Negative news hurled at Linn Energy (LINE) fueled a massive sell-off on the trading floor. Consequently, shares plummeted towards the 52-week low on May 6 at $34.26 during intraday trading, losing 7% in one day. Ironically on the same day, the company released the second dividend payout for this year at $0.725 per share.

Linn Energy religiously pays out dividends to its shareholders year-on-year since 2006. However, its financials are getting weaker, leading to growing concerns among many investors. The negative news further adds up to the financial issues, causing some shareholders to sell their position at losing price. However, I think the recent plunge of Linn Energy opens an excellent opportunity for traders to secure a good investment position for the long haul.

Linn's Latest Financials

For the first quarter of 2013, Linn highlighted growth in oil production output and EBITDA. But all positive highlights were

After releasing a relatively strong 1st quarter financials, AbbVie (ABBV) adjusted its EPS guidance to $3.03 - $3.13. Its original GAAP EPS guidance was within a range of $2.66 - $2.76. The increase came after the company saw 16% growth in global sales from its flagship product Humira. The U.S. sales of Humira increased by 23.7% in the last quarter. Global sales of AbbVie also saw an increase by 3.7% to $4.329 billion for the first quarter.

At present, AbbVie has 11 products on the market. Humira, its sole blockbuster product, comprised about 51.8% of the company's total sales in the 1st quarter. Humira garnered $2.244 billion in sales, up 16% versus the prior year 1st quarter sales of $1.934 billion. About $956 million came from the U.S. market, while the remaining $1.288 billion came from the international market.

Other products of AbbVie with 6-figure sales are Synagis

By Cagdas Ozcan

Vale S.A. (VALE) is one of the largest producers of iron ore in the market. Founded in 1942, Vale has more than 85,300 employees around the world. Besides producing iron and nickel, the company extracts several elements such as manganese, ferroalloy, copper, bauxite, potash, kaolin, alumina and aluminum. Vale is also well known for its integrated logistics, including railroads, maritime terminals and ports. The integrated logistics segments generate 7% of the company's total revenues.

Vale reported its first quarter financial results three weeks ago. According to this report, quarterly earnings amounted to $3.2 billion, representing an increase of 63% compared to the previous quarter. Cash generation through adjusted EBITDA was $5.2 billion, which is $800 million higher from the last quarter cash flow. Operating income for the first quarter is $4.2 billion, which is 41.4% higher than the previous quarter.

As of the time

By Dr. Osman Gulseven

The April 2013 crash of gold (GLD) and silver (SLV) prices triggered a wave of panic across the globe. As large institutional investors dumped holdings in gold ETFs, prices for both precious metals spiraled downward. Even bullish gold fanatics were forced to dissolve long-term positions due to margin calls and stop-loss orders coming into play.

Silver, with its affinity to gold prices, also saw its prices tumble down over the same period. The white metal had already entered a bear market in early April when prices reached 27.47 an ounce. By the time gold prices had crashed, silver dropped almost 40% to the $22 mark from its 2012 high. On the other hand, gold fell roughly 20% from its October 2012 peak, signaling perilous times ahead for the two commodities.

Those still holding onto gold and silver assets, including government reserves worldwide, saw

France Telecom (FTE) is facing harsh competition amid a sluggish European economy. The increase in Eurowide tax rates further added to the issues, causing the French economy to post slow growth. This greatly affected France Telecom, as well. The company reported declining revenues and net losses. While it continuously gave out yearly dividends to its shareholders, the payout amount is decreasing.

France Telecom-Orange is still one of the biggest telecom operators across the globe. In fact, the French postal and telecom regulars ARCEP named Orange as the number one mobile network in France. The company offers the highest speed in mobile broadband. It also bested its competitors for mobile network quality.

In spite of that, its feat in France and its extensive global footprint did not reflect its performances on the trading floor. FTE shares continue to ride downhill. Many shareholders holding FTE for its dividend yield are

The wave of the future in printing is leaning towards the direction of three dimensional printing. Major manufacturers of 3D printers are enjoying the ride up. Leading companies like 3D Systems (DDD) and Stratasys (SSYS) have been upbeat since the start of 2012. They have been profitable, as well. Both 3D Systems and Stratasys show solid financials. They consistently beat estimates quarter over quarter for the past 2 years.

3D printing, actually, has been around since the early seventies. But the companies recently gained rising popularity. 3D printing used to be available only in automotive designs, aerospace, and in several medical settings. But now it gradually invades other industries like construction, engineering, and jewelry, among others. Soon, it may invade the education and the business sectors. Many believe that schools and offices will start using 3D printers in the near future.

Presently, 3D printing has already penetrated the

Bank of America (BAC) finally agreed to settle its 5-year mortgage fight with MBIA (MBI). The settlement entitles the bond insurer, MBIA, to a payment of $1.6 billion from Bank of America. In addition, Bank of America will pay back its other debts to MBIA. It will also extend a $500 million credit line to MBIA.

