Susan Walsh/AP With Powerball jackpots hitting $500 million-plus payout levels more frequently these days, you might be wondering whether it's time to start spending a few bucks everyday playing the lottery. But you'd be mistaken to take this as a serious path to wealth. After all, the odds of winning the Powerball are tiny -- just 1 in 175 million. In fact, you're more likely to win an Academy award (1 in 11,500), die from a shark attack (1 in 60,453), or even date a supermodel (1 in 88,000) than you are to strike it rich playing the lottery. And, as I'm sure you can gather, those are events you'll probably never experience. And Yet People Still Play! Even with such remote odds, people continue to play. In fact, it was one of the few purchases that didn't slow down during the recession. In 2012 alone, Americans spent $78 billion on lottery tickets. And over the past 12 months alone, 57 percent of Americans bought a lottery ticket, according to Gallup. But why? Most obvious is the "get rich quick" element. But it's more than just that. One explanation is that people are blind to exactly how unlikely these odds are. (See examples above as a reminder.) In Adam Piore's recent article "Why We Keep Playing the Lottery," he quotes Canadian professor of health sciences Robert Williams, who studies lotteries: "[W]e have nothing in our evolutionary history that prepares us or primes us ... to try and grasp the remoteness of those odds." Another way to look at it, as Piore himself puts it, is that it's an understandable way for those in dire financial circumstances -- with no obvious way out -- to feel like they're "buying hope." Whatever the reason, it's not a serious way to accumulate wealth. And although some may write it off as "just a few dollars here and there," let's take a look at how a similar amount could look over decades of playing. $5-a-Day Habit I've heard a few acquaintances talk about spending $5 a day on lottery tickets. Some spend more, some less -- but I'll use $5 a day for this example. Over the course of a year, that habit adds up to $1,825. A fair sum. But not life-changing. But here's what happens to that money if you set it aside over decades instead of playing this game of chance:
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: PerkinElmer Inc.(PKI)
PerkinElmer, Inc. provides technology, services, and solutions to the diagnostics, research, environmental, industrial, and laboratory services markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Human Health and Environmental Health. The Human Health segment develops diagnostics, tools, and applications to help detect diseases earlier, as well as accelerate the discovery and development of critical new therapies. This segment provides early detection for genetic disorders from pre-conception to early childhood, as well as digital x-ray flat panel detectors and infectious disease testing for the diagnostics market. It also provides a suite of solutions, including instrumentation for automation and detection solutions, in vitro and in vivo imaging and analysis hardware and software, and a portfolio of consumable products, such as drug discovery and research reagents that enable researchers to enhance the drug discovery process. The Environmental Health segment offers t echnologies and applications to facilitate the creation of safer food and consumer products, secure surroundings, and efficient energy resources. This segment provides analytical technologies that address the quality of environment, sustainable energy development, and ensure safer food and consumer products; analytical instrumentation for the industrial market, which includes the semiconductor, chemical, petrochemical, lubricant, construction, office equipment, and quality assurance industries; and laboratory services. The company markets its products and services directly through its own sales forces and distributors for customers, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, laboratories, academic and research institutions, public health authorities, private healthcare organizations, doctors, and government agencies. PerkinElmer, Inc. was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Daniel Lauchheimer]
Let us contrast this with TROV's progress. TROV has secured two critical partnerships -- with Illumina (ILMN), and PerkinElmer (PKI). Company filings on the ILMN deal don't provide much detail, but the filings with the PKI deal detail how PKI wants to use TROV's science to develop a new t assay to detect the presence of hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC). While these two partnerships do not guarantee approval in any way, they do provide a solid validation for TROV's technology.
