Top 5 Defensive Companies To Buy Right Now

Options trading in Janus Capital Group (JNS) has a surprisingly defensive tone even though the stock is up some 34% on news Bill Gross was joining.

Gross, of course, is the Bond King of Wall Street. He built PIMCO into one of the world�� largest bond firms, only to�stun the Street today with news he was joining a firm that has not been highly-regarded since the 1990s.

With the stock around $14.92, Janus�� October $14 puts are trading actively in anticipation the stock declines. �So far, almost 17,000 puts have traded. The puts are priced with an implied volatility of 68.4%, which makes it one of the highest implied volatility options in the financial sector, and much of the market.

Overall, Janus��options have traded 13.8 times usual volume. So far, about 13,000 calls have traded ��much of which look like sales. Typical trading volume is 80 contracts. It seems investors are selling calls to express a view that the stock surge will not last.�

Bearish puts have traded about 48,000 contracts. Typical trading volume is about 2,965 contracts.

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Buy Right Now: Brazilian Real(BK)

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, a financial services company, provides various products and services worldwide. The company offers a range of equity, fixed income, cash, and alternative/overlay products, as well as distributes investment management products. It also provides investment management, wealth and estate planning, and private banking solutions to high-net-worth individuals and families, charitable gift programs, endowments and foundations, and related entities, as well as offers mutual funds, separate accounts, and annuities. In addition, the company provides global custody and fund, securities lending, investment manager outsourcing, performance and risk analytics, alternative investment, securities clearance, collateral management, corporate trust, broker-dealer, and employee investment plan services, as well as clearing services and global payment/working capital solutions to institutional clients. Further, it offers American and global depositary re ceipt programs, cash management solutions, payment services, liquidity services, foreign exchange, global clearing and execution, managed account services, and global prime brokerage solutions to corporations, public funds, government agencies, foundations, and endowments; global financial institutions, including banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, insurance companies and central banks; and financial intermediaries, independent registered investment advisors, and hedge fund managers. Additionally, the company provides credit-related services, and global markets and institutional banking services; engages in business exits, and corporate treasury activities; and leases financing portfolios. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  The parties opposed to the settlement, including insurance giant AIG (NYSE: AIG  ) , argue that it amounts to a "pennies-on-the-dollar bargain" for the bank because claims related to the underlying securities could eventually exceed $100 billion. They also argue that Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK  ) , which served as trustee for the securities at issue, acted in bad faith by entering into the settlement, and as a result, the deal should not be given a judicial stamp of approval.

• [By John Grgurich]

  All parties -- which includes AIG (NYSE: AIG  ) , BlackRock (NYSE: BLK  ) , PIMCO, and Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK  ) -- had previously agreed to a B of A payout of $8.5 billion to settle the claims. But a challenge to the settlement has thrown the case back into court, and now B of A could be on the hook for tens of billions.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Company Dell Inc. (DELL) Chesapeake Energy (CHK) DirecTV (DTV) Loews (L) Walt Disney (DIS) Aon Plc (AON) The Travelers Companies (TRV) Level 3 Communications (LVLT) FedEx (FDX) Bank of New York Mellon (BK)
  Learn more about Mason and his views on the present economy in his second-quarter letter here. See his portfolio here.

Top 5 Defensive Companies To Buy Right Now: Home Federal Bancorp Inc.(HOME)

Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Home Federal Bank that provides financial products and services to consumers and businesses. The company?s deposit products include checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposits. Its loan products portfolio comprises one-to-four family residential real estate, real estate construction, and commercial and multifamily real estate loans; commercial business loans for various business purposes, such as working capital and equipment financing, and capital and general investment; and consumer loans, including home equity loans and lines of credit, savings account loans, automobile loans, recreational vehicle loans, and personal unsecured loans. The company offers its products and services in the Treasure Valley region of southwestern Idaho, including Ada, Canyon, Elmore, and Gem counties; the Tri-County region of Central Oregon comprising the counties of Crook, Desc hutes, and Jefferson, as well as the communities of Eugene, Grants Pass, and Medford; and Lane, Josephine, Jackson, and Multnomah counties in Western Oregon. As of January 27, 2012, it operated 28 full-service banking offices. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Nampa, Idaho.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Sanofi fell 2.6 percent after withdrawing a U.S. application for a diabetes drug. Cie. Financiere Richemont (CFR) SA dropped 2.3 percent as revenue missed analysts��estimates. Vivendi SA advanced 2.7 percent after saying it will begin a formal study to separate its French phone unit from its media businesses. Home Retail Group Plc (HOME) surged 5.4 percent to a two-year high as sales exceeded projections.

