Natural gas prices in New York City rose by nearly $60 per million BTUs on Monday as a record cold snap has driven demand for the heating fuel in the northeastern U.S. to an expected 5-year high of 38.3 billion cubic feet for Tuesday. Demand reached 26.9 billion cubic feet on Monday according to Platts. One million cubic feet is roughly equal to 1 billion BTUs.
At the Henry Hub pricing point in Louisiana, natural gas for February delivery was down slightly today at $4.30 per million BTUs.
Cold weather is expected to continue over much of the U.S. for the next several days, with wind chills into the -40 degree range in areas around the Great Lakes. Washington, D.C., is expecting a high of 20 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, while New York can look forward to a high of 14 degrees.
The spike in natural gas prices will hit consumers with hefty bills which likely will put a damper on their discretionary spending for the next month or so — or longer if the bitter weather returns. The impact of the cold weather on the recovering U.S. economy is more than negligible, even though it is pretty tough to quantify.
10 Best Restaurant Stocks To Buy Right Now: BlackRock Muniyield Michigan Quality Fund II Inc (MYM)
BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund II, Inc. (the Fund), formerly BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Insured Fund II, Inc., is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund seeks to provide shareholders with as high a level of current income exempt from federal and Michigan income taxes as is consistent with its investment policies and prudent investment management by investing primarily in a portfolio of long-term municipal obligations the interest on which, in the opinion of bond counsel to the issuer, is exempt from federal and Michigan income taxes.
The Fund�� allocation in long-term investments include transportation, hospital, lease revenue, sales tax, education and housing. BlackRock Advisors, LLC is the manager of the Fund.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
But now that markets have had time to react, a number of different opinions are surfacing about how important Detroit's bankruptcy is:
Investment manager BlackRock said early this week that its analysts "anticipate the impact of the event will be much smaller than its size might indicate," calling Detroit "an idiosyncratic situation" and saying that therefore its analysts "do not anticipate a widespread systemic effect." UBS noted that "precedents that do exist would appear to favor holders of [general-obligation municipal] bonds backed by an unlimited property tax" in its argument that the bankruptcy shouldn't create big problems, also noting that muni-bond insurance companies cover almost 90% of Detroit's debt. Citigroup notes that "the magnitude of Detroit's economic and financial problems dwarfs those of any other large local government in the U.S. by a wide amount" in arguing that muni-bond yields aren't likely to rise too far. Taking the other side of the argument, muni-bond specialist Nuveen Asset Management believes that "municipal investors should now view all Michigan general-obligation bonds as having no greater standing than any other form of municipal obligations," reversing the general understanding that general-obligation bonds backed by broad powers to tax are inherently more secure than bonds with more limited sources of revenue backing them. Indeed, Michigan-specific muni-bond funds took much more serious hits over the week than the broad muni-bond market, with BlackRock MuniYield Michigan (NYSE: MYM ) falling almost 5% since last Thursday and Nuveen Michigan Quality Income (NYSE: NUM ) posting about a 4% loss. Analyst Meredith Whitney went a step further, predicting a wave of municipal bankruptcies resulting from Detroit's action. Yet after having cried wolf in late 2010 and having proven to be wrong in her expected 12-month timeline for massive defaults, Whitney has had her credibility questioned by many ex
Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2014: Powershares Water Resource Portfolio (PHO)
PowerShares Water Resources Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Palisades Water Index (the Index). The Palisades Water Index includes water companies drawn from sectors, which include water utilities, treatment, analytical and monitoring, infrastructure and distribution, water resource management, and conglomerate water companies. The Index includes companies that focus on the provision of potable water, the treatment of water and the technology and services that are directly related to water consumption. The Palisades Water Index was created by Hydrogen Ventures, LLC.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in American depositary receipts (ADRs) and common stocks of companies in the water industry. For purposes of this 80% policy, a company will be considered to be in the water industry if at least 50% of its revenues come from water-related activities. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in ADRs and common stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Index. The Fund generally will invest in the stocks comprising the Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]
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 10 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2014: MedeFile International Inc (MDFI)
Medefile International, Inc.(Medefile), incorporated on July 16, 1997, through its MedeFile, Inc. subsidiary, has developed a patient-centric, Internet-enabled Personal Health Record (iPHR) system for gathering, digitizing, maintaining, accessing and sharing an individual's actual medical records. MedeFile's products and services are designed to provide healthcare providers with the ability to reference their patient's actual past medical records.
MedeFile iPHR
MedeFile is a Business-to-Business and a Business-to-Consumer subscription service. MedeFile is designed to create a cradle to grave longitudinal record for each of its members by retrieving and consolidating copies of their medical records. When the records are received, the MedeFile system consolidates them into a single medically correct format. The records are then stored in Medefile's MedeVault, a secure repository that can be accessed by MedeFile members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
MedeFile's Emergency Medical Information (EMI) Card
Upon becoming a MedeFile member, each individual will receive a Membership / Emergency Medical Information (EMI) Card. It contains instructions on how to contact MedeFile in order to retrieve the member's medical records.
The Digital Health Profile (DHP)
A part of a member's MedeFile is their Digital Health Profile (DHP). This form is completed by the patient in order to provide a summary of the patient's healthcare history which assists healthcare providers in understanding the patient's course of medical treatment.
MedeDrive
The MedeDrive is an external universal serial bus (USB) drive, which stores all of a patient's Emergency Medical Information and their MedeFile which can be viewed on a personal computer. MedeDrive self loads its own viewer, so no special program or software is required.
MedeVault
The MedeVault is designed to serve as an electronic data and document repo! sitory that incorporates state-of-the-art security features in order to prevent unauthorized access to a patient's records. Access to the MedeVault is provided through an encrypted connection to a Web service run by MedeFile. This connection is provided by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.
MedeMinder
MedeMinder is MedeFile's reminder service. The member tells the Company when and where to call, and the Company automatically contacts the member day or night with an appropriate reminder, spoken by real people.
MedePro
During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company introduced MedePro. MedePro is a medical record retrieval and document management solution created specifically by MedeFile for legal and insurance professionals.
SecurMed
SecurMed is designed to serve as an authentication process. SecurMed protects against any information being viewed by unauthorized persons.
The Company competes with GE Healthcare, Bio-Imaging Technologies, and Cyber Records.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap healthcare and lifestyle stocks Axxess Pharma Inc (OTCMKTS: AXXE), Medefile International Inc (OTCMKTS: MDFI) and Intelligent Living Inc (OTCMKTS: ILIV) have all been getting some extra attention lately thanks in part to a few disclosed paid promotions or investor relations type of activities. But just how healthy are these small cap stocks for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:
Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2014: XenoPort Inc.(XNPT)
XenoPort, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing internally discovered product candidates that utilize the body?s natural nutrient transport mechanisms to enhance the therapeutic benefits of drugs. The company licenses its lead product candidate Gabapentin Enacarbil, a transported prodrug of gabapentin, to Astellas Pharma Inc. in Japan and five Asian countries, as well as to Glaxo Group Limited in the United States. Astellas Pharma Inc. filed new drug application for the approval of Gabapentin Enacarbil as a treatment for restless legs syndrome in Japan. The company also develops Arbaclofen Placarbil, which completed a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury. In addition, it develops Arbaclofen Placarbil for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Further, the company develops XP21279, which is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinson?s disease; and XP2382 9, a novel prodrug of methylhydrogenfumarate that is in preclinical stage. It has strategic alliances with Astellas Pharma, Inc. and Glaxo Group Limited. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Santa Clara, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Shareholders of XenoPort (NASDAQ: XNPT ) are also glad for the long weekend after their stock tumbled this week following disappointing late-stage results for Arbaclofen Placarbil, or AP. Aimed at treating spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis, AP was unsuccessful in delivering a statistically significant benefit compared to the placebo. XenoPort's management noted that the company plans to cease development of AP and instead focus on the commercial development of recently approved restless leg syndrome drug Horizant, and its remaining clinical pipeline.
- [By Max Macaluso, Ph.D.]
Treatments for RLS
While a better understanding of RLS and its long-term impact on health are needed, there are FDA-approved drugs available to treat the symptoms of this disorder. GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) brought a RLS drug, Requip, to market eight years ago, and the drug was also approved for Parkinson's disease. Total sales of the medication have been falling in recent years due to generic competition and reached only 164 million pounds ($257.5 million) in 2012. Until recently, GSK also had a second RLS drug called Horizant in collaboration with biotech company XenoPort (NASDAQ: XNPT ) . GSK recently handed the rights to the drug back to XenoPort after sales failed to meet its expectations, and the biotech is now commercializing the drug alone.
Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2014: Atlantic Power Corp (AT)
Atlantic Power Corporation (Atlantic Power) owns and operates a fleet of power generation and infrastructure assets in the United States and Canada. The Company�� power generation projects sell electricity to utilities and industrial customers under long-term power purchase agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its power generation projects in operation had an aggregate gross electric generation capacity of approximately 3,397 megawatts in which its ownership interest was approximately 2,140 megawatts. The Company operates in five segments: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and Un-allocated Corporate. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio consisted of interests in 31 operational power generation projects across 11 states in the United States and two provinces in Canada, and a 53 megawatts biomass project under construction in Georgia and a 500-kilovolt 84-mile electric transmission line. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired Ridgeline Energy Holdings, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Justin Loiseau]
It's not all good
If you need proof that the previous stocks' gains are more than a sectorwide soar, look no further than Atlantic Power (NYSE: AT ) . The utility's shares are down 66% in the past year, with the biggest dip coming after a double-whammy dividend haircut and dismal quarter. The company officially transitioned to its new 66% reduced dividend this week, bringing its current yield to 9%. Although this certainly seems high, it speaks more to the utility's slumping price than a dividend stock grab. - [By Tyler Crowe]
Not too far behind, though, are Warren Buffet's MidAmerican Energy, part of the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B ) holdings, and Atlantic Power (NYSE: AT ) . MidAmerican generates about 30% of its power via wind and plans to spend another $1.8 billion to increase that share to 40%. And while 804 MW of gross generation capacity on Atlantic's books may not sound that impressive, it still represents 22% of total generation capacity for the company.�
- [By Rich Duprey]
Utility operator�Atlantic Power� (NYSE: AT ) announced today that its monthly June dividend of $0.03333 Canadian per share, will be the same rate it's paid for the past three months after having slashed the payout 65% in February from $0.0958 Canadian per share.
- [By Justin Loiseau]
Atlantic Power (NYSE: AT ) announced today its monthly dividend distribution of Canadian $0.0333 ($0.0320) for July 2013.
The Canada-based utility has operations in the U.S. and Canada, and dropped its dividend distribution 66% in March 2013 to "establish a lower and more sustainable Payout Ratio that balances yield and growth."
Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2014: Tetra Technologies Inc.(TTI)
TETRA Technologies, Inc. operates as a diversified oil and gas services company. The company operates in three divisions: Fluids, Production Enhancement, and Offshore. The Fluids Division manufactures and markets clear brine fluids, additives, and other associated products and services to the oil and gas industry for use in well drilling, completion, and workover operations in the United States, as well as in various countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa; and markets liquid and dry calcium chloride products to non-energy markets. The Production Enhancement division offers production testing services in various oil and gas basins in the United States, as well as in Mexico, Brazil, northern Africa, and the Middle East; and wellhead compression-based production enhancement services in the onshore producing regions of the United States, as well as various onshore basins in Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Offshore division pr ovides offshore services, including downhole and subsea oil and gas services, such as well plugging and abandonment, and wireline services; decommissioning and construction services utilizing heavy lift barges and various technologies for offshore oil and gas production platforms and pipelines; and conventional and saturated air diving services. It also engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas properties in the offshore and onshore U.S. Gulf Coast region. This division provides its services to oil and gas companies and independent operators. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in the Woodlands, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to TETRA Technologies (NYSE: TTI ) .
Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2014: Entegris Inc. (ENTG)
Entegris, Inc. develops, manufactures, and supplies products and materials used in processing and manufacturing in the semiconductor and other high-technology industries worldwide. It operates in three segments: Contamination Control Solutions, Microenvironments, and Specialty Materials. The Contamination Control Solutions segment offers liquid filtration products, components and systems, and gas filtration products that purify, monitor, and deliver critical liquids and gases to the semiconductor manufacturing process and similar manufacturing processes. The Microenvironments segment provides wafer and reticle handling products, wafer shipping products, and data storage products to preserve the integrity of wafers, reticles, and electronic components at various stages of transport, processing, and storage. The Specialty Materials segment offers graphite components used in semiconductor equipment; and low-temperature, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition coatings for c ritical components of semiconductor manufacturing equipment used in various stages of the manufacturing process. The company sells its products primarily through direct sales force, and strategic and independent distributors to integrated circuit device manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), gas and chemical manufacturing companies, and high-precision electronics manufacturers; and electrical discharge machining customers, glass container manufacturers, aerospace manufacturers, and biomedical implantation device manufacturers, as well as flat panel display OEMs, materials suppliers, and end users. Entegris, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Entegris (NASDAQ: ENTG) shares were also up, gaining 2.45 percent to $13.40 after the company lifted its second-quarter outlook.
Equities Trading DOWN
- [By Vanina Egea]
ATMI supplies high performance materials, materials packaging and materials delivery systems for use in the manufacture of microelectronics devices worldwide. ATMI agreed to be acquired by Entegris (ENTG) for $1.15 billion, or $34 per share. The deal will provide a lot more of product offerings. The acquisition is expected to close during the second calendar quarter of 2014.
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