Today, we are featuring top-performing “Utilities" equity mutual funds, which primarily invest in equity securities of utilities, including telecom companies.

Investors can find such funds by checking out the entire list of the Zacks #1 Rank Utilities Equity Funds.

3 Powerful Picks

Columbia World Equity Fund A (CGUAX) seeks long-term growth by investing primarily in global equities. It was incepted in October 1991.

The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. and foreign equity securities. It invests at least 25% of its total assets in the securities of utility companies. The fund may invest up to 75% of its assets in U.S. and foreign equity securities and investment grade debt securities not issued by utility companies.

Shareholders have to make a minimum initial investment of $2,500 to enter this Zacks#1 Rank (“Strong Buy") fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.40%.

Colin Moore has been lead manager of the fund

...

American Capital Agency Corp. (...

U.S. stocks fell on Monday as concerns about the global economy’s health weighed on Wall Street, following a hefty sell-off in Chinese equities.

Energy shares led the decline after the sharp drop in China’s main stock index increased worries about a potential rebound in global energy demand and oil slipped below $70 a barrel.

Shares of Chevron Corp tumbled 1.2 percent to $69.81 and Exxon Mobil dropped 0.8 percent to $69.56. The S&P Energy index <.GSPE> was down 1.8 percent.

The Shanghai Composite index <.SSEC> fell nearly 7 percent to a three-month low on fears that China’s government is trying to moderate economic growth and choke off some speculation in its stock market by tightening bank lending.

“China’s decline is just scaring people,” said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Asset Management in Bedford Hills, New York.

“The world is partially relying on China’s economic growth to bring us out of this recession, and given the

...

European shares slipped back from a 10-month closing high on Wednesday, as investors took profits, even as German and U.S. economic data continued to point to recovery.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares fell 0.5 percent to close at 973.92 points, breaking a four-day winning streak, and having hit its highest close since early October on Tuesday.

The European benchmark index is still up 50.9 percent from its lifetime low of March 9, as investors have become more confident on the prospects of recovery.

“The market has come a long way, and the economics are still supportive,” said Georgina Taylor, equity strategist, Legal & General Investment Management.

“We’re just seeing a little profit taking. Nothing has been derailed. Housing data is improving. The only area of concern is consumer spending.”

Energy companies were the biggest drag on the index, with crude prices down more than 1 percent to just above $71 a barrel,

...

DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Friday August 7, 2009

**************************************************************

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) announced today the completion of its previously announced public offering of 19,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $1.75 per share. ARIAD also announced that the underwriters have exercised in full their over-allotment option for the purchase of an additional 2,850,000 shares. Net proceeds of the public offering and the over-allotment option, a total of 21,850,000 shares, are approximately $35.6 million after underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses.

Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE: SFD) (the “Company”) announced today that it is initiating an offering, subject to market and other conditions, of $225 million of 10% senior secured

...

Graham’s note: today we’re featuring commentary from Ron Coby, Chief Investment Officer at Coby Lamson Capital Management in Medford, Oregon. Ron’s one of the smartest traders I know and it shows in his firm’s track record: up 16% year to date. The following is an except from his book, The Upside of Down which you can purchase online here.

Gold Will Perform Well No Matter What Happens

In this new century, gold is poised to repeat the 1970s. It will again have mini-bull and -bear market moves along the way, but the long-term secular move will be up—way up. If we experience true hyperinflation, then gold will match the percentage gain we saw in 1971 to 1981.

I do expect gold to easily top $2,000, and probably cross $3,000 per ounce, especially if central banks around the world continue to aggressively expand their money supply, as has been happening early on …

Alex’s Notes: This bull market is following a typical pattern. We were seeing very high networth ’smart money’ clients selling tech stocks and buying gold and silver bullion back in 1995. Now comes the institutions. Eventually comes the Mom and Pop’s, but by then, the lions share of the gains will already be made, and the Mom’s and Pop’s will once again rush in at the end. Got gold yet? *** Gold lures inflation-wary hedge fund chiefs By Martina Fuchs LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. hedge fund managers are increasingly likely to buy gold to protect their personal wealth against inflation, an investment management firm said on Thursday. London-based Moonraker said a survey it carried out in the United States found that 20 out of 22 fund managers interviewed bought physical gold for personal investment on concerns the U.S.’ quantitative easing programme ...

AeroGrow International, Inc., makers of AeroGarden indoor gardening products, announced today that it has elected two new members to its Board of Directors: Michael S. Barish and H. MacGregor (Greg) Clarke. The announcement follows the recent retirement of three AeroGrow Board members, Linda Graebner, Suresh Kumar, and Peter Michel, their terms having come to an end. The company has reduced the size of its Board to five members.

Both men bring years of unique experience to the company. In 1973, Mr. Barish founded Cambiar Investors and grew the firm’s assets from less than $1 million in 1973 to over $2.3 billion upon his retirement in 2001. In 2003, he co-founded the private investment partnership Lazarus Investment and served as the fund’s Chief Investment Officer until his retirement in June 2009. Mr. Barish will serve on the Audit and Governance committees.

Mr. Clarke has served as CFO of AeroGrow since May 2008. Prior

...

The holiday-shortened week saw investors pondering the depth of the economic rabbit-hole. As investors vacillated, most financial markets were characterized by a roller-coaster ride. Friday’s worse-than-expected jobs data left no doubt that the economy was in recession.

The highlights of the week’s discussions were captured on video and are included in this video-o-rama compilation. Strutting their stuff was a star-studded cast including the likes of George Soros, Hugh Hendry, Dan Greenhaus, Paul Krugman, Bill Gross, Nassim Taleb, Jeff Immelt, Stephen Roach, Bob Prechter and Marc Faber.

As an aside, the weather in Europe - where I am spending two weeks with my family in Slovenia and Switzerland - has been characterized of late by endless thunderstorms. Strikingly, the economic mood is no less despondent than that of the holiday-makers trying to escape the ominous dark clouds. But wait, is that a forecast for better days ahead?

Elsewhere, the jail

...

New Community Bank ETF sets July 1 launch date.

 

First Trust Advisors on Friday announced plans to launch its new exchange-traded fund focused on community banks on July 1.

The firm had previously filed for Securities and Exchange Commission approval to offer the fund. (See related story here.)

But the press splash is the company's first comments after completing the required regulatory process. It also provided full details of the ticker and made official the new ETF's name: The First Trust Nasdaq ABA Community Bank Fund (NASDAQ: QABA).

First Trust will serve as the investment adviser for the fund. It will come with an expense ratio of 0.60%, according to the ETF's prospectus.

Community banks follow a different economic paradigm than the New York-centered financial giants; they’re even quite different from the regional banking companies captured by ETFs such as the SPDR KBW Regional Banking ETF (NYSE Arca: KRE). When well-run, they tend to

...