After the news came out regarding the settlement, MBI shares soared by a staggering 45%. The stock soared to $15.45 during intraday trading before it eventually settled down and closed at $14.29. It currently trades around $15.

Bank of America shares also jumped by 5.2% from $12.24 to $12.88 on May 6, 2013. Intraday trading saw BAC shares peak at the 52-week high of $12.89 per share. The settlement boosted the investors' confidence in Bank of America. It was taken as a sign of the bank's initiative to resolve all legal

Back in April, Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) was again hit by another labor strike issue at its Grasberg mine. The workers staged a one-month strike over unresolved disputes regarding compensation. The workers' salaries are allegedly below the minimum wage and they are demanding a 37% increase within two years. The company's gold and copper production will probably decrease slightly. To estimate how the strike affected Freeport-McMoRan, there are several factors to consider including the number of workers involved. First, it is better to look at the background on the strike.

Background on Strike

According to the Reuters, there were about 1,130 workers on strike coming from three different contractor companies. The problem with Freeport-McMoRan is that the company is not in control over the situation since the workers are not directly employed. They are also not direct contractual workers of the company. However, as a principal company it can greatly

There has been a lot of negative buzz around gold ever since it entered a downward trend late in 2012. In April, gold exchange traded funds [ETFs] were being sold off at a record pace and gold prices dropped to 2-year lows. When the 2012 low of $1,500 was breached, prices dropped to almost $1,300 per ounce. 143 tons worth of gold were sold in SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), the world's highest valued gold ETF during April. This is the most severe drop for the gold-backed fund ever since its inception in 2004.

Much of the selling was initiated by financial institutions and hedge funds, which represent roughly 50% of GLD's holders. An April 26 report from Deutsche Bank AG expects these types of investors to cut future gold holdings by half.

Over 2 days, prices spiraled out of control as margin calls began ringing even for

Armour Residential (ARR) released its first quarter 2013 earnings on May 2. There were mixed reactions among the shareholders and the investors. There are some aspects where the performance is good. But if taken from a different angle, the performance is different and poor.

In the end, the negative outlook prevailed, leading to a slight fall in ARR share price. ARR shares fell by 1.7% from $6.47 the previous day to $6.36. Armour Residential took another blow on the following trading day as shares further fell to $6.32. All in all, ARR shed 2.31% within 2 days after the release of its quarterly earnings report.

Income Performance

One of the major highlights of the report is the estimated taxable REIT income of about $86 million. This represents 13.8% of the firm's annualized yield for the quarter. The first quarter REIT income is 80.6% higher than the REIT income

By Cagdas Ozcan

Southern Copper (SCCO), is one of the world's largest mining corporations. The company deals with mining and processing mineral resources such as copper, molybdenum, zinc, lead, coal and silver. It was formerly known as Southern Peru Copper Corporation. The company was incorporated in Delaware, in 1952. However, it settled its modern size and structure with the acquisition of Minera Mexico and its subsidiaries in April 2005. After this acquisition, Southern Copper became the largest mining company in Mexico and Peru.

SCCO announced its first quarter 2012 financial results with a press release on April 26, 2013. According to this press release, net income in the first quarter of 2013 was $495.4 million, representing a decrease of 6.8, compared to the previous quarter. In the same quarter, SCCO's copper mine production decreased by 2.2% to 3,421 tons. However, capital expenditures increased by 78.6% to $316.8

By Cagdas Ozcan

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) is one of the largest mining industry leaders. It was formed in the late 1980s as a spin-off from its parent company. Freeport-McMoRan deals with exploring, mining and processing of ore minerals such as copper, gold and molybdenum. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Freeport-McMoRan has facilities in many countries including Indonesia, America, Iraq and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The company announced its first-quarter 2013 financial report two weeks ago. According to this report, net income attributable to common stock was $648 million, representing a decrease of 15%, compared to the same period of last year. Consolidated mining sales for the first quarter of 2013 totaled 954 million pounds of copper, 214 thousand ounces of gold, and 25 million pounds of molybdenum. While sales from copper and molybdenum rose, sales from gold revenues decreased by 26%.

As of the time of

By Cagdas Ozcan

Newmont Mining (NEM) lowered its capital expenditures by $100 million due to weak financials for the first quarter 2013. Aside from that, consolidated spending for the quarter was also reduced by $217 million. This is approximately 13% lower than the consolidated spending for the first quarter of 2012.

Major areas of the balance sheet and of the income statement are down versus the same period last year. This is partly due to reduced production of gold compared with the same quarter a year ago. Newmont's gold production significantly decreased from 1.307 million ounces to 1.165 million.

In contrast, copper production for the first quarter this year is higher compared with last year's first quarter production. Newmont produced 35 million pounds of copper during the first quarter of 2012. In the first quarter of this year, the copper production increased to 38 million pounds.

Despite the

By Cagdas Ozcan

Shares of ARM Holdings (ARMH) soared on April 30, after the company released its first-quarter earnings report. Investors reacted with great optimism to the overwhelming results that beat estimates. Thanks to the earnings beat, the shares jumped toward a new all-time high.

