Best China Stocks To Watch For 2014

There's a catchy new acronym gaining traction in emerging markets, and it points to the next best investment opportunity in developing economic growth.

Four emerging markets - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey - make up the MINT economies. Like BRIC - Brazil, Russia, India, and China - before them, these four are expected to outpace the developed world over the coming years. According to Bloomberg, they've already doubled their economies since 2000.

Of those four, one is a clear leader: Mexico.

Mexico's economy has grown 50% since 2004. The growth stems from two factors: China, and automobiles.

Over the last several years, manufacturing wages in China have been rising relative to those in the United States and Mexico. This has led to more "nearshoring" - companies moving production from Asia to the Americas. Late last year, the seesaw tipped, and China's average manufacturing wages surpassed Mexico's, according to The Wall Street Journal.

10 Best Shipping Stocks For 2015: BHP Billiton Limited(BHP)

BHP Billiton Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified natural resources company worldwide. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas; mining and refining of bauxite into alumina, and smelting of alumina into aluminum metal; and mining of copper, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, diamonds, and titanium minerals, as well as development of potash deposits. It also involves in the mining and production of nickel products, manganese ore, and manganese metal and alloys, as well as in the mining of iron ore, metallurgical coal, and thermal coal. BHP Billiton Limited sells its copper, lead, and zinc concentrates, and alumina to smelters; copper cathodes to wire rod mills, brass mills, and casting plants; uranium oxide to electricity generating utilities; rough diamonds to diamond buyers and diamond manufacturers; nickel products to stainless steel, specialty alloy, foundry, chemicals, and refractory ma terial industries; metallurgical coal to steel producers; and energy coal to power stations, power generators, and industrial users. The company, formerly known as BHP Limited, was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  ��The ranking exercise (is) based on growth and fundamental analysis. EXC ranks at the bottom in both analyses��op 4 results are Apple, BHP Billiton (BHP), Mosaic (MOS) and Rio Tinto (RIO). MOS was eliminated as it has one year of negative FCF.

• [By Sara Sjolin]

  Mining firms helped lift the London index, as they rose alongside higher metals prices. Shares of Rio Tinto PLC (UK:RIO) � (RIO) � (AU:RIO) �gained 2.3%, Anglo American PLC (UK:AAL) �picked up 2.1%, Antofagasta PLC (UK:ANTO) �advanced 1.2% and BHP Billiton PLC (UK:BLT) � (BHP) � (AU:BHP) �rose 1.1%.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  What the company is doing is transforming itself into a global resources company as opposed to a copper-focused global mining company. This is a similar model to the one espoused by BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP  ) . Not only does the Anglo-Australian giant have major mining operations, including the world's largest copper mine Escondida, but it has global gas and oil operations as well. This has made the company's profits less sensitive to the price movement of any one commodity. For example, a 10-cent-per-pound move in copper has a $200 million impact to BHP's net profit after taxes. That same move in copper prices has a $275 million impact to Freeport's operating cash flow, which is on a smaller base.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Cliffs Natural Resources have dropped 2% to $13.86 at 10:17 a.m. today–and yes, the damage is specific to Cliffs.�Rio Tinto�(RIO) has dipped 0.1% $51.56 despite getting downgraded today, while BHP Billiton (BHP) has gained 0.9% to $67.37.

Best China Stocks To Watch For 2014: LDK Solar Co. Ltd.(LDK)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products; and development of power plant projects. It offers solar-grade and semiconductor-grade polysilicon; and multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar wafers to the manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules. The company also provides wafer processing services to monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell and module manufacturers; and sells silicon materials, such as ingots and polysilicon scraps. In addition, it engages in the production and sale of solar cells and modules to developers, distributors, and system integrators; and design and development of solar power projects in Europe, the United States, and China, as well as provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. LDK Solar Co., Ltd. operates in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Xinyu City, t he People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  There doesn't seem to be a shortage of bad news for LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) lately. The company defaulted on loans earlier this week, bringing on concerns of a pending insolvency or bankruptcy, and today released some dismal earnings numbers.�

Best China Stocks To Watch For 2014: Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc.(HMIN)

Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. develops, leases, operates, franchises, and manages a chain of economy hotels in the People?s Republic of China. The company operates its hotels under the Home Inn brand name. As of April 28, 2011, it had approximately 800 Home Inns in operation and 1,000 Home Inns sealed in franchise agreements. The company was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  We��e been down this road with Home Inns and Hotels Management (HMIN) before. Which doesn�� make it any less scary.

