Top Healthcare Technology Companies For 2014

Illinois lawmakers approved reducing annual cost-of-living increases for retirees, raised the retirement age for younger workers, and imposed a limit on pensions for the highest-paid workers.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Illinois lawmakers approved a landmark pension reform package Tuesday that would cut retirement benefits for teachers, nurses and other retired and current state workers.

The legislation comes after years of debate on how to fix the state's ailing retirement system -- considered the most troubled in the country.

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The plan will reduce annual cost-of-living increases for retirees, raise the retirement age for workers 45 and under, and impose a limit on pensions for the highest-paid workers.

Top Tech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Smart Ventures Inc (SMVR)

Smart Ventures, Inc., incorporated on November 22, 2006, is an exploration-stage company. The Company focuses on exploring, acquiring, developing and producing mineral reserves. The Company had purchased certain mineral claims located in the Laurentides Region near Mont Laurier, Quebec. In June 2011, the Company acquired Metal Assets S.A. In February 2014, Smart Ventures Inc announced the closing of its acquisition of The Sanday Corporation oil and gas drilling Services Company.

As of December 31, 2009, the Company had not generated any revenues. The Company focuses on establishing and exploiting deposits of both base and precious metals.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap marijuana stocks Smart Ventures Inc (OTCMKTS: SMVR) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCMKTS: VTMB) jumped 40.28% and 38.6%, respectively, while hemp stock Astika Holdings Inc (OTCBB: ASKH) fell 13.75% on Friday. Moreover, only one of these small cap stocks seems to have been the subject of a few paid promotions or investor relations types of activities. So will all three of these marijuana or hemp stocks keep producing highs or lows for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

  Smart Ventures Inc (OTCMKTS: SMVR) Plans to Enter the Marijuana Edibles Business

  Small cap Smart Ventures Inc is an independent energy company engaged in engineering extended reach drilling services, acquisition, development, production, and exploration of oil, gas and minerals internationally. On Friday, Smart Ventures Inc rose 40.28% to $0.07 for a market cap of $2.31 million plus SMVR is up 600% over the past year and down 93.3% in intermittent trading since December 2009 according to Google Finance.

Top Healthcare Technology Companies For 2014: Grupo Televisa S.A.(TV)

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a media company in Mexico and internationally. It operates in seven segments: Television Broadcasting, Pay Television Networks, Programming Exports, Publishing, Sky, Cable and Telecom, and Other Businesses. The Television Broadcasting segment engages in the production of television programming and broadcasting of channels 2, 4, 5, and 9; and production of television programming and broadcasting for local television stations in Mexico and the United States. The Pay Television Networks segment provides programming services for cable and pay-per-view television companies in Mexico, as well as other countries in Latin America, the United States, and Europe. The Programming Exports segment offers international licensing of television programming. The Publishing segment primarily publishes Spanish-language magazines in Mexico, the United States, and Latin America. The Sky segment provides direct-to-home broadcas t satellite pay television services in Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. The Cable and Telecom segment operates a cable and telecommunication system in the Mexico City metropolitan area. This segment provides data and long-distance services solutions to carriers and other telecommunications service providers through its fiber-optic network in Mexico and the United States; basic and premium television, pay-per-view, and telephone services. The Other Businesses segment engages in sports and show business promotion, soccer, feature film production and distribution, Internet, gaming, radio, and publishing distribution operations. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Grupo Televisa (TV)

  Over the past quarter the most gurus held on to Grupo Televisa S.A.B. There were twelve guru owners with seven gurus making buys last quarter and eight making sells. These gurus hold a combined weighting of 7.07%.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Daniel Cross]

  Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV) is a broadcasting company that is set to take advantage of growth in several areas. The increase in the United States' Hispanic population means there are 53 million potential users of Spanish-language networks like Univision. Grupo Televisa receives royalties from licensing its programs to Univision, and revenue is expected to top $270 million this year. The emergence of Mexico as a manufacturing powerhouse means that the middle class should see a boost as well. Pay TV is popular in Mexico, as seen by a 12% rise in that segment's revenues from last year. Operating margins are improving as well, increasing from 17% in 2011 to 26% as of the most recent quarter.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Monday

  Earnings Releases Expected:  Grupo Televisa S.A (NYSE: TV) Economic Releases Expected: Japanese current account, eurozone investor confidence, Spanish industrial production, German industrial production

  Tuesday

Top Healthcare Technology Companies For 2014: ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA)

ThyssenKrupp AG is a Germany-based technology holding company operating in seven business areas. The Steel Europe division produces carbon steel flat products. The Steel Americas division is engaged in production, processing and marketing of high-grade carbon steels. The Materials Services division is engaged in global distribution of materials and the provision of complex technical services for the production and manufacturing sectors. The Elevator Technology division is engaged in the area of passenger transportation systems. The Plant Technology division focuses on specialty and large-scale plant construction. The Components Technology division is engaged in manufacturing components for the automotive, construction and engineering sectors as well as for wind turbines. The Marine Systems division focuses on naval and civil shipbuilding. Apart from its business areas, it provides business services, which are diversified into Business Services and Information Technology (IT) Services. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA) slumped 9.3 percent after Germany�� largest steelmaker raised 882.3 million euros ($1.21 billion) through a share sale. Standard Chartered Plc lost 8.1 percent. Sage Group (SGE) Plc, the U.K.�� biggest software maker, rose 6.8 percent after reporting revenue growth that exceeded analysts��estimates. AZ Electronic Materials SA surged 43 percent after Merck KGaA (MRK) agreed to buy it for about 1.6 billion pounds ($2.6 billion).

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Telekom Austria (TKA) slid 1.6 percent to 5.63 euros. Second-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell to 330.3 million euros ($439 million) from 364.8 million euros a year earlier. That compared with the average 332.7 million-euro analyst estimate.

Top Healthcare Technology Companies For 2014: Marcolin SpA (MCL)

Marcolin SpA is an Italy-based eyewear manufacturer. It is a manufacturer of glasses and sunglasses for such brands as Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli and Just Cavalli, Diesel, Montblanc, Tod's and Hogan, Balenciaga, Swarovski, Timberland, DSquared2 and Kenneth Cole. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John McCamant]

  Our top stock selection for 2014 has received three Breakthrough Therapy Designations (BTD) by the FDA, and subsequent approval, in November, for Imbruvica, a very safe pill that has shown unprecedented efficacy to treat mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), suggests John McCamant, editor of The Medical Technology Stock Letter.