- [By David Goodboy]
In other bullish news, TrovaGene entered into a material agreement with multibillion-dollar diagnostics technology leader PerkinElmer (NYSE: PKI) to jointly develop a test to determine a person's risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The terms have not been disclosed, but PerkinElmer will make milestone payments to TrovaGene.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Mad Catz Interactive Inc(MCZ)
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes accessories for videogame platforms and personal computers (PC), as well as for iPod and other audio devices. Its products include videogame, PC, and audio accessories, such as control pads, video cables, steering wheels, joysticks, memory cards, light guns, flight sticks, dance pads, microphones, car adapters, carry cases, mice, keyboards, and headsets. It markets its products primarily under the Mad Catz, Saitek, Cyborg, Eclipse, Joytech, GameShark, Tritton, and AirDrives brands. The company also develops flight simulation software; operates flight simulation centers under its Saitek brand; operates a videogame content Website under its GameShark brand; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties. It distributes its products through retailers in the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as in Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zeal and, and Singapore. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
If the name Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (NYSEMKT:MCZ) rings a bell, it might be because yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on the video-gaming hardware (joysticks, control pads, headsets, etc.) back on August 20th. Neither MCZ nor my write-up were received as anything partially special at the time - it was just another stock dissected by just another guy, and you may or may not have given it a second thought. The 37% rally in the meantime, however, may garner a little more attention.
5 Best Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Silvercorp Metals Inc(SVM)
Silvercorp Metals Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of silver mineral properties in China and Canada. The company holds interests in four silver, lead, and zinc mines, including the Ying Project, the HPG Project, the TLP Project, and the LM Project at the Ying Mining Camp in the Henan Province of China. It also holds interests in the GC Project, a silver, lead, and zinc mine in the Guangdong Province; and the BYP gold, lead, and zinc mine project in Hunan province, as well as the Silvertip silver, lead, and zinc mine project in northern British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as SKN Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Silvercorp Metals Inc. in May 2005. Silvercorp Metals Inc. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Enbridge Inc(ENB)
Enbridge Inc. engages in the transportation and distribution of crude oil and natural gas primarily in Canada and the United States. Its Liquids Pipelines segment operates common carrier and contract crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and refined products pipelines and terminals. The company?s Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers primarily in central and eastern Ontario, northern New York State, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Enbridge?s Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services segment invests in natural gas pipelines, processing and green energy projects, and commodity marketing businesses, as well as performs commodity storage, transport, and supply management services. Its Sponsored Investments segment transports crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons through common carrier and feeder pipelines, as well as transports, gathers, processes, and markets natural gas and NGLs; operates a crude oil and liqui ds pipeline and gathering system; and owns a 50% interest in the Canadian portion of Alliance Pipeline and partial interests in various green energy investments. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tyler Crowe]
In total, the current capacity for oil pipelines delivering all types of crude to the U.S. is about 3.4 million barrels per day. These pipelines are all operated by four companies.
Pipeline Owner/Operator Capacity Destination Express-Platte Spectra Energy (NYSE: SE ) � 280,000 bpd Wood River, Ill. Keystone TransCanada 590,000 bpd Cushing, Okla. Enbridge and Lakehead System Enbridge (NYSE: ENB ) and Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP ) 2.5 million bpd Multiple, but 190,000 bpd to Cushing, Okla.For the existing Canada-U.S. pipelines, there is probably little to no effect whether the pipeline gets built or not. The capacity for these pipelines is already contracted out, and a majority of the oil from these pipelines goes to either the Midwest or Rocky Mountain regions.
- [By Callum Turcan]
Bridging the way
Enbridge (NYSE: ENB ) currently carries 2.2 million barrels of crude oil and liquids�each day through its vast 15,372 thousand mile pipeline system.Enbridge has recently undergone�a $6.2 billion program to grow shipping capacity in Western Canada and the Bakken by 400,000 bpd. Western Canada is home to the booming oil sands play, so Enbridge is trying to capitalize on two high-growth markets. - [By Arjun Sreekumar]
Consider the rupture of an Enbridge (NYSE: ENB ) pipeline, which discharged roughly a million gallons of bituminous crude into Michigan's Kalamazoo River in June 2010. Though three years have passed, the cleanup effort still isn't over. Enbridge employees and state and federal environmental crews continue to test the river, where sheen and clumps of oil still linger. The company reported a 4% year-over-year decrease in its first-quarter net income, partially because of the escalation of cleanup costs related to the spill, which are now approaching a whopping $1 billion.
