Top Consumer Service Stocks To Own For 2014

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) has become a bit of a soda jerk.

A couple of outlets dared to compare Microsoft's poorly received Windows 8 operating system -- and the company's reaction this past week in promising an update that will restore some missed features -- to Coca-Cola's (NYSE: KO  ) flop with New Coke.

For those unfamiliar with the pop star's sugary blunder, Coca-Cola shocked the carbonated-beverage industry with the 1985 introduction of New Coke. The reformulation was a disaster, and the soft-drink titan responded quickly by bringing back the original beverage as Coca-Cola Classic.

"Microsoft is preparing to reverse course over key elements of its Windows 8 operating system, marking one of the most prominent admissions of failure for a new mass-market consumer product since Coca-Cola's New Coke fiasco nearly 30 years ago," the Financial Times wrote on Tuesday.

"The comparison with New Coke actually understates Microsoft's problem," The Economist followed, correctly arguing that Coke's solution was an easy fix. Some even speculated at the time that Coca-Cola did it on purpose, triggering a strong reaction from Coke-sipping loyalists.

Top 10 Construction Stocks To Invest In 2015: KBridge Energy Corp (BMMCF)

KBridge Energy Corp., incorporated on October 23, 2002, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in providing consulting services.

The Company markets resource-based opportunities in North America to customers based in Korea as a broker for energy and resource related contracts. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had not generated any revenues.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks KBridge Energy Corp (OTCMKTS: BMMCF), Medifocus Inc (OTCMKTS: MDFZF) and Inscor Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and some of it is deserved as the first stock sank 35% on Friday, the second one recently released its financials (which did show a big improvement, but there is also a big catch for investors) and the third one has been the subject of a very aggressive promotional campaign. But are any of these three small caps really all that hot for investors? Here is a quick reality check:

Top Consumer Service Stocks To Own For 2014: Timeless Software Ltd (TLW)

Timeless Software Limited is an investment holding company mainly engaged in the provision of computer consultancy and software maintenance services, software development and sales of computer hardware and software. It operates in four divisions: software development, hardware sales, software sales and e-commerce services. As of March 31, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries included Three Principles Computer Service Company Limited, which is engaged in the provision of computer consultancy services, development and sales of computer software; Encore Trading Limited, which is engaged in the trading of computer software and hardware and provision of information technology consultancy services in Hong Kong; Timeless Northern Software (Beijing) Company Limited, which is engaged in design, development and maintenance of computer software and systems, as well as provision of computer consultancy services, and other subsidiaries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  IAG, the parent of British Airways, climbed 3 percent to 373.6 pence and Air France advanced 1.5 percent to 7.62 euros. BG Group Plc (BG/), the third-biggest oil and gas producer listed in the U.K., dropped 1.2 percent to 1,245 pence and Tullow Oil Plc (TLW) retreated 1.4 percent to 875 pence.

Top Consumer Service Stocks To Own For 2014: Unilever PLC(UL)

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It offers personal care products, including skin care and hair care products, deodorants, and oral care products under the brand names of Axe, Brylcreem, Dove, Fissan, Lifebuoy, Lux, Pond's, Radox, Rexona, Signal & Close Up, Simple, St Ives, Sunsilk, TRESemm� Vaseline, and VO5. The company also provides home care products comprising laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars, and a range of cleaning products under the Cif, Comfort, Domestos, Omo, Radiant, Sunlight, and Surf brand names. In addition, it offers food products consisting of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads, as well as cooking products, such as liquid margarines. The company markets its food products under the brand names of Becel/Flora, Bertolli, Blue Band, Rama, Hellmann?s, Amora, and Knorr. Further, it provides refreshment products, which includ e ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products, and nutritionally enhanced staples under the brand names of Heartbrand, Lipton, and Slim Fast. Unilever sells its products through its own sales force, as well as through independent brokers, agents, and distributors to chain, wholesale, co-operative and independent grocery accounts, food service distributors, and institutions. The company, formerly known as Lever Brothers Limited, was founded in 1885 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Unilever PLC is a subsidiary of The Unilever Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Unilever (NYSE: UL  ) has strengthened its stake in one of its subsidiaries abroad. The company announced that its tender offer for the shares of Hindustan Unilever closed today, with the result that the consumer goods multinational now owns 67.3% of the company. This is a gain of nearly 15 percentage points over the pre-offer figure of nearly 52.5%.�

• [By G. A. Chester]

  Today, I'm putting Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant�Unilever� (LSE: ULVR  ) (NYSE: UL  ) under the microscope.

  Dividend policy
  Soon after Paul Polman took over as chief executive in January 2009, Unilever announced a new dividend policy to run from 2010 onward:�"Unilever's policy is to seek to pay an attractive, sustainable and growing dividend to shareholders."

Top Consumer Service Stocks To Own For 2014: Toshiba Corp (TOSBF)

TOSHIBA CORPORATION is a Japan-based manufacturer that operates in five business segments. The Digital Product segment manufactures and sells cellular phones, hard disc devices, optical disc devices, televisions among others. The Electronic Device segment provides general logic integrated circuits (ICs), optical semiconductors, power devices, large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits, among others. The Social Infrastructure segment manufactures and sells various generators, power distribution systems, water and sewer systems, transportation systems and station automation systems, among others. The Home Appliance segment provides refrigerators, drying machines, washing machines, cooking utensils, cleaners and lighting equipment, among others. The Others segment is involved in the provision of logistics services. In January 2014, Toshiba Corp purchased substantially all assets of OCZ Technology Group, and launched new subsidiary, OCZ Storage Solutions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bruce Kennedy]

  On Monday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced indictments against five officers in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) for ��erious cybersecurity breaches��against six American firms: Westinghouse Electric, a division of Toshiba (OTC: TOSBF) , Alcoa (NYSE: AA),�Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), the United Steelworkers Union and SolarWorld (OTC: SRWRY).