Top Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now

U.S. stocks rose, sending the Standard & Poor�� 500 Index to its biggest three-day rally since January, on better-than-estimated economic data and assurances on stimulus efforts from Federal Reserve officials.

Nine of 10 industries in the S&P 500 (SPX) advanced. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. gained more than 1.2 percent as financial companies rallied. An S&P index that tracks homebuilders surged 2.9 percent as D.R. Horton Inc. and Lennar Corp. increased at least 3.8 percent. Time Warner Cable Inc. jumped 4.4 percent as billionaire John Malone was said to be exploring scenarios for how Charter Communications Inc. could acquire the company.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.6 percent to 1,613.20 at 4 p.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 114.35 points, or 0.8 percent, to 15,024.49. Almost 6.2 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, 4.4 percent below the three-month average.

��he data continues to show that the economy is growing at a very slow pace and that unemployment is improving at a very slow pace,��Oliver Pursche, co-manager of the GMG Defensive Beta Fund and president of Suffern, New York-based Gary Goldberg Financial Services, said in a phone interview. The firm manages about $650 million. ��t means the likelihood that the Federal Reserve changing course on its monetary policy this year is very low, and that further solidifies the case that last week�� correction was emotionally driven and an overreaction.��

Hot High Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now: FirstEnergy Corporation(FE)

Firstenergy Corp. operates as a diversified energy company. The company, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, involves in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services. It serves approximately 6 million customers within 67,000 square miles through 10 utility operating companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top decliners in the sector American Electric Power Co (NYSE: AEP), down 2.5 percent, and FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE), off 2.5 percent.

  Top Headline
  On Sunday, AT&T (NYSE: T) announced its plans to buy DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share in a combination of stock and cash. The offer price of $95 per DirecTV share represents a 10 percent premium to closing price of $86.18 on Friday. The deal has a total value of $67.1 billion, including DirecTV's net debt.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Exelon stock's electricity
  Currently, Exelon packs more than its fair share of nuclear. At around 19,000 MW, this utility alone produces around 20% of the nation's total nuclear-sourced power. But although Exelon is undoubtedly the nuclear king, utilities can't really "dabble" with this power source. Its capital-intensive nature requires significant investment, and Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK  ) and FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE  ) are two companies that have significant stakes.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Cutting back on coal
  Both Duke Energy stock and AEP stock have long relied on coal, clean or not, to power their profits. But some historically coal-centric utilities are calling it quits. FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE  ) counts on coal for around 64% of its total generation capacity�and had to idle several of its power plants last year as cheap natural gas prices and EPA regulations cut out coal's competitiveness. In early 2012, the utility announced plans to retire a whopping 3,400 MW of coal-fired power generation, more than a quarter of its current capacity.�

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  FirstEnergy is out 2,080 MW
  FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE  ) announced earlier this week that it plans to close down two Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants by the end of October, knocking 2,080 MW off its total generation capacity.

Top Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: 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 Aaron Levitt]

  Given just how many different water stocks there are, investors may be better suited in a broad portfolio. With nearly $1 billion in assets, the PowerShares Water Resources (PHO) is the largest exchange-traded fund (ETF) that covers the sector.

• [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 Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Technip (TEC)

Technip, formerly known as Technip SA, is a France-based company that is engaged in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry, and holds a portfolio of solutions and technologies. The Company operates in three segments: Subsea, Onshore and Offshore. Its main markets include onshore plants, offshore platforms and subsea construction. The Company is present in around 48 countries, and had industrial assets on continents and operates a fleet of vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction. It operates several subsidiaries, such as AETech, EPD, Subocean group and Front End Re, among others. On August 31, 2012, the Company announced the completion of the Stone & Webster process technologies and associated oil and gas engineering capabilities acquisition from The Shaw Group Inc. In March 13, 2013, it acquired Ingenium AS, an offshore engineering and services company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Technip SA (TEC) sank 15 percent, its biggest weekly retreat in more than two years after third-quarter profit missed the average analyst estimate compiled by Bloomberg. The oilfield-services provider also cut full-year forecasts for the operating margin and sales at its subsea unit, meaning total sales will miss an earlier target of as much as 9.5 billion euros.