- [By Tyler Crowe]
Despite the obvious fundamental advantages of increased trade of oil between the two countries, there are still some major political hurdles to conquer. On the Canada-to-U.S. side of the argument, TransCanada's (NYSE: TRP ) Keystone XL pipeline has been stuck in litigation for several months. The proposed pipeline has the potential to deliver 830,000 barrels per day of oil to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico, a region that is capable of refining about 2.3 million barrels per day of heavy sour crude. The problem, however, is that the pipeline is receiving stiff opposition from political groups over environmental concerns. Other pipelines such as Enbridge's (NYSE: ENB ) Mainline and Energy Transfer Partner's (NYSE: ETP ) Trunkline Reversal project have also met some opposition over similar concerns to Keystone XL, but they certainly have not seen as much media attention.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: OM Group Inc.(OMG)
OM Group, Inc. develops, produces, and markets specialty chemicals, advanced materials, and electrochemical energy storage products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Advanced Materials, Specialty Chemicals, and Battery Technologies. The Advanced Materials segment manufactures inorganic products using unrefined cobalt and other metals and serves the battery materials, powder metallurgy, ceramics, and chemical end markets. It offers cobalt powders, precursors, chemicals, pigments and ceramics, and various raw materials. These products enhance the electrical conduction of rechargeable batteries, as well as strengthen and add durability to diamond and machine cutting tools and drilling equipment. The Specialty Chemicals segment offers electronic chemicals for the printed circuit board, memory disk, general metal finishing, electronic packaging and finishing, and photovoltaic markets. This segment also provides advanced organics comprising additives and driers for paints, and printing inks; rubber adhesion promoters for tires; composite and other catalysts for chemicals; and fuel oil additives, lubricants, and grease additives. In addition, it offers ultra pure chemicals used in the manufacture of electronic and computer components, such as semiconductors, wafers, and liquid crystal displays; and photo-imaging masks, including high-purity quartz or glass plates containing precision, microscopic images of integrated circuits; and reticles for the semiconductor, optoelectronics, and microelectronics industries under the Compugraphics brand name. The Battery Technologies segment provides battery products, primary and secondary batteries, battery management systems, battery chargers, and energetic devices for defense applications; primary and secondary batteries for satellites, aircraft, and the packaging of cells; and miniature batteries to power implantable medical devices. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Cle veland, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
There's no foolproof way to know the future for OM Group (NYSE: OMG ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.
- [By Canadian Value]
Position % of Fund Assets 1) First American Financial Corp. (FAF) 7.0% 2) Apple, Inc. (AAPL) 6.5% 3) Coinstar, Inc. (CSTR) 4.8% 4) EMC Corp. (EMC) 4.4% 5) Coach, Inc. (COH) 4.4% 6) Kohl's Corp. (KSS) 4.1% 7) Blucora, Inc. (BCOR) 4.0% 8) Tetra Tech, Inc. (TTEK) 3.1% 9) OM Group, Inc. (OMG) 3.0% 10) American International Group, Inc. (AIG) 2.8% TOTAL 44.1% One area that we believe still offers some value in the market is in high quality, large��ap technology stocks that may be momentarily out��f��avor as they transition from rapid growth to slower growth. In particular, we become interested when that transition is also accompanied by a change in capital allocation policies designed to return more cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. We believe that Apple and EMC are two of the absolute highest quality technology businesses in the world and both have recently announced very material, shareholder��friendly changes to how they will allocate capital.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Transcananda Pipelines Ltd.(TRP)
Transcanada Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. The company operates in three segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, Oil Pipelines, and Energy. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment develops and operates energy infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines and regulated gas storage facilities. Its network of natural gas pipelines extends approximately 60,000 km tapping into gas supply basins in North America. The Oil Pipelines segment operates Keystone crude oil pipeline system, which includes completed 3,467 km Wood River/Patoka and Cushing Extension phases, and the proposed 2,673 km U.S. Gulf Coast Expansion. The Energy segment engages in the acquisition, development, construction, ownership, and operation of electrical power generation plants; the purchase and marketing of electricity; the provision of electricity account services to energy and industrial customers; and the development, construction, ownership, and operation of non-regulat ed natural gas storage in Alberta. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt DiLallo]
The most controversial pipeline is still up in the air. The Keystone XL proposed by TransCanada (NYSE: TRP ) would ship about 830,000 barrels of oil per day, including 100,000 barrels of Bakken oil. For perspective, that's between 1,220 and 1,150 rail cars per day that would be required to fill the gap. That's why, if the pipeline isn't approved, it could lead to a 42% increase in rail shipments of crude oil by 2017, potentially costing oil producers a lot of money.
