Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now

I don't know about you, but when I think of insurance I want to stop before I even start; it's kind of a depressing topic.

Pick your category��casualty, health, home, life, pet, vehicle. Aside from the routine checkup, using insurance usually means something bad happened. Owning gold as a form of protection for paper money is a similar story...like insurance, pray you never have to use it.

Rule #1
Spread your purchases out over a lifetime, whenever you stop buying car insurance, stop buying gold. As a rule of thumb, keep the weighting/allocation of gold pegged to at least 5% of your overall net worth (it can be more but not less).

Coins and bars can be purchased from local dealers or directly from the US Mint. Junk silver coins (pre -964) are the next best option if you like the idea of touching your investment but can't locate or afford Au.

Rule #2
Don't buy "collector" coins, unless you want to start a new hobby.

For purposes of insuring/protecting your paper money, the goal is to pay as close to the spot price as possible. Dealers charge premiums of 3-5% above spot, Coinflation.com posts daily updates of melt value. When you plan ahead, there is no need to overpay.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Esterline Technologies Corp (ESL)

Esterline Technologies Corporation (Esterline) is a manufacturing company serving aerospace and defense customers. The Company designs, manufactures and markets engineered products and systems. It operates in three segments: Avionics & Controls, Sensors & Systems, and Advanced Materials, including thermally engineered components and specialized elastomers and other complex materials, for aerospace and defense markets. Its products are mission-critical equipment, which have been designed into particular military and commercial platforms. It has divested non-core businesses operating as Pressure Systems, Inc., Muirhead Aerospace and Traxsys Input Products Limited. In July 2011, the Company acquired Souriau Group. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed acquisition of Joslyn Sunbank Company, LLC, a unit of Meggitt PLC.

Avionics & Controls

The Company�� Avionics & Controls business segment includes avionics systems, control systems, interface technologies and communication systems capabilities. Avionics systems designs and develops cockpit systems integration and avionics subsystems for commercial and military applications. Control systems designs and manufactures technology interface systems for military and commercial aircraft and land- and sea-based military vehicles. Interface technologies manufactures and develops custom control panels and input systems for medical, industrial, military and casino gaming industries. Communication systems designs and manufactures military audio and data products for severe battlefield environments. In addition, communication systems designs and manufactures secure voice and data switching systems for military airborne, ground-based, and shipboard applications. It is engaged in positioning systems (GPS), head-up displays, enhanced vision systems, and electronic flight management systems that are used in a range of control and display applications. In addition, it develops, manufactures and markets technology interface ! systems for commercial and military aircraft. These products include lighted push-button and rotary switches, keyboards, lighted indicators, panels and displays. Its products have been integrated into aircraft designs, including Boeing commercial aircraft platform in production. It manufactures control sticks, grips and wheels, as well as specialized switching systems. In this area, it serves commercial and military aviation, and airborne and ground-based military equipment manufacturing customers.

The Company�� products are incorporated in a range of platforms ranging from military helicopters, fighters and transports, to commercial wide- and narrow-body, regional and business jets. During fiscal year ended October 29, 2010 (fiscal 2010), its customers for these products included BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Canadian Commercial Corp., Hawker Beechcraft, Honeywell, Hamilton Sunstrand, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, and Sikorsky. It is also a supplier in custom input integration with a range of keyboard, switch and input technologies for specialized medical equipment, communications systems and comparable equipment for military applications. These products include custom keyboards, keypads, and input devices that integrate cursor control devices, bar-code scanners, displays, video, and voice activation. It also produces instruments that are used for point-of-use and point-of-care in vivo diagnostics. It has developed a range of technologies, including plastic and vinyl membranes that protect high-use switches and fully depressible buttons, and backlit elastomer switch coverings that are resistant to exposure from harsh chemicals. During fiscal 2010, its customers for these products included Alere, Dictaphone, DRS Tactical Systems, General Electric, IDEXX Laboratories, Jabil Circuit, Philips, Roche, Siemens, and WMS.

