Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Buy For 2014

I��e been saying for a couple weeks now that, based on the fact that interest rates rode a decades-long downtrend into an historically low range, it�� likely that there�� only room to go up from here.

And yet the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note, a widely followed benchmark, continues to make new 2014 lows.

The timing and magnitude of the increase are still open questions. But we still seem to be stuck in a low-growth environment. And that augurs continued subdued inflation.

Slower growth relative to historical norms also suggests that when the Fed does get around to raising its benchmark fed funds rate increases will be slow and not as aggressive compared to past tightening cycles.

The Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar have shown some stability in recent weeks, though the Land Down Under remains vulnerable to a sharp slowdown of Chinese growth and US GDP data are not positive for the Great White North.

10 Best Food Stocks To Watch For 2015: Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX)

Barrick Gold Corporation engages in the production and sale of gold, as well as related activities, such as exploration and mine development. The company has a portfolio of 25 operating mines and a pipeline of projects located in North America, South America, the Australia Pacific region, and Africa. It also produces copper and holds interests in oil and gas properties located in Canada. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  In the video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the pros and cons of four specific miners. Where Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX  ) and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) each offer a different type of investment opportunity, they share a solid dividend yield. Likewise, both Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM  ) and Kinross (NYSE: KGC  ) have different overall profiles, but still are worth considering from an income perspective. Ultimately, finding investment opportunities that combine yield and a solid risk-return profile is critical, and these four stocks may fit your needs.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  The consequence, however, is that precious-metals miners and streamers are being taken down, too. The world's largest gold miner, Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) tumbled 9% yesterday, but it has the added problem of having its huge Pascua-Lama project in Chile being placed on hold as it looks at delays measured in months (at least) before it's able to start up again.

• [By Ben Kramer-Miller]

  In April I wrote an article in which I make the case for shorting Barrick Gold (ABX) either as a good way for gold bears to short the yellow metal, or as a good way for gold bulls to hedge their other gold positions. In that article I criticize the company's hedging of its gold production in the face of rising prices. I also criticize its Equinox purchase and its handling of the Pascua Lama project. More generally I make the case that Barrick Gold has been a terrible steward of shareholder capital.

• [By Harlan Kessler]

  Barrick Gold (ABX), the largest gold producer in the world, recently reported quarterly results showing a decline in profits because of lower prices and reduced volumes. The company is, however staying with its production guidance of 7 million to 7.4 million oz. for the year. The company has also announced plans to identify and sell non-core assets which should provide shareholders with some cheer. All the gold producers now have to learn to live with lower gold prices of approximately $1,400 per ounce in the short term and there are pessimists who believe that prices could go as low as $1,300 per ounce. The strengthening of the dollar is also depressing earnings. At these prices, gold producers will have to show a dramatic reduction in costs and operational efficiency or reduce production by temporarily shutting down mines.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Buy For 2014: CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF)

CF Industries Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, CF Industries, Inc., manufactures and distributes nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products, serving agricultural and industrial customers worldwide. It operates in two segments, Nitrogen and Phosphate. The Nitrogen segment principally offers ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate solution, urea liquor, diesel exhaust fluid, and aqua ammonia. The Phosphate segment primarily offers diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate. The company also owns 50% interests in the GrowHow UK Limited, a nitrogen products producer in the United Kingdom; Point Lisas Nitrogen Limited, an ammonia producer; and KEYTRADE AG, a global fertilizer trading company. CF Industries Holdings� customers include cooperatives and independent fertilizer distributors primarily in the midwestern United States. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  Clearly, of the three companies, PotashCorp and Mosaic are likely to be hit the hardest if India's fertilizer imports decline. Agrium deals primarily in nitrogen, and nitrogen-centric companies depend more on the domestic market for sales. That's also the reason why CF Industries (NYSE: CF  ) didn't find itself on my list of companies that need to worry if things in India get ugly. Phosphate made up 17% of CF's revenue last year; the rest came from nitrogen. Also, only 6.5% of CF's sales last year came from markets outside the U.S. and Canada.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  CF Industries (CF) rose 10.7% to $237 after the fertilizer maker said its evaluating its dividend payment.

  General Motors (GM) rose 1.54% to $38.71 on news that hedge fund Hayman Capital has taken a stake in the automobile maker and says the stock could rise more than 40% in the next 12 to 18 months after the U.S. Treasury sells its stake in the company.

• [By Charles Mizrahi]

  One of the stocks in our portfolio is CF Industries (CF) ��one of the leading producers and distributors of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. Phosphate is essential for seed production, root growth, stalk strength, and other important plant functions. Potash improves water retention, yield, nutrient value, taste, color, texture and disease resistance of food crops.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Buy For 2014: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)

Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

  Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

  When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Buy For 2014: Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd (AAV)

Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. and its subsidiaries engage in the acquisition, exploitation, development, and production of oil and gas in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. It produces and sells crude oil, natural gas, sulphur, and natural gas liquids primarily through marketing companies. As of February 5, 2013, the company�s core properties comprised of Glacier Montney natural gas asset with approximately 80 net sections of land located in Alberta. Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Dube]

  Comparing the netbacks with its peers, we can see that MEG Energy reported Q2 operating netbacks of $41.93/Boe, Advantage Oil & Gas' (AAV) Q2 operating netbacks totaled $14.74/Boe, Baytex has realized $25.76/Boe for Q1 and Bonavista Energy operating netbacks for Q1 amounted to $19.49/Boe. Therefore, with an average netback of $26.11/Boe, BlackPearl's $28.65/Boe is a little higher than the average of its peers with higher realized prices and stronger recoveries.