Top 5 Defensive Companies To Buy Right Now: Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones-Provida S.A.(PVD)

Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Provida S.A. offers private pension fund administration and related services in the Republic of Chile. Its services include collection for individual capitalization accounts, voluntary savings accounts, voluntary pension savings, life and disability benefits, investment services, and accounts administration. The company also holds investments in private pension fund administrators operating in Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. As of June 30, 2005, it operated 134 branches. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile. Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Provida SA operates as a subsidiary of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Chile S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  While America�� middle class appears to be shrinking with little upward mobility, small cap wealth management stocks Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH) and A.F.P Provida SA (NYSE: PVD)�plus larger cap Affiliated Managers Group, Inc (NYSE: AMG) are managing money in places where the ranks of the middle class and the wealthy are still growing strong. Specifically, Noah Holdings Limited is based in China, Chile based A.F.P Provida SA is spreading its footprint into other Latin American countries and the�Affiliated Managers Group is growing�a global footprint. For those reasons, you have probably not heard of these wealth management stocks, but here are some reasons why you might want to consider investing in one:

Top 5 Defensive Companies To Buy Right Now: Professional Diversity Network Inc (IPDN)

Professional Diversity Network, Inc, formerly Professional Diversity Network, LLC, incorporated on October 23, 2003, develops and operates online networks serving diverse professionals in the United States. As of February 28, 2013, the Company focused on Hispanic-American and African-American professionals and launched additional Websites to other diverse segments, including women, Asian-American, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), differently-abled and military professionals. As of February 28, 2013, it had two million members and more than 3,000 companies and organizations, including 60% of the companies, have listed job postings on its Websites. The Company�� major assets include iHispano.com, which has over 1.2 million members in its network and AMightyRiver.com, which has over 600,000 members in its network. As of September 30, 2012, iHispano.com had over 3.7 million visitors and over 4.3 million visits, while AMightyRiver.com had over one million visitors and over 1.2 million visits. In June 2013, Professional Diversity Network announced that it has acquired Resunate Recruiting Technology Platform. In September 2013, Professional Diversity Network Inc acquired the assets of Personnel Strategies Inc.

The Company launched additional online professional networking Websites that serve other diverse communities, including women (WomensCareerChannel.com), Asian Americans (ACareers.net), LGBT (OutProNet.com), enlisted and veteran military personnel (Military2Career.com) and differently-abled (ProAble.net) professionals. In the nine months ended September 30, 2012, this Website had over 700,000 visits and over 600,000 visitors. As of September 30, 2012, WomensCareerChannel.com had over 75,000 members. On November 12, 2012, the Company entered into a diversity recruitment partnership agreement with LinkedIn, which became effective on January 1, 2013. Pursuant to its agreement, LinkedIn may resell to its customer diversity-based job postings and recruitment advertising on the Co! mpany�� Websites.

Solutions for Members

The Company offers a variety online professional networking and career placement solutions. The solutions include talent recruitment communities, job postings and company information search capability, identity and contact management, networking tools, mentoring program, career tools and skill-based content , and E-newsletter and national event information.

Solutions for Employers and Recruiters

The Company posts job listings of employers through its strategic partnership with LinkedIn. These employers include large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, non-profit organizations and other enterprises. The hiring solutions the Company offers include talent recruitment communities, single and multiple job postings, resume database, hiring campaign marketing and advertising, research on products and services, and employment recruitment intelligence compliance assistance (ERICA).

Solutions for Advertisers

The Company�� platform also enables advertisers to target and reach large audiences of diverse professionals and connect them to relevant services. It assists advertisers in building campaigns and provides additional creative services. The Company�� branding and marketing platform employs email marketing, social media, search engines, traffic aggregators and strategic partnerships.

The Company competes with LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter, Monster Worldwide, Taleo, Career Builder, Black Planet and MiGente.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of Professional Diversity Network LLC (IPDN) �dropped 26% to $3.50 on light volume after hours Friday. The company said in an SEC filing that LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) �will no longer resell the company�� postings or recruitment advertising on LinkedIn after March 30.