The Company designs and manufactures military personal communication equipment, primarily headsets. It is a sole supplier of active noise reduction (ANR)! headsets! to the British Army�� tracked and wheeled vehicle fleets under the Bowman communication system program. In the United States, it supplies ANR headsets to the U.S. Army�� tracked and wheeled vehicle fleets under the vehicle intercom system (VIS) and VIS-X programs comprising over 200,000 vehicles, and it is supplier to the United States Marine Corps for their M-ATV fleet. It is ANR headset supplier to the Canadian Army. During fiscal 2010, its customers for these products included Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Simex Defense, Sanmina-SCI, and the British Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The Company competes with Astronautics, BAE, Bose, ELBIT, EMS, Eaton, GE Aerospace, Honeywell, IAI, L-3, Otto Controls, RAFI, Rockwell Collins, SELEX, Telephonics, Thales, Ultra Electronics, Universal Avionics Systems Corporation and Zodiac.

Sensors & Systems

The Company�� Sensors & Systems business segment includes power systems and advanced sensors capabilities. It develops and manufactures temperature, pressure and speed sensors, electrical power switching, control and data communication devices, and other related systems for aerospace and defense customers. It is a supplier of temperature probes for use on all versions of the General Electric/Snecma CFM-56 jet engine. The customers for its products in this business segment are jet engine manufacturers and airframe manufacturers. During fiscal 2010, some of its customers for these products included The Boeing Company, Bombardier, Dassault, Eurocopter, Flame, General Electric, Honeywell, Rolls Royce, and SAFRAN.

The Company competes with Ametek, Eaton, Goodrich, Hamilton Sundstrand, MPC Products, Meggitt, STPI-Deutsch, Tyco and Zodiac.

Advanced Materials

The Company�� Advanced Materials business segment includes engineered materials and defense technologies capabilities. It develops and manufactures elastomer products used in a range of commercial aerospace, space, and military appl! ications,! and engineered thermal components for commercial aerospace and industrial applications. It also develops and manufactures combustible ordnance and countermeasures for military applications. It specializes in the development of formulations for silicone rubber and other elastomer products. Its elastomer products are engineered to address specific customer requirements where high temperature, high pressure, caustic, abrasive and other difficult eis critical. These products include clamping devices, thermal fire barrier insulation products, sealing systems, tubing and coverings designed in custom-molded shapes. It is a the United States supplier of performance elastomer products to the aerospace industry, with its customers for these products being jet and rocket engine manufacturers, commercial and military airframe manufacturers, as well as commercial airlines. During fiscal 2010, its customers included Alliant Techsystems, The Boeing Company, Honeywell, KAPCO, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Pattonair. It also develops and manufactures lightweight metallic insulation systems for aerospace and marine applications. Its commercial aerospace programs include the 737, A320, and A380 series aircraft and the V2500 and BR710 engines. Its insulation material is used on diesel engine manifolds for earthmoving and agricultural applications. In addition, it specializes in the development of thermal protection for fire, nuclear, and petro-chemical industries. It designs and manufactures temperature components for industrial and marine markets. Its manufacturing processes consist of cutting, pressing, and welding stainless steel, Inconel and titanium fabrications. During fiscal 2010, its customers of these products included Airbus, The Boeing Company, Goodrich, GKN Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Pattonair, Rolls Royce, Short Brothers, Spirit AeroSystems, and Volvo.

The Company develops and manufactures combustible ordnance and warfare countermeasure devices for military customers. It manufactures ! molded fi! ber cartridge cases, mortar increments, igniter tubes and other combustible ordnance components for the United States Department of Defense. It also monitors safety metrics to ensure compliance. It is a supplier of combustible casings utilized by the United States Armed Forces. These products include the combustible case for the United States Army�� new generation 155 millimeters Modular Artillery Charge System, the 120 millimeters combustible case used with the main armament system on the United States Army and Marine Corps��M1-A1/2 tanks, and the 60 millimeters, 81 millimeters and 120 millimeters combustible mortar increments. It is a supplier of United States Army of infrared decoy flares used by aircraft to help protect against radar and infrared guided missiles. In addition it is a supplier of infrared decoy flares to the MoD and other international defense agencies.