  The stock is down 22.2% in the last ten days��espite solid��ut certainly not spectacular��esults for the fourth quarter, reported on March 12.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  The New York traded ADRs of China's Home Inns and Hotels Management (HMIN) have climbed 15.5% from September 24 to the close on October 11.

  Part of the reason is a October 10 recommendation from Goldman Sachs that added the ADRs to its top pick list. And part of the reason is a huge surge in domestic travel during China's recently concluded National Day holiday week. (Home Inns and Hotels Management is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.)

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Home Inns & Hotels Management (NASDAQ: HMIN) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $2.18 per share on revenue of $1.54 billion.

  Qiwi plc (NASDAQ: QIWI) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $50.00 million.

• [By Belinda Cao]

  The Bloomberg China-US Equity Index (CH55BN) of the most-traded Chinese companies in the U.S. slumped 3.4 percent last week to a seven-month low of 89.04. The gauge traded at 13.5 times estimated earnings, 3.6 percent below the S&P�� valuation, data compiled by Bloomberg show. China Southern Airlines Co. (ZNH) and China Eastern Airlines Corp. (CEA) lost more than 6 percent April 5, while Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (HMIN) tumbled 16 percent in the week.

Best China Stocks To Watch For 2014: Xueda Education Group(XUE)

Xueda Education Group provides tutoring services for primary and secondary school students in the People?s Republic of China with a focus on offering personalized tutoring services. Its services include consultation and assessment, formulation of a customized study plan, personalized tutoring, and delivery of supporting services. The company also provides course offerings that cover various academic subjects taught in primary and secondary schools, such as mathematics, English, physics, Chinese, and chemistry; and self-designed courses beyond the standard curriculum in certain subjects, as well as in subjects not taught at public primary and secondary schools. As of December 31, 2010, its tutoring service network comprised 207 learning centers and approximately 9,650 full-time service professionals, serving customers located in 53 economically developed cities across 27 of China?s 31 provinces and municipalities. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Beij ing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Friday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.09 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) and Xueda Education Group (NYSE: XUE). Financial sector was the leading decliner in the US market today.

Best China Stocks To Watch For 2014: Perfect World Co. Ltd.(PWRD)

Perfect World Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, operation, and licensing of online games primarily in the People?s Republic of China, the United States, and the Rest of Asia. It develops online games based on its game engines and game development platforms. The company?s 3D massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) include Perfect World, an adventure and fantasy game with traditional Chinese settings; Legend of Martial Arts, an adventure story of Chinese swordsmen set in an ancient kingdom; and Perfect World II, which is set in a similar content and graphic background as Perfect World. It also offers Zhu Xian that is based on martial arts focused adventure set in a fantasy world; Chi Bi, a war story developed based on ancient Chinese history known as the Three Kingdoms; Hot Dance Party, a 3D online casual game; Pocketpet Journey West, a 3D MMORPG based on the classical novel of Chinese literature, Journey to the West ; Battle of the Immortals, a mysterious adventure, which enables game players to travel between eastern and western cultures, and adventures in historic sites and turf wars; and Fantasy Zhu Xian, a 2D turn-based MMORPG based on the Internet fantasy novel Zhu Xian. It also involves in the production and distribution of films, as well as television advertising activities. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Before markets open Tuesday morning we are scheduled to hear results from Perfect World Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN), Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) which announced a new video app today, Best Buy Co. Inc (NYSE: BBY) which is included in our preview of this week�� results from retailers, Dick�� Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP), and Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL).