Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015

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Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Milano(ADMI.MI)

Milano Assicurazioni S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, offers insurance products and services primarily in Italy. It provides non-life insurance products, such as accident, health, railway, aviation, maritime, goods in transit, fire and natural elements, other damage to property, bonds, general pecuniary losses, legal protection, assistance, and credit insurance products. The company also offers insurance on human life, and insurance relating to investment funds and market indices, as well as land motor and land vehicles insurance products. Milano Assicurazioni S.p.A. provides its products and services through sales network of approximately 2,000 agencies. In addition, it owns a hotel real estate complex at Madonna di Campiglio, as well as a golf hotel. The company is headquartered in Milano, Italy. Milano Assicurazioni S.p.A. operates as a subsidiary of Fondiaria-SAI S.P.A.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund Inc. (MSF)

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. It invests in the public equity markets across the global emerging markets. The fund invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It makes its investments in companies across all market capitalizations. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the MSCI Emerging Markets Free Index. Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund Inc. was formed on November 1, 1991 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Putnam, Editor, New Generation Research, Inc.]

  Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund (MSF) is not an index-based fund, and therefore, its portfolio managers have a lot of latitude.

  Among their top ten holdings are a range of consumer and technology holdings, such as Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor, as well as financials. At current prices, the fund is trading at a roughly 10.5% discount to its net asset value (NAV).

Top 5 Low Price Companies To Own In Right Now: Transpac Industrial Hldgs Ltd (T55.SI)

Transpac Industrial Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, provides venture capital to companies with capital appreciation potential in Asia. It invests in the securities of growing private companies principally located in China/Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The company is based in Singapore.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Camden National Corporation(CAC)

Camden National Corporation operates as the holding company for Camden National Bank, which provides commercial and consumer banking products and services to the individuals, businesses, municipalities, non-profits, and commercial customers. The company offers various deposit products, including NOW accounts, transaction accounts, time deposits, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, brokered deposits, and demand deposits. Its loan products comprise residential mortgage loans, commercial business loans, commercial real estate loans, and various consumer loans. The company offers its products and services through a network of 37 banking offices and ATMs in the Maine counties of Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, and York. In addition, it operates nine Union Trust branches in Hancock and Washington counties, Maine. The company, through Acadia Financial Consultants, provides full-service broke rage and insurance services, including college, retirement, estate planning, mutual funds, strategic asset management accounts, and variable and fixed annuities. Camden National Corporation, through its subsidiary, Acadia Trust, N.A., offers various trust, trust-related, investment, and wealth management services, as well as retirement and pension plan management services to individual and institutional clients. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Camden, Maine.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  National benchmark indexes climbed in all 18 western European markets, except Greece. The U.K.�� FTSE 100 increased 2 percent and Germany�� DAX rallied 2.4 percent. France�� CAC 40 (CAC) jumped 3.6 percent for the biggest gain since August.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Camden National (NASDAQ: CAC  ) has elected not to change its dividend policy for the moment. The company declared a quarterly payout of $0.27 per share, to be handed out on July 31 to shareholders of record as of July 15. That amount matches the company's previous distribution, which was dispensed at the end of April. Before that, Camden National paid a regular distribution of $0.25 per share in every quarter stretching back to April 2008.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  National benchmark indexes climbed in 13 of the 18 western European markets this week. The U.K.�� FTSE 100 gained 1.3 percent, France�� CAC 40 (CAC) climbed 1.8 percent and Germany�� DAX Index jumped 1.5 percent.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Mutual Federal Bcp(MFDB.OB)

Mutual Federal Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Mutual Federal Savings and Loan Association of Chicago that provides various financial services in Chicago. Its deposit products include non-interest-bearing checking accounts, passbook savings, and fixed-term certificates of deposit accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises residential mortgage loans, which include one to four-family fixed-rate residential mortgage loans and multifamily residential mortgage loans; loans on deposit accounts; and consumer loans. It also provides insurance brokerage services. The company was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.Mutual Federal Bancorp Inc operates as a subsidiary of Mutual Federal Bancorp, MHC.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Itau Unibanco Holding SA (ITUB.N)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A., incorporated on September 9, 1943, is a bank in Brazil. The Company has four operational segments: Commercial Banking, Itau BBA, Consumer Credit and Corporate and Treasury. Commercial banking, including insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management and a variety of credit products and services for individuals, small and middle-market companies). Itau BBA includes corporate and investment banking. Consumer credit includes financial products and services to its non-accountholders. Corporate and treasury includes the results related to the trading activities in its portfolio, trading related to managing currency, interest rate and other market risk factors, gap management and arbitrage opportunities in domestic and foreign markets. It also includes the results associated with financial income from the investment of its excess capital.