The Company competes with Chemring, Doncasters, Hitemp, J&M, JPR Hutchinson, Kmass, Dunlop Standard Aerospace Group, Rheinmetall, Trelleborg, ULVA and UMPCO.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Since the initial drop, shares of United Tech have bounced back a bit. They’re down 0.8% at $106.93 at 12:03 p.m. That drop puts it out of step with other industrial stocks, which have been stronger today. General Electric (GE), for instance, has gained 1.1% to $24.16, Honeywell International (HON) has ticked up 0.2% to $83.19, Esterline (ESL) has risen 0.7% to $80.45 and Northrop Grumman (NOC) is up 0.6% at $95.87.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: NMI Holdings Inc (NMIHZ)

NMI Holdings, Inc. (NMIH), incorporated on May 19, 2011, is a development-stage company. The Company through its subsidiaries provides private mortgage insurance in the United States. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiaries include National Mortgage Insurance Corporation and National Mortgage Reinsurance Inc One.

On April 24, 2012, NMI Holdings, Inc. (NMI) closed an agreement with MAC Financial Ltd. to acquire MAC Financial Holdings Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries. On September 30, 2013, the Company merged MAC Financial Holding Corporation into NMIH, with NMIH surviving the merger, and it merged NMRI Two into NMIC, with NMIC surviving the merger.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zachary Tracer]

  NMI Holdings Inc. (NMIHZ), a mortgage insurer backed by funds tied to Carlyle Group LP (CG) and Kyle Bass, filed to sell shares in an initial public offering as investors bet on a housing-market rebound.

Hot Stocks To Buy For 2014: Impax Laboratories Inc.(IPXL)

Impax Laboratories, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of bioequivalent pharmaceutical products. The company operates in two divisions, Global Pharmaceuticals and Impax Pharmaceuticals. The Global Pharmaceuticals division develops, manufactures, sells, and distributes generic pharmaceutical products. It provides its generic pharmaceutical prescription products directly to wholesalers and retail drug chains; and generic pharmaceutical over-the-counter and prescription products through unrelated third-party pharmaceutical entities. The Impax Pharmaceutical division develops proprietary brand pharmaceutical products that address central nervous system disorders, including Alzheimer?s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, epilepsy, migraines, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson?s disease, and schizophrenia, as well as promotes third-party branded pharmaceutical products. As of May 2, 2011, the com pany marketed 101 generic pharmaceuticals, which represent dosage variations of 29 different pharmaceutical compounds; and another 16 of its generic pharmaceuticals representing dosage variations of 4 different pharmaceutical compounds. It markets and sells its generic pharmaceutical prescription drug products in the continental United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The company has a strategic alliance agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals Curacao N.V. Impax Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Hayward, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Macaluso, Ph.D.]

  RLS hasn't been a high-priority target for the pharma industry given the lackluster sales of Requip and Horizant, a third competitor of�UCB's Neupro, and a number of generic alternatives. Impax Laboratories (NASDAQ: IPXL  ) was one of the few developing a new therapy, called IPX159, but Impax put the kibosh on the drug after it failed to meet its primary endpoint in a phase 2b study. According to its latest quarterly report, Impax has no other RLS drugs in development and seems to be focusing on getting its rejected Parkinson's disease drug Rytary back to the FDA for a second chance at approval.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Impax Laboratories (NASDAQ: IPXL  ) �will soon hand out a raft of pink slips. As part of a move to slice costs, the company has announced a reduction in its headcount by roughly 110 employees. Most of these cuts will be effected at its manufacturing facility in Hayward, Calif.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Impax Laboratories (NASDAQ: IPXL  ) could be watching more closely than Sanofi. The two companies reached a deal last year that allows Impax to begin marketing a generic version of Renvela in 2014. If approved, Zerenex could take away some of the profits that Impax expected to gain.�

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index Fund (EWW)

iShares MSCI Mexico Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Mexican market, as measured by the MSCI Mexico Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Mexican equity market. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Component companies are adjusted for available float and must meet objective criteria for inclusion in the Index. The Index is reviewed quarterly.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Powell]

  Jim Powell: I like the exchange-traded funds. I really think the iShares Mexico Fund (EWW)—EWW is a way for most Americans to go. If you have specialized knowledge of Mexico, and you know companies that you wish to invest in, you certainly can. There are plenty of them, but I recommend a fund.