Prior to the release of the quarterly report, ARMH has been upbeat since the start of the year. In fact, shares have been trading in upward trend since the third quarter of 2012. But on April 23, ARM Holdings saw the biggest single-day triumph for this year. Shares leaped by 15% from $40.24 towards the record 52-week high at $46.32, posting 18.5% year-to-date growth. Let's take a look at the recent earnings report.

Main Highlights of the First-Quarter Report

According to ARM's incoming CEO, Simon Segars, the company saw strong performance in all lines of the business. He particularly noted the solid growth of

By Cagdas Ozcan

Suncor Energy (SU) is one of the largest integrated energy companies in the North America. Formerly known as the Suncor Incorporation, this Canadian energy giant was founded in 1953. While the company operates in several locations around the globe, its primary oil fields are concentrated in the Canadian oil sands. The company also operates four refineries in the U.S. and Canada. The company recently reported its 2013 first quarter results. It recorded strong operating earnings of $0.90 per common share which is 6 cents higher than the first quarter of 2012.

As of the time of writing, Suncor stock was trading at $29 with a 52-week range of $25.95 - $35.82. It has a market cap of $44.6 billion. Trailing twelve month [ttm] P/E ratio is 16.4, and forward P/E ratio is 9.5. P/B, P/S, and P/CF ratios stand at 1.2, 1.2, and 5.2, respectively.

By Cagdas Ozcan

The recent fall of gold provides a good opportunity for first time investors to start investing in gold. It is also possible to benefit from the potential bounce in the gold market by investing in stable gold companies. Yamana Gold (AUY) is among those companies. While there are many gold miners to choose from, Yamana is relatively more stable with healthy financials. Therefore, it is less risky compared to the rest. But despite that it is still important to assess the company's performance. In this article I also analyze its competitive edge and compare it with its peers.

Company profile

Yamana Gold is considered as one of the top gold producers worldwide with a well-diversified asset portfolio. It is also famous for having one of the lowest cash costs and lower cash operations in the industry. For the fiscal year 2012, Yamana remarkably increased its gold

By Cagdas Ozcan

The recent collapse in the gold market has caused many gold stocks to plunge. Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC) also suffered from the panic in the gold market. KGC shares sank 30% in the last month. The stock lost almost 43% since January.

Following the fall of gold, KGC shares plummeted in the second week of April, and further tumbled when the gold market collapsed. This led many analysts, including Deutsche Bank (DB) to downgrade the stock from buy to hold. Deustche Bank also reduced its price target on KGC to $6 from $9.

However, shares have now stabilized along with the uptick of gold. Kinross shares slightly rebounded from the low point of the year at $5 on April 17. On April 29, the stock closed at $5.49. So can Kinross continue its rebound or is it just a dead cat bounce?

The Gold Market

Dryships (DRYS) is one of the most well-known players in the dry bulk shipping sector. It is a holding company primarily engaged in sea freight of dry bulk and petroleum cargoes worldwide. It also has a majority stake in Ocean Rig (ORIG), which has six rigs designed for ultra-deep offshore oil drilling.

Despite being ahead of its competitors with better fleet capacity and routes worldwide, the entire sector is suffering heavily. The last 4 years have seen a rapid decline in freight rates industry-wide. Daily rates for large capsize vessels, which peaked at $230,000 in 2008, have dipped to as low as $5,000 by 2012. Current rates are well below breakeven levels.

The nosedive in dry bulk shipping rates and stock prices is largely dependent on the overall health of the economy. The most recent financial downturn meant a decreased demand

By Cagdas Ozcan

Recently, Potash (POT) released its latest market data update for the month of March. The figures for potash demand are relatively encouraging. Since the start of the fiscal year 2013, potash production by the North American producers is on the rise. The monthly production increased by 37% compared with the previous year level.

Domestic Sales and Exports

Potash exports for the month are high. March exports increased from around 0.8 metric tonnes in February to approximately 1.3 million metric tonnes. This is up by 59%, and a staggering 183% growth over the same period of last year.

Although the exports were doing well, the domestic sales suffered a notable fall by 13%. The North American producers' domestic potash sales weakened from 0.78 million metric tonnes in February to only 0.69 million tonnes. But in spite of the decline, March 2013 potash sales were still 7%

By Cagdas Ozcan

Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) was downbeat for the most part of fiscal 2012. Finally, in the last quarter, the shares began to correct and started to ascend. For fiscal 2013, HP maintained the optimistic atmosphere and continued its winning streak on the trading floor.

Until recently, poor industry performance and a not so encouraging outlook for the PC market put pressures on HPQ. When the IDC made a press release about declining PC shipment worldwide, no one was spared from the fall. Not even the industry leader HP was exempted from the slump of PC stocks.

PC Shipments Worldwide

Hewlett-Packard remained the worldwide industry leader in the PC industry. It is holding on to a market share of 15.7% as of the first quarter of 2013. However, its market dominance is slowly diminishing. It lost 2% of the share, probably to Lenovo, compared to its year-ago