, the PDS Funds). In addition, IHAM serves as the sub-adviser/sub-manager for four others: CoLTS 2005-1 Ltd., CoLTS 2005-2 Ltd. and CoLTS 2007-1 Ltd. (collectively, the CoLTS Funds), and FirstLight Funding I, Ltd. (FirstLight).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ron Rowland]

  The underlying index has 138 constituents, with the largest allocations going to PowerShares Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt (PCY) 10.0%, iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) 9.9%, iShares US Preferred Stock ETF (PFF) 7.0%, Market Vectors High Yield Municipal Index ETF (HYD) 4.9%, Ares Capital (ARCC) 4.2%, and Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP) 4.0%.

• [By salamat_uri]

  For dividend investors, Prospect Capital offers a lot of reasons to get excited. But for those that are interested in the stock and are still looking for broad exposure to the BDC space as a whole, a suitable alternative can be found in the Market Vectors BDC Income ETF (BIZD) which offers well-diversified access to 28 BDCs. Prospect Capital is included in the mix, and other notable examples can be seen in names like Ares Capital (ARCC), which is one of the most stable names in the space. Ares Capital has over $8 billion in reported assets and has directed its attention at a large number of industry segments, with investment exposure in nearly 200 companies.

• [By Roger Nusbaum]

  ETRACS reports the yield of the underlying index to be 7.71%, which after accounting for the 0.84% "annual tracking rate" could put the fund's yield at 6.87%. DVHI will pay monthly, but the rate paid could vary. It is important to remember that with all exchange-traded products, any future yield could be more or less than what is now indicated. The individual holdings in DVHI are a combination of individual issues and exchange-traded funds. Two of the segments owned by the fund are captured with just one ETF. The PowerShares Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt Portfolio (PCY) is the sole holding for emerging-market debt. For high-yield debt, DVHI goes with iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG). The two largest individual holdings in the fund are Ares Capital (ARCC), a business development company, and Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), an MLP. The composition of the fund should make it clear that the two priorities under the hood are diversification and yield. That should appeal to many investors. The fund, however, is exposed to a lot of interest rate risk. Earlier this week, markets were granted a reprieve when the Federal Reserve's Open Markets Committee announced that it wouldn't begin to reduce its bond-buying program. [Read: 5 Safest Cities in America] In late May, the committee indicated that it could reduce purchases later in the year, and as the story developed, markets participants came to believe that September was the month that a change in policy would be announced. So we know that purchases will continue as is for now, and we also know that at some point, the Fed will reduce its monthly purchases. What we don't know is when.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Next Tuesday, Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed, knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.