- [By Eric Volkman]
Start scratching names off the asset list of Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ ) . The company announced that it has closed the sale of Brockville 1, a 10 megawatt AC solar power plant. The buyer is TransCanada (NYSE: TRP ) , and the plant is one of nine that TransCanada will ultimately take over from its national peer. All told, the nine plants have a combined capacity of 86 megawatts.
- [By Arjun Sreekumar]
While environmentalists and climate-change groups are sure to be dismayed by the study's results, the committee's findings are good news for TransCanada (NYSE: TRP ) , which is seeking U.S. federal approval to construct the northern portion of its Keystone XL pipeline.
- [By Tyler Crowe]
TransCanada (NYSE: TRP ) is known much more for its Keystone XL pipeline, but the company is also looking at other ways to profit just in case this project goes south. The company just recently announced that it will be spending approximately $450 million on solar projects through Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ ) over the next several years.�
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Iamgold Corporation(IAG)
IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Inyoung Hwang]
Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc sank 3.3 percent after reporting results and naming the head of its U.K. consumer unit as chief executive officer. William Hill Plc (WMH) dropped the most in four years after the bookmaker posted earnings that missed analysts��projections. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) rose to a five-year high as the parent of British Airways reported an operating profit in the second quarter.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG ) will release its quarterly report on Monday, and as with most gold mining companies, it's expected to post disappointing results compared to last year's figures because of the big drop in gold prices during the second quarter. Yet investors still expect IAMGOLD earnings to show the company's profitability, giving it a competitive advantage over weaker producers that are struggling to stay out of the red.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Penn West Petroleum Ltd(PWE)
Penn West Petroleum Ltd. engages in acquiring, exploring, developing, exploiting, and holding interests in petroleum and natural gas properties and related assets in North America. The company produces light and medium crude oil, natural gas liquids, heavy oil, and natural gas. It operates in two major regions, including the Southern District, which covers properties within Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and southern and east central Alberta with developed and undeveloped land base totaling approximately 3.3 million net acres; and the Northern District encompassing northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, parts of west central Alberta, and the Northwest Territories with developed and undeveloped land position of approximately 2.9 million net acres. The company was formerly known as Penn West Energy Trust and changed its name to Penn West Petroleum Ltd. in January 2011. Penn West Petroleum Ltd. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Penn West Exploration (NYSE:PWE) wishes to notify interested parties that Rob Wollmann, Senior Vice President, Exploration will present at the EnerCom Oil & Gas Conference on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 1:55pm (MST) in Denver, Colorado.
- [By Stephan Dube]
Peace River's most notable producers:
PennWest Exploration (PWE), see article here.Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), see article here.Baytex (BTE), see article here.Strata Oil and Gas (SOIGF.PK), see article here.Petrobank Energy & Resources (PBEGF.PK), see article here.Cold Lake's most notable producers:
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