• [By Daniel Cross]

  A broad-based investment into the Mexican economy either through the iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index (NYSE: EWW) or the Mexico Fund (NYSE: MXF) -- a favorite of StreetAuthority analyst Amy Calistri -- are good ways to establish a position. These funds not only have exposure to the manufacturing sector, but also to energy, health care and media -- sectors that are benefiting from political reforms and a growing Mexican middle class. The Mexico Fund has a powerful incentive for investors as well in the form of a hefty 10% dividend.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated(COKE)

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and distribution of nonalcoholic beverages, primarily products of The Coca-Cola Company. The company offers sparkling beverages, such as energy drinks; and still beverages, including bottled water, tea, ready-to-drink coffee, enhanced water, juices, and sports drinks. It holds cola beverage agreements and allied beverage agreements, under which it produces, distributes, and markets sparkling beverage products of The Coca-Cola Company in certain regions. The company also distributes and markets still beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, such as POWERade, vitaminwater, and Minute Maid Juices To Go, as well as produces, distributes, and markets Dasani water products under still beverage agreements. In addition, it holds agreements to produce and market Dr Pepper. Further, the company distributes and markets various other products, including Monster energy productsand Sund rop, as well as its own products, such as Country Breeze tea, diet Country Breeze tea, and Tum-E Yummies, a vitamin C enhanced flavored drink, Bean & Body, and Simmer and Bazza energy tea. Additionally, it produces beverages for other Coca-Cola bottlers; and provides restaurants and other immediate consumption outlets with fountain products. The company sells and distributes its products directly to retail stores and other outlets, including food markets, institutional accounts, and vending machine outlets. It operates in North Carolina, South Carolina, south Alabama, South Georgia, middle Tennessee, western Virginia, and West Virginia. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Dzombak]

  In the U.S., Coke announced that it will sell some of its internal bottling operations to its five U.S. independent bottlers: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (NASDAQ: COKE  ) , Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Swire Coca-Cola USA, Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country and Corinth Coca-Cola Bottling Works. No details were released, but the company did say it expects to close the deals in 2014.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: China Life Insurance Company Limited(LFC)

China Life Insurance Company Limited provides life, annuities, accident, and health insurance products in China. Its individual life insurance and annuity products consist of whole life and term life insurance, endowment insurance, and annuities. The company also engages in the writing of life insurance business. In addition, it offers group life insurance products, including group annuity products, and group whole life and term life insurance products to enterprises and institutions, as well as universal life products. Further, the company provides short-term insurance products comprising short-term accident insurance and short-term health insurance products; accident insurance products, such as individual accident insurance and group accident insurance; and health insurance products, including defined health benefit plans, medical expense reimbursement plans, and disease specific plans. It distributes its products through its direct sales representatives and exclusive ag ents, as well as through intermediaries comprising insurance agencies and insurance brokerage companies, non-dedicated agencies, bancassurance arrangements, travel agencies, and hotels and airline sales counters. The company was founded in 1949 and is based in Beijing, China. China Life Insurance Company Limited is a subsidiary of China Life Insurance (Group) Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Inman]

  China Life Insurance Co. (HK:2628) � (LFC) �rose 2.7% after China�� largest life insurer by premiums reported that it had made a 7.5 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) profit in the third quarter, reversing a 2.2 billion yuan loss in the same period last year.

• [By Vanin Aegea]

  I have heard many people comment about the insurance policies for cars, houses, life, assets, etc. The arguments always revolve around the same issue: Is it really necessary? What are the chances to be hit by a Hurricane, or to meet a sudden death? Well, nobody really knows. Some individuals however, sleep better when they know a policy backs their life investments. Here, I will look into three insurance companies that concentrate on different policies, or geographies. These are: China Life (LFC), and Conseco (CNO).