On October 24, 2010, Itau Unibanco completed the integration of customer service locations throughout Brazil. In total, 998 branches and 245 customer site branches (CSB) of Unibanco were redesigned and integrated as Itau Unibanco customer service locations, thus creating a network of approximately 4,700 units in the country under the Itau brand. The Company is a financial holding company controlled by Itau Unibanco Participacoes S.A. (IUPAR). As of December 31, 2010, it had a network of 3,747 service branches throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 913 CSBs throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 28,844 automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout Brazil.

Commercial banking

The commercial banking segment offers a range of banking services to a diversified base of individuals and companies. Services offered by the commercial banking segment include insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management, credit products and customized products and solu tions. The commercial banking segment comprises the special! i! zed areas and products, such as retail banking (individuals); public sector banking; personnalite (banking for high-income individuals); private banking (banking and financial consulting for wealthy individuals); very small business banking; small business banking; middle-market banking; credit cards; real estate financing; asset management; corporate social responsibility fund; securities services for third parties; brokerage, and insurance, private retirement and capitalization products.

The Company�� credit products include personal loans, overdraft protection, payroll loans, vehicles, credit cards, mortgage and agricultural loans, working capital, trade note discount and export. Its investments products include pension plans, mutual funds, time deposits, demand deposit accounts, savings accounts and capitalization plans. Its services include insurance (life, home, credit/cash cards, vehicles, loan protection, among others), exchange, brokerage and others. Its core business is retail banking, which serves individuals with a monthly income below R$7,000. In October 2010, it completed the conversion of branches under the Unibanco brand to the Itau brand and as of December 31, 2010, it had over 15.2 million customers and 4,660 branches and CSBs. Its public sector business operates in all areas of the public sector, including the federal, state and municipal governments (in the executive, legislative and judicial branches). As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 2,300 public sector customers. Itau Personnalite�� focus is delivering financial advisory services by its managers, who understand the specific needs of its higher-income customers; a portfolio of exclusive products and services; special benefits based on the type and length of relationship with the customer, including discounts on various products and services. Itau Personnalite�� customer base reached more than 600,000 individuals as of December 31, 2010. Itau Personnalite customers also have access to Itau Unibanco! ne! twor! k of ! branches and ATMs throughout the country, as well as Internet banking and phone.

Itau Private Bank is a Brazilian bank in the global private banking industry, providing wealth management services to approximately 17,951 Latin American clients as of December 31, 2010. The Company serves its customers��needs for offshore wealth management solutions in major jurisdictions through independent institutions in the United States through Banco Itau Europa International and Itau Europa Securities , in Luxembourg through Banco Itau Europa Luxembourg S.A. , in Switzerland through Banco Itau Suisse , in the Bahamas through BIE Bank & Trust Bahamas and in Cayman through Unicorp Bank & Trust Cayman. As of December 31, 2010, it had over 565 very small business banking offices located throughout Brazil and approximately 2,500 managers working for over 1,235,000 small business customers. Loans to very small businesses totaled R$5,981 million as of December 31, 2010. As of Dece mber 31, 2010, it had 374 small business banking offices located nationwide in Brazil and nearly 2,500 managers who worked for over 525,000 companies. Loans to small businesses totaled R$28,744 million as of December 31, 2010.

