Top 5 Stocks In 2013

Canadian stocks (SPTSX) rose for a fourth day, led by energy producers, as natural gas futures gained the most since October on forecasts for colder-than-normal weather in the northern U.S.

Suncor Energy Inc. (SU), Canada’s largest oil and gas producer, advanced 1.5 percent. Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc., the world’s biggest fertilizer producer by market value, declined 1.9 percent after Citigroup Inc. removed it from a list of top stock picks. Yoga-wear retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc. (LULU) rallied 8.9 percent after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. added the company to its Americas Conviction List.

The Standard & Poor’s/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) climbed 18.04 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,226.47. The index closed at the highest level since Nov. 15 for a second day after rallying yesterday when the Institute for Supply Management’s U.S. manufacturing index rose more than most economists had forecast.

“The U.S. economy’s doing better than what people thought,” Stephen Gauthier, a money manager at Fin-XO Securities in Montreal, said in a telephone interview. The firm oversees about C$600 million ($593 million). “That’s giving a lift to commodities, which had a very difficult year last year. There’s a little cold snap, natural gas going up. There’s crude oil going up also, because of tensions in Iran.”

The S&P/TSX rallied 2.1 percent yesterday, led by raw- materials and energy stocks, after slumping 11 percent in 2013. The S&P/TSX Materials Index (STMATR) fell to the lowest relative to earnings since May 2009 last month as the spread of Europe’s debt crisis led to the gains in the U.S. dollar and drops in gold and copper futures.

Natural gas surged 3.4 percent on the New York Mercantile Exchange after AccuWeather Inc. said temperatures may fall to 6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 14 Celsius) on Jan. 15. Natural gas futures have declined 34 percent from a year ago.

Top 5 Stocks In 2013:Aerosonic Corporation (AIM)

 Aerosonic Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft instruments worldwide. It offers mechanical and digital altimeters, airspeed indicators, rate of climb indicators, microprocessor controlled air data test sets, and other flight instruments. The company also produces mechanical and electro-mechanical cockpit instruments, angle of attack stall warning systems, digital cockpit instruments, integrated flight display systems, aircraft sensors and monitoring systems, and integrated multifunction probes, such as integrated air data sensors. It markets its products to manufacturers of corporate and private jets, contractors of military jets, the United States government, and private aircraft owners. The company sells its products directly through its sales personnel, as well as through distributors and commissioned sales representatives who resell to aircraft operators. Aerosonic Corporation was founded in 1953 and is based in Clearwater, Florida.

Top 5 Stocks In 2013:Calpine Corporation (CPN)

 Calpine Corporation, an independent wholesale power generation company, owns and operates natural gas-fired and geothermal power plants in North America. It operates natural gas-fired combustion turbines and renewable geothermal conventional steam turbines. The company sells wholesale power, steam, capacity, renewable energy credits, and ancillary services to utilities, independent electric system operators, industrial and agricultural companies, retail power providers, municipalities, and power marketers. As of March 03, 2011, it operated 92 power plants delivering approximately 28,000 megawatts of power to customers and communities in 20 states of the United States and Canada. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Top 5 Stocks In 2013:Snap-On Incorporated (SNA)

 Snap-on Incorporated provides tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information, and systems solutions for professional users. Its products include hand tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, ratchets, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, and torque measuring instruments; power tools, including pneumatic, hydraulic, cordless, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and tool control systems. The company?s diagnostics and repair information products include handheld and PC-based diagnostics products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems, business services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics to manage and track performance. Snap-on Incorporated?s equipment products comprise solutions for the diagnosis and service of automotive and industrial equipment, such as wheel alignment, collision repair, air conditioning service, brake service, fluid exchange, transmission troubleshooting, and safety testing equipment, as well as wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane systems, battery chargers, and hoists. The company also provides financial services, including business loans and vehicle leases to franchisees; loans to the franchisees? customers; and loans to its industrial and other customers for the purchase of tools, equipment, and diagnostics products. Snap-on Incorporated sells its products and services through mobile vans, franchisees, company-direct sales, distributors, and the Internet in approximately 130 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina, China, and Brazil. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Top 5 Stocks In 2013:Global Industries Ltd. (GLBL)

 Global Industries, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides construction and subsea services to the offshore oil and gas industry in the North America, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific/the Middle East regions. The company?s services include pipeline construction, platform installation and removal, construction support, diving services, diverless intervention, and marine support services. As of December 31, 2010, its fleet included four derrick lay barges, one pipelay/derrick vessel, one heavy lift ship, one pipelay barge, four multi-service vessels, one dive support vessel, and one offshore supply vessel. The company serves oil and gas producers and pipeline companies. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Carlyss, Louisiana.

Top 5 Stocks In 2013:Willbros Group Inc. (WG)

 Willbros Group, Inc. provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services to the oil and gas, refinery, petrochemical, and power industries primarily in the United States, Canada, and Oman. Its Upstream Oil & Gas segment offers EPC services to design, build, or replace large-diameter cross-country pipelines; fabricate engineered structures, process modules, and facilities; and build oil and gas production facilities, pump stations, flow stations, gas compressor stations, gas processing facilities, gathering lines, and related facilities. The company?s Downstream Oil & Gas segment provides specialty construction, turnaround, repair, and maintenance services to the downstream energy infrastructure market, which consists of integrated oil companies, independent refineries, product terminals, and petrochemical companies, as well as EPC firms, independent power producers, government entities, specialty process facilities, and ammonia and fertilizer manufacturing plants and facilities. It also offers manufacturing services for process heaters, heater coils, alloy piping, specialty components, and other equipment for installation in oil refineries; heater services, including design, manufacture, and installation of fired heaters in refining and process plants; tank services for the construction, maintenance, or repair of petroleum storage tanks; safety services for supplementing a refinery?s safety personnel, and providing safety equipment; government services through building and managing fueling depots and other fueling systems; evaluation, maintenance, and building petroleum, oil, and lubricant facilities; and EPC services through program management and EPC project services. Its Utility T&D segment provides a range of services in electric power and natural gas transmission and distribution, such as maintenance and construction, repair, and restoration of utility infrastructure. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.