Top Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Bitauto Holdings Limited (BITA)

Bitauto Holdings Limited provides Internet content and marketing services for the automotive industry primarily in the People?s Republic of China. The company offers subscription services to new automobile dealers that enable them to list pricing and promotional information on its bitauto.com Website and partner Websites, and to interact with consumers through its virtual call center, as well as provides advertising service to dealers and automakers on its bitauto.com Website. It also offers listing services to used automobile dealers, which enable them to display used automobile inventory information through its ucar.cn Website and partner Websites; and advertising services to used automobile dealers and automakers with certified pre-owned automobile programs on its ucar.cn Website. In addition, the company provides digital marketing solutions, including Website creation and maintenance, online public relationship, online marketing campaigns, and advertising agent service s. Bitauto Holdings Limited was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology stocks gained Tuesday, with Ku6 Media Co (NASDAQ: KUTV) leading advancers. Among leading tech stocks, gains came from Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN), Bitauto Holdings (NYSE: BITA) and Sify Technologies (NASDAQ: SIFY).

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Tech sector was the leading decliner in the US market today. Among the sector stocks, Bitauto Holdings (NYSE: BITA) was down more than 8.6 percent, while Ku6 Media Co (NASDAQ: KUTV) tumbled around 8.4 percent.

• [By Kevin Marder]

  Chinese company Bitauto Holdings (BITA) offers car pricing and reviews on its www.bitauto.com site. The consensus of Wall Street analysts look for earnings growth of 71% in 2013 and another 30% in 2014. These estimates have been most recently revised upward. Revenue growth has come in at 36% or more in each of the last eight quarters.

• [By Victor Selva]

  The firm is currently Zacks Rank # 3��old, and it also has a longer-term recommendation of ��eutral�� A Hold rating indicates that the stock, over the next 1 to 3 months, will perform at an annualized rate of 10.56%, very similar to the S&P 500. For investors looking for a better Zacks Rank, Bitauto Holdings Limited (BITA), E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc. (DANG) and Vipshop Holdings Limited (VIPS) could be better options.

Top Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Eco-Tek Group Inc (ETEK)

Eco-Tek Group, Inc., incorporated on April 10, 2007, is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of green lubricants and specialized systems with an automotive sector but also applicable to a variety of industrial, farm and virtually all mechanical equipment. The Company�� products include Eco-Tek Super Lubricant, Eco-Tek 3000 Synthetic Motor Oil, Eco-Tek 4-in-1 Fuel Treatments, Eco-Tek HD Synthetic Oil Stabilizer, Eco-Tek Bypass Oil Cleaner, Eco-Tek Engine Flush, Eco-Tek Lube Centres, Eco-Tek Test-Results, Eco-Tek Our Inventor and Eco-Tek Limited Warranty.

The Company�� motor oil and lubricant is zinc free. Eco-Tek Engine Flush which cleans internal engine components extends engine life and restores lost performance due to sludge and buildup. Eco-Tek Premium Orange Hand Cleaner, which contains pumice to clean, aloe and lanolin to moisturize. Eco-Tek Non-Toxic Super Lubricant, reduces friction, fuel consumption, harmful contaminants in oil, reduces smoke, vibration and noise.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap green stocks Eco-Tek Group Inc (OTCMKTS: ETEK) and BluForest Inc (OTCMKTS: BLUF) have been getting some attention lately thanks to some green���as in paid for promotions. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed promotions, but one of these stocks happens to be getting a considerable amount of attention as its been the subject of numerous transactions. With that in mind, will investors see some green with these green small cap stocks? Here is a quick reality check:�

Top Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Tata Motors Ltd(TTM)

Tata Motors Limited, an automobile company, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial and passenger vehicles primarily in India. The company offers cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses and coaches, and defense vehicles, as well as develops electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and public transportation. It also involves in distributing and marketing cars; and financing the vehicles sold by the company. In addition, the company engages in the provision of engineering and automotive solutions, as well as machine tools and factory automation solutions; construction equipment manufacturing; automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities; tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications; and automotive retailing and service operations. It offers its products and services through its dealership, sales, services, and spare parts network. The company also markets its commercial and passenger vehicles in Eu rope, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, and South America. The company was formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited and changed its name to Tata Motors Limited in July 2003. Tata Motors Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Mumbai, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bram de Haas]

  Trading at a P/E (TTM) of 16 the company is not cheap at first glance, yet given all the information indicating significant earnings growth in 2013 the multiple of 16 becomes much less threatening. There is also the book value of about $10 / share and the recent offer by Landry of $22 a share to add some insurance on the downside. Given current earnings the valuation may be in line, but given the prospects of earnings increasing significantly, the stock is worth more.

• [By Elliott Gue]

  This so-called One Ford initiative involved the US$2.3 billion sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors (TTM) and the US$1.6 billion divestment of Volvo to Geely Automobile Holdings (GELYF.PK). After selling the majority of its stake in Mazda Motor Corp (MZDAY.PK) and discontinuing Mercury, Ford Motor Company's portfolio consists of its eponymous mass-market brand and the higher-end Lincoln.