As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 115,000 middle-market corporate customers that represented a range of Brazilian companies located in over 83 cities in Brazil. The Company offers a range of financial products and services to middle-market customers, including deposit accounts, investment options, insurance, private retirement plans and credit products. Credit products include investment capital loans, working capital loans, inventory financing, trade financing, foreign currency services, equipment leasing services, letters of credit and guarantees. The Company also carries out financial transactions on behalf of middle-market customers, including interbank transactions, open market transactions and futures, swaps, hedging and arbitrage transactions. It also offers its middle-ma! rket cus!! tomers co! llection services and electronic payment services. The Company is able to provide these services for virtually any kind of payment, including Internet office banking. It charges collection fees and fees for making payments, such as payroll, on behalf of its customers.

The Company is engaged in the Brazilian credit card market. Its subsidiaries, Banco Itaucard S.A. (Banco Itaucard) and Hipercard Banco Multiplo S.A. (Hipercard), offers a range of products to 26 million customers as of December 31, 2010, including both accountholders and non-accountholders. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately R$16,271 million in outstanding real estate loans. As of December 31, 2010, it had total net assets under management of R$291,748 million on behalf of approximately 2.1 million customers. The Company also provides portfolio management services for pension funds, corporations, private bank customers and foreign investors. As of December 31, 2010, it had R$184,496 mill ion of assets under management for pension funds, corporations and private bank customers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company offered and managed about 1,791 mutual funds, which are mostly fixed-income and money market funds. For individual customers, it offered 154 funds to its retail customers and approximately 287 funds to its Itau Personnalite customers. Private banking customers may invest in over 600 funds, including those offered by other institutions. Itau BBA�� capital markets group also provides tailor-made mutual funds to institutional, corporate and private banking customers.

The Company provides securities services in the Brazilian capital markets. Its services also include acting as transfer agent, providing services relating to debentures and promissory notes, custody and control services for mutual funds, pension funds and portfolios, providing trustee services and non-resident investor services, and acting as custodian for depositary receipt programs. The Company also provides brokerage ! services ! to i! nternatio! nal customers through its broker-dealer operations in New York, through its London branch, and through its broker-dealers in Hong Kong and Dubai. Its main lines of insurance are life and casualty (excluding Vida Gerador de Benefucio Livre), extended warranties and property. Its policies are sold through its banking operations, independent local brokers, multinational brokers and other channels. As of December 31, 2010, it had 9.9 million in capitalization products outstanding, representing R$2,620 million in liabilities with assets that function as guarantees of R$2,646 million. The Company distributes these products through its retail network, Itau Personnalite and Itau Uniclass branches, electronic channels and ATMs. These products are sold by its subsidiary, Cia. Itau de Capitalizacao S.A.

Itau BBA

Itau BBA is responsible for its corporate and investment banking activities. As of December 31, 2010, Itau BBA offered a portfolio of products and ser vices to approximately 2,400 companies and conglomerates in Brazil. Itau BBA�� activities range from typical operations of a commercial bank to capital markets operations and advisory services for mergers and acquisitions. As of December 31, 2010, its corporate loan portfolio was R$ 76,584 million. In investment banking, the fixed income department was responsible for the issuance of debentures and promissory notes that totaled R$18,888 million and securitization transactions that amounted to R$4,677 million in Brazil in 2010. In addition, Itau BBA advised 35 merger and acquisition transactions with an aggregate deal volume of R$16,973 million in 2010.

Itau BBA is also active in Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES) on-lending to finance large-scale projects, aiming at strengthening domestic infrastructure. In consolidated terms, total loans granted by Itau BBA under BNDES on-lending represented more than R$9,010 million in 2010. Itau BB A focuses on the products and initiatives! in the i! nternation! al busine! ss unit, such as structuring long-term, bilateral and syndicated financing, and spot foreign exchange. In addition, in 2010 Itau BBA continued to offer a large number of lines of credit for foreign trade.

Consumer Credit

As of December 31, 2010, its portfolio of vehicle financing, leasing and consortium lending consisted of approximately 3.8 million contracts, of which approximately 71.1% were non-accountholder customers. The personal loan portfolio relating to vehicle financing and leasing reached R$60,254 million in 2010. The Company leased and financed vehicles through 13,706 dealers as of December 31, 2010. Sales are made through computer terminals installed in the dealerships that are connected to its computer network. Redecard S.A. (Redecard) is a multibrand credit card provider in Brazil, also responsible for the capturing, transmission, processing and settlement of credit, debit and benefit card transactions. As of December 31, 2010, the Com pany held approximately 50% interest in Redecard�� capital stock.