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Chinese stocks advanced early Monday, with strong gains for insurers helping support the market. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) improved by 0.5% to 22,816.23, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index up 0.9%, while the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) added 0.3%. China Life Insurance Co. (HK:2628) (LFC) added 2.5% in Hong Kong and 1.6% in Shanghai after swinging to a quarterly profit, while strong earnings for rival Ping An Insurance Group Co. (HK:2318) (PNGAY) (CN:601318) sent its shares up 2.2% in Hong Kong and 1.7% in Shanghai. Among other Hong Kong-listed financials, China Construction Bank Corp. (HK:939) (CICHF) (CN:601939) rose 1.1% despite posting earnings that trailed average expectations, while China Merchants Bank Co. (HK:3968) (CIHHF) (CN:600036) climbed 1.3% ahead of its own quarterly report due later in the day. Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co. (HK:1157) (ZLIOF) shot 7.8% higher after a Chinese journalist admitted to taking bribes to write reports damaging to the company. News reports had accused the major contruction-machinery firm of acc

• [By Jim Jubak]

  That 40% gain in net income is likely to be among the lower increases reported by China�� insurance companies in the next few weeks. The average growth in net income among insurers expected by analysts is 92%. I think that makes it worthwhile holding the best of these insurers��uch as Ping An and China Life (LFC), a member of my Jubak�� Picks portfolio, for these earnings reports, even though the systemic stress��nd thus risk��n China�� financial system is rising.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Volkswagen AG (VLKAF.PK)

Volkswagen AG is a Germany-based automobile manufacturer. The Company develops vehicles and components, and also produces and sells vehicles, in particular Volkswagen brand passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The Company consists of two divisions: Automotive and Financial Services division. The Automotive division is responsible for the development of vehicles and engines, the production and sale of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses, and the genuine parts business. The Financial services division's portfolio of services includes dealer and customer services in the field of financing, leasing, direct bank, insurance and fleet business. The Company's brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, Skoda, Scania and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and each brand offers a product range from low-consumption small cars to luxury class vehicles, as well as pick ups, busses and heavy trucks in the commercial vehicle sector. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Yasir Idrees]

  Nokia has already taken its Here platform to the next level after it announced the Here Connected Driving service. The Here rebranding strategy of extending Nokia's location services has helped the company reach deals with companies like BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen (VLKAF.PK) and Connected Driving is what takes this to the next level.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Education Realty Trust Inc. (EDR)

Education Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), develops, acquires, owns, and manages student housing communities located near university campuses in the United States. It also provides third-party management services, including residence life and student development, marketing, leasing administration, strategic relationships, information systems, and accounting services for student housing communities owned by educational institutions and charitable foundations. In addition, the company offers third-party development consulting services, such as market analysis and evaluation of housing needs and options; co-operation with university in architectural design; negotiation of ground lease, development agreement, construction contract, architectural contract, and bond documents; oversight of architectural design process; co-ordination of governmental and university plan approvals; oversight of construction process; design, purchase, and installation of fu rniture; pre-opening marketing to students; and obtaining final approvals of construction. It provides its third-party development consulting services primarily to universities seeking to modernize their on-campus student housing communities, as well as to other third-party investors. As of December 31, 2009, the company owned 40 student housing communities located in 19 states containing 25,454 beds in 7,813 apartment units located near 35 universities. It also provided third-party management services for 20 student housing communities located in 9 states containing 10,186 beds in 3,272 apartment units at 16 universities. The company qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal corporate income tax if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1964 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Education Realty Trust (EDR)
  
  Over the past week two insiders made some buys. Both the CEO as well as the company�� CFO made these buys.

  Executive VP, CFO and Treasurer Randall Brown bought 5,500 shares at $9.04 per share. This cost him a total of $49,720. The price per share has increased 1.44% since then. Brown now holds on to 99,346 shares of company stock.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Sky Deutschland AG (SKYD)

Sky Deutschland AG is a Germany-based holding company, which operates a subscription television network in Germany and Austria. The Company manages television brands, including Sky Welt and Sky Welt Extra, as well as offers packages Film, Sport, Fussball Bundesliga (Germany football league), and HD (High Definition television), as well as pay-per-view service Sky Select and Sky Go. Furthermore, the Company offers Sky Hotel & Bars service, which provides the Company's services in public houses and bars. The Company offers approximately 70 television channels of various genres. Sky Select package enables watching selected movies at the specific time. Sky Go offers content on mobile devices, Internet and simultaneously on different television sets. The Company is also engaged in the purchase, sale and distribution of rights to film, series and television productions, the acquisition, sale and distribution of broadcasting rights for public events, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Sky Deutschland AG (SKYD) surged 5 percent to 7.55 euros, the highest price since September 2008. The pay-television said third-quarter ebitda climbed 19 percent to 29.2 million euros. Revenue jumped 19 percent from a year earlier to 392.7 million, topping analysts��estimates.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Sigma Designs Inc.(SIGM)

