Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

Advisory Board Co (ABCO) Bell Microproducts Inc (BELM) Beneficial Mutual Bancorp Inc (BNCL) Briggs & Stratton Corp (BGG) Commerce Bancshares Inc (CBSH) Conceptus Inc (CPTS) Crane Co (CR) Dolan Media Co (DM) Dorman Products Inc (DORM) Dover Corp (DOV) Dow Chemical Co (DOW) Drew Industries Inc (DW) E-House China Holdings Ltd (EJ) ev3 Inc (EVVV) GAMCO Investors Inc (GBL) ICT Group Inc (ICTG) Integrated Silicon Solution Inc (...

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has said that some countries have offered to provide Iran with uranium enriched to 20% for peaceful use as nuclear reactor fuel.  In a move to decrease energy consumption, Russia plans to ban the production and sale of all kinds of incandescent light bulb from January 1, 2014.  Gazprom hopes to take a 10% share of the US natural gas market within five years.  The company's deputy CEO, Alexander Lebedev, has apparently also said that it plans to gain a 25% share of the global market by 2020.  Bloomberg reports that the gas giant is in talks with Petroleo Brasileiro SA on joint operations.  Lukoil has said that it has no corroboration of reports that its partner, ConocoPhillips, may halve its stake in the Russian company.  Russia and Bolivia may establish ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

3Com Corp (COMS) 51job Inc (JOBS) Actions Semiconductor Co Ltd (ACTS) Aeropostale Inc (ARO) Companhia de Bebidas das Americas (ABV) American Italian Pasta Co (AIPC) American States Water Co (AWR) Amkor Technology Inc (AMKR) Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp (ANH) Asbury Automotive Group Inc (ABG) Ashland Inc (ASH) Associated British Foods Plc (ASBFY) AudioCodes Ltd (AUDC) Baidu Inc (BIDU) Banco Santander SA (STD) Bank of Montreal (BMO) Barnes & ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

3Com Corp (COMS) 3M Co (MMM) American Software Inc (AMSWA) Baidu Inc (BIDU) Buckeye GP Holdings LP (BGH) CA Inc (CA) Carlisle Companies Inc (CSL) CarMax Inc (KMX) Carter's Inc (CRI) Cheesecake Factory Inc (CAKE) Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (CMG.B) Coach Inc (COH) Ctrip.com International Ltd (CTRP) Digi International Inc (DGII) Dresser-Rand Group Inc (DRC) F5 Networks Inc (FFIV) First Financial Holdings Inc (FFCH) ...

Brazilian steelmakers, Gerdau S.A. (GGB) and Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (SID) have signed a memorandum of understanding with state-run oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR or Petrobras), to build ports in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The construction is expected to begin in 2014 with a total investment of approx US$500 million.

The steel industry in the US is in distress, but it is on the road to recovery in Brazil. An increase in export price and new domestic projects are helping Brazilian steel industry. Moreover, government’s plan to cut labor costs in the country will in a way boost industrial productivity and growth.

Domestic steel prices are falling, which is likely to facilitate the Real Estate industry. Thus, Gafisa (GFA), one of the largest builders and incorporators of Brazil, will stand to benefit in the medium- to long-term.

In June, General Motors Brazil car sales reached 55.629 vehicles,

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Brazil is making a national commitment to develop energy resources located far offshore in the South Atlantic. Indeed, no nation has ever advanced such an ambitious plan for long-term comprehensive offshore development. And it’s being bankrolled by China.

Much of Brazil’s South Atlantic development will require drilling wells in waters up to two miles deep, through four-five miles of rock beneath the seabed. The prize at the end will be oil deposits with reserves estimated in the tens of billions of barrels. With access to this offshore bounty, Brazil expects to take its place among the first ranks of energy-producing nations in the world.

Brazil’s state-controlled national oil company (NOC), Petroleo Brasileiro SA (NYSE:PBR) plans to spend over $175 billion in the next five years just on offshore development. The immense investment involves buying and building dozens of new drill ships and seagoing platforms, along with many dozens more support and

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Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

Credit Suisse Group AG (CS) Dick's Sporting Goods Inc (DKS) Northrim BanCorp Inc (NRIM) PepsiAmericas Inc (PAS) Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR) Target Corp (TGT) Visa Inc (V) View the entire Zacks #1 Rank List.

"CS" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"DKS" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"NRIM" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"PAS" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"PBR" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"TGT" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"V" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

President Medvedev did not receive the wholehearted backing he had hoped for from Finnish countepart Tarja Halonen over the Nord Stream gas pipeline; the Finns feel that 'an ecological question' remains.  Nonetheless Finland apparently hopes to have these environmental concerns addressed by June.  Russia plans to unveil new measures for international energy cooperation, including rules on transit.  Russian uranium company Atomredmetzoloto has reported an increase in output of 4.5% in comparison with last year's January-March figures.  Russia and China have reached an agreement to allow Rosneft and Transneft to receive loans in exchange for oil.  Brazil's state controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA will not participate in a similar kind of deal which would see the company provide oil in exchange for $10 billion worth of loans.  OPEC is reportedly 'frustrated' with the fact that ...

With Exxon Mobil Corp.’s (XOM) new oil discovery off the coast of Brazil - the latest in a series of such offshore finds and potentially the largest Western Hemisphere discovery in three - the South American nation has taken another giant step in its quest to become a global energy superpower.

Exxon’s Azulao-1 well tapped a reservoir that reportedly contains as much as 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil, says Luiz Lemos, a partner at TozziniFreire Advogados, a Brazilian law firm that represents foreign energy companies.

“This is very huge,” Lemos told Bloomberg News.

So is the potential benefit for Brazil. If Lemos’ estimate is accurate, this new Azulao find will rival the nearby Tupi oil field as the largest discovery on this side of the planet since Mexico’s Cantarell field was discovered in 1976.

Lemos’ estimate is unconfirmed, but Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Officer Rex

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Highlights include Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR), China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNP), Vale (RIO), Cosan Limited (CZZ) and Gerdau SA (GGB).China Continues to Pursue Long-Term Investments in CommoditiesYesterday, leading Japanese business newspaper Nikkei informed that China is considering a plan to use part of its US$2 trillion reserves to buy oil reserves and diversify its international investments, reducing the exposure to U.S. bonds. Currently 2/3 of the Chinese reserves are denominated in U.S. dollars.If this plan is approved, we foresee two direct consequences: (i) Oil prices should recover, leading the way to other commodity price increases, and (ii) the U.S. dollar should fall against international currencies like the Yen and the Euro, a development that would also be positive for commodities prices in general, since they are all negotiated in U.S. dollars -- thus a lower dollar would ...