The Company competes with Bradesco, Banco do Brasil S.A. (Banco do Brasil), Banco Santander, Caixa Economica Federal (CEF), BNDES, HSBC, Banco Citibank S.A, Banco de Investimentos Credit Suisse (Brasil) S.A., Banco JP Morgan S.A., Banco Morgan Stanley S.A., Banco Merrill Lynch de Investimentos S.A., Banco BTG Pactual S.A., Banco Panamericano S.A, Citibank S.A., Banco GE Capital S.A. and Banco Ibi S.A.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: LSL PROPERTY SERVICES PLC ORD GBP0.002 WHEN ISSUED(LSL.L)

LSL Property Services plc provides residential property services to private consumers and mortgage lenders in the United Kingdom. It offers estate agency and related services, including the sale and letting of housing; operation of a network of high street branches; provision of repossession asset management services; and sale of mortgages, and life assurance and critical illness policies to insurance companies, lenders, and financial intermediaries. The company also provides surveying services to lenders for residential mortgage purposes; and valuation services to private house purchasers. In addition, it offers panel management and property management services, as well as advice on mortgages and non-investment insurance products. The company operates surveying and valuation business under the e.surv Chartered Surveyors and Barnwoods brands; and estate agency, financial services, and asset management businesses under the Your Move, Reeds Rains, LSLi, Marsh & Parsons, Inte rcounty, Frosts, JNP, Goodfellows, and Davis Tate, as well as LSL Corporate Client Department, St Trinity Asset Management, Templeton LPA, First Complete, The Mortgage Alliance, Pink Home Loans, Linear Financial Services brands. It operates a network of 568 estate agency branches. LSL Property Services plc is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, the United Kingdom.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: BlackRock Kelso Capital Corporation(BKCC)

BlackRock Kelso Capital Corporation is a private equity firm specializing in investments in middle market companies. The firm invests in all industries. It prefers to invest between $10 million and $50 million and can invest more or less in companies with EBITDA or operating cash flow between $10 million and $50 million. The firm invests in the form of senior and junior secured, unsecured, and subordinated debt securities and loans including cash flow, asset backed, and junior lien facilities and equity securities. It's equity investments can be structured in the form of warrants, preferred stock, common equity co-investments, and direct investments in common stock. The firm debt investments are principally structured to provide for current cash interest and to a lesser extent non-cash interest, particularly with subordinated debt investments, through a pay-in-kind (PIK) feature. It can also make non-control investments. Blackrock Kelso Capital Corporation was founded in 2 005 and is based in New York, New York with an additional office in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Highlight: BlackRock Kelso Capital Corporation (BKCC)

  The share price is currently $9.62 or 11.1% off the 52-week high of $10.82. Its yield is 10.80%.

• [By Regarded Solutions]

  The Team Alpha portfolio consists of Ford (F) Chevron (CVX) Apple (AAPL), McDonald's (MCD), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), AT&T (T), General Electric (GE), BlackRock Kelso Capital (BKCC), KKR Financial (KFN), Procter & Gamble (PG), CSX Corp. (CSX), Realty Income (O), Coca-Cola (KO), Annaly Capital (NLY), Cisco (CSCO), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Newmont Mining (NEM), and Wells Fargo (WFC), and Intel (INTC).

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Ellington Financial LLC (EFC)

Ellington Financial LLC (EFC) is a specialty finance company, which specializes in acquiring and managing mortgage-related assets. As of December 31, 2011, its targeted assets included residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), backed by prime jumbo, Alternative A-paper (Alt-A), manufactured housing and subprime residential mortgage loans (non-Agency RMBS); RMBS for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a United States Government agency or a United States Government-sponsored entity (Agency RMBS); mortgage-related derivatives; commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), commercial mortgage loans and other commercial real estate debt, and corporate debt and equity securities and derivatives. It also acquires and manages other types of mortgage-related assets and financial assets, such as residential whole mortgage loans, asset-backed securities (ABS), backed by consumer and commercial assets, non-mortgage-related derivatives and real property.