Sigma Designs, Inc. provides integrated system-on-chip solutions (SoC) for the Internet protocol television (IPTV), media processor, connected home and media player, prosumer and industrial audio/video, high definition television, and PC-based add-in markets. The company offers semiconductors with a suite of real-time software that enables synchronous processing of video, audio, and graphics streams for various applications. Its media processor product line represents a family of SoC solutions that are a component of multiple consumer applications, which process digital video and audio content comprising IPTV, connected media players, and portable media players. The company?s home networking product line consists of wired networking solutions based on HomePNA, HomePlug AV, and G.hn standards, as well as wireless connectivity solutions based on Ultra-wideband technology. Its standards are used for transferring Internet protocol content across coaxial cables, phone lines, a nd power lines to enable service providers to deliver IPTV solutions and other media-rich applications. The company?s video image processor product line comprises of semiconductors that provide video output for professional and prosumer applications. Its home control and energy management automation product line includes wireless transceiver devices along with a mesh networking protocol. The company offers its home connectivity products under the CopperGate; wireless connectivity solutions under the CoAir; video image processors under the VXP; and wireless transceiver devices under the Z-Wave brands. It also provides software elements, such as multimedia library, security management software, and porting adaptations. In addition, the company offers PC-based solutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, manufacturer representatives, and independent distributors primarily in Asia, Europe, and North America. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered i n Milpitas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  We have recently added small cap video chip stock Pixelworks, Inc (NASDAQ: PXLW) to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO)�as it stands to benefit from the growth in connecting HD quality video across all mobile device platforms, as well as Smart TVs; but Silicon Image, Inc (NASDAQ: SIMG) and Sigma Designs, Inc (NASDAQ: SIGM) are also providing chips for the video or entertainment markets. Moreover, all three of these small cap stocks have recently reported earnings that might leave you feeling even more bullish.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One technology player that insiders are loading up on here is Sigma Designs (SIGM), which provides integrated chipset solutions that serve as the foundation for consumer products including televisions, set-top boxes and video networking products. Insiders are buying this stock into decent weakness, since shares are down by 13.9% in the last three months.

  Sigma Designs has a market cap of $165 million and an enterprise value of $98 million. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a forward price-to-earnings of 29.88. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 114.2%, and for next year it's pegged at -5.9%. This is a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $61.74 million and its total debt is zero.

  The CEO just bought 454,546 shares, or $2.5 million worth of stock, at $5.50 per share.

  From a technical perspective, SIGM is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is a bearish sign. This stock recently gapped down from $5.50 to below $4.40 a share with heavy downside volume. Following that move, shares of SIGM went on to hit a new low of $4.04 a share. That said, this stock has started to rebound off that $4.04 low and it's now moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  If you're bullish on SIGM, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some near-term support at $4.48 or above its recent low of $4.04, and then once breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance at $4.85 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 299,402 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SIGM will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone that started at $5.500 a share. This stock could even tag $5.75 to $6.20 a share if that gap gets filled with strong upside volume flows.

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  In earnings news today, a few companies are reporting after the closing bell, including H & R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), which is up about 1%. Pike Electric Corp. (NYES: PIKE), Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), and Sigma Designs Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM) are also reporting quarterly earnings late this afternoon.

• [By GuruFocus]

  According to GuruFocus Insider Data, these are the largest CEO buys during the past week. The overall trend of CEOs is illustrated in the chart below:

  Sigma Designs, Inc. (SIGM): President & CEO Thinh Q Tran Bought 454,546 Shares

  President & CEO of Sigma Designs, Inc. (SIGM) Thinh Q Tran bought 454,546 shares on 12/20/2013 at an average price of $4.65. Sigma Designs, Inc., a California corporation was incorporated in January 1982. Sigma Designs, Inc. has a market cap of $160.902 million; its shares were traded at around $4.65 with and P/S ratio of 0.77.