Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014

Worries about the Fed's stimulus cutbacks continued to torment investors today as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) fell for the second day in a row, ending down 1,4%, or 217 points, today to finish at 14,960. It was the first time the blue chips finished below 15,000 in exactly a month, and the descent has been much faster than the climb as the Dow reached its all-time closing high of 15,409 just over a week ago. All 30 Dow components closed lower.

Today, investors reacted to a poor jobs report and the release of the Fed's Beige Book, or its report on current economic conditions, in which it said that the nation's economy was experiencing "modest to moderate" growth, adding that "hiring had increased at a measured pace" in several regions. In an Orwellian state of affairs, investors had recently been reacting positively to bad news, sending stocks higher in the hopes that poor economic data would convince Fed officials to keep the bond-buying program in place. Today, that fever seemed to break as the blue chips fell more than 200 points even with mostly disappointing economic reports.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Yesterday, the bulls nearly erased a big early-day loss. Today, they’ve returned in force, as better economic data and earnings results helped boost the likes of General Electric (GE), American Express (AXP), Visa (V), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Walt Disney (DIS).

Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  IBM (IBM) is an interesting example. I'm not sure Buffett would buy IBM if it weren't for the share buybacks. The company has worked to avoid dilution and reduce the share count over time. He singled this out as a reason for the purchase when he spoke on CNBC. There are other reasons for buying IBM. But I honestly don't believe Buffett would be buying IBM if instead of buying back shares over time IBM was treating its shares the way many tech companies do.

Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Answer: Verizon, NextEra, Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE: EPD), Pembina Pipeline, Apple Inc (NSDQ: AAPL) and APA Group (ASX: APA, OTC: APAJF).

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Apple strives to provide innovative products and services that consumers and companies �love to own. The company has just unveiled its latest iPhone products, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, but may have disappointed investors who expected a larger link with China Mobile. The stock recently formed a solid base and has now broken above that base. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been decreasing while revenues have been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, Apple has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE if Apple can hold current price levels.

• [By Anora Mahmudova]

  Apple Inc (AAPL) shares slid more than 5% afterhours, as the tech group missed analysts forecast on sales of iPhones, even though earnings per share beat estimates.

• [By Rahul Chattaraj]

  If you think Apple (AAPL) has lost its innovative touch with the death of the legendary Steve Jobs, you may be wrong. There are many institutional investors and analysts who fail to see any future in Apple�� upcoming inventions and they feel its peers are posed better to take on the growing demand and necessities of the gadget-mad consumers. On the other hand, the current Apple CEO, Tim Cook believes very strongly in what is in Apple�� pipeline.

Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Today�� big gainer among the Dow stocks was McDonald�� Corp. (NYSE: MCD). The company�� CFO indicated that the fast-food giant may seek more ways to cut costs and even borrow cash to boost returns to investors. The company�� shares traded up 3.53% at $98.56 in a 52-week range of $92.22 to $103.70 just ahead of the closing bell. Volume is on track to be more than 3-times higher than the daily average of nearly 5 million shares traded.