Non-Agency RMBS

The Company acquires non-Agency RMBS backed by prime jumbo, Alt-A, manufactured housing and subprime residential mortgage loans. Its non-Agency RMBS holdings include investment-grade and non-investment grade classes. Non-Agency RMBS are debt obligations issued by private originators of or investors in residential mortgage loans. Non-Agency RMBS are issued as CMOs and are backed by pools of whole mortgage loans or by mortgage pass-through certificates. Non-Agency RMBS are securitized in senior/subordinated structures, or in excess spread/over-collateralization structures. In senior/subordinated structures, the subordinated tranches absorb all losses on the underlying mortgage loans before any losses are borne by the senior tranches.

Agency RMBS

The Company�� assets in this asset class consist of whole pool pass-through certificates, the principal and interest of which are guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Cor! poration (Freddie Mac), or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and which are backed by adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs), hybrid ARMs or fixed-rate mortgages. Mortgage pass-through certificates are securities representing undivided interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by real property where payments of both interest and principal, plus pre-paid principal, on the securities are made monthly to holders of the security, in effect passing through monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on the mortgage loans that underlie the securities, net of fees paid to the issuer/guarantor and servicers of the securities. Whole pool pass-through certificates are mortgage pass-through certificates that represent the entire ownership of a pool of mortgage loans.

In addition to investing in specific pools of Agency RMBS, the Company utilizes forward-settling purchases and sales of Agency RMBS where the underlying pools of mortgage loans are to be announced mortgage-backed securities (MBS) (TBAs). Pursuant to these TBA transactions, it agrees to purchase or sell, for future delivery, Agency RMBS with certain principal and interest terms and certain types of underlying collateral. It uses TBAs for hedging purposes. It engages in TBA transactions for purposes of managing certain risks associated with its long Agency RMBS and its non-Agency RMBS.

Mortgage-Related Derivatives

The Company takes long and short positions in various mortgage-related derivative instruments, including credit default swaps. A credit default swap is a credit derivative contract in which one party (the protection buyer) pays an ongoing periodic premium (and often an upfront payment as well) to another party (the protection seller) in return for compensation for default (or similar credit event) by a reference entity. In this case, the reference entity can be an individual MBS or an index of several MBS, such as an ABX Index, PrimeX or a CMBX Index.

CMBS

CMBS ar! e mortgage-backed securities collateralized by loans on commercial properties. CMBS issued are fixed rate securities backed by fixed rate loans made to multiple borrowers on a range of property types, though single-borrower CMBS and floating-rate CMBS have also been issued. Commercial mortgage loans are loans secured by liens on commercial properties, including retail, office, industrial, hotel and multifamily properties. Commercial real estate loans may also be structured into more complicated senior/subordinate structures, including those providing for multiple B-Note or multiple mezzanine loan senior/subordinate components.

Corporate Debt and Equity Securities and Derivatives

For hedging purposes, the Company takes short positions in corporate debt and equity (including indices on corporate debt and equity) by entering into derivative contracts, such as credit default swaps, total return swaps and options. These hedges reference corporations (such as financial institutions that have substantial mortgage-related exposure) or indices whose performance has a degree of correlation with the performance of its portfolio. Given this correlation, a short position with respect to such corporations or indices provides a hedge to its portfolio of MBS as a whole.

Other Assets

The Company from time to time acquires other mortgage-related and financial assets, which include residential whole mortgage loans, ABS backed by consumer and commercial assets and real property. It also acquires real property interests, such as single family and multifamily residential properties.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Singapore Reinsurance Cor Ltd (S49.SI)

Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Limited operates as a general reinsurance company. It underwrites property, liability, miscellaneous accident, and marine classes on a facultative and treaty basis. The company, through its subsidiaries, also provides various services, including managing the GIA Records Management Centre (GIARMC); providing and supporting the Web-based e-filing system for non-injury motor accident reporting at GIARMC; the Agents' Registration and Continuous Professional Development Management System, a Web- based agents' information system, which is accessible by the General Insurance Association of Singapore, training providers, insurers, and insurance agents; and information technology (IT) systems for insurers, reinsurers, and insurance intermediaries. It also offers IT software development and consultancy services, such as turnkey and systems integration services to businesses; and software solutions to the insurance industry, which include Broker 2000 and Millennium Broker Assistant for the professional insurance intermediaries, and Integrated Reinsurance InfoSystem for the professional reinsurers. In addition, the company provides advertising and consultancy services, such as design, copy-writing, media planning, and the production and printing of promotional media, as well as investment, business, management, international trade, property, human and education, and insurance and marine consultancy services. Further, the company publishes magazines, books, and other publications, as well as organizes conferences and insurance training courses to meet the information needs of insurance and reinsurance practitioners in Asia. Singapore Reinsurance Corporation operates in Singapore, Malaysia, and the other Asian countries. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Singapore, Singapore.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: Icahn Enterprises L.P. (IEP)

Icahn Enterprises L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in investment, automotive, gaming, railcar, food packaging, metals, real estate, and home fashion businesses in the United States and internationally. Its Investment segment provides investment advisory, and administrative and back office services to the investment funds. The company�s Automotive segment offers powertrain energy, powertrain sealing and bearings, vehicle safety and protection, and aftermarket products for original equipment manufacturers. Icahn Enterprises L.P.�s Gaming segment owns and operates casino gaming properties. It has 9 casino facilities with 7,485 slot machines, 226 table games and 6,048 hotel rooms in Nevada, Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Aruba. The company�s Railcar segment designs, manufactures, sells, and leases hopper and tank railcars; custom designed railcar parts and other industrial products, primarily aluminum and special alloy steel castings; and provides r epair and maintenance services for railcar fleets. Icahn Enterprises L.P.�s Food Packaging segment produces and sells cellulosic, fibrous, and plastic casings for the processed meat and poultry industry. The company�s Metals segment collects, processes, and sells ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as processes and distributes steel pipe and plate products. Icahn Enterprises L.P.�s Real Estate segment engages in the rental of retail, office, and industrial properties; construction and sale of single-family and multi-family homes, lots in subdivisions and planned communities, and raw land for residential development; and golf and resort activities. The company�s Home Fashion segment manufactures, sources, distributes, markets, and sells home fashion consumer products, including bed, bath, basic bedding, and kitchen textile products. Icahn Enterprises G.P. Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Icahn Enterprises L.P. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  A couple of weeks ago, up-for-sale PC purveyor Dell (NASDAQ: DELL  ) offered Carl Icahn and Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ: IEP  ) $25 million to play nice in its bid for the company. The move was an olive branch from Dell's board, wisely trying to avoid a proxy battle involving the company's already frustrated shareholders and other potential suitors, including founder Michael Dell. Though he didn't take the bribe, Icahn and Dell reached an agreement -- a sort of Rules of Engagement for the buyout procedure. The deal should protect investors, while still enabling the board to shop the company to the best bidder. Here's what you need to know.

• [By MarketWatch]

  Netflix's share price has more than quintupled since Mr. Icahn originally invested in the company at $58 a share just more than a year ago, Icahn Enterprises LP (IEP) said.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Carl Icahn’s majority-owned investment vehicle, Icahn Enterprises (NYSE: IEP), had already racked up a 37 percent return since Sept. 9 as of 10 days ago, when we recommended that subscribers along for the ride sell half of their position. The other half is now up more than 40 percent following today’s 6.5 percent jump in response to earnings that proved better than expected.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: 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 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.

• [By Sally Jones]

  Highlight: Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC)

  The share price is currently around $17.57 or 5.9% off the 52-week high of $18.67. Its yield is 8.60%.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2015: PIMCO Income Strategy Fund(PFL)

PIMCO Income Strategy Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. It invests in fixed income markets across the globe. The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of floating rate debt instruments with an average duration of around three years. It employs fundamental analysis with top-down approach to create its portfolio. The fund was formerly known as PIMCO Floating Rate Income Fund. PIMCO Income Strategy Fund was formed on June 19, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.