Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now

Even in the world of commodities, brand can mean a lot. Since oil is part of our everyday lives, companies like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM  ) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) have become two of the most recognized brands around the world. With natural gas looking to have its day in the sun, perhaps there are a few companies that could become household names as well.�

Exporting liquefied natural gas, or LNG, certainly has become one of the most talked about topics in the United States. One company that is leading the LNG export charge is Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT: LNG  ) . As the first mover in this space for the U.S., it has the best chance of any other company to make a big splash in this market.

If you are looking for brand recognition, though, then look no further than Exxon's and Chevron's gas stations to see why everyone knows their name. For this reason, perhaps Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) has a shot at being a company we recognize from seeing its stations all over the place. Tune in to the video below where Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe takes a look at a couple other natural gas companies that could become part of the everyday energy conversation.�

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: International Speedway Corporation(ISCA)

International Speedway Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, promotes motorsports themed entertainment activities in the United States. The company?s motorsports themed event operations consist of racing events at its motorsports entertainment facilities. Its motorsports entertainment facilities promoted approximately 100 stock car, open wheel, sports car, truck, motorcycle, go-kart racing, and other racing events. The company is also involved in souvenir merchandising operations; food and beverage concession operations; the provision of catering services in suites and chalets; creation of motorsports-related programming content, including national satellite radio service; the usage of its track facilities for testing for teams, driving schools, riding experiences, car shows, auto fairs, concerts and settings for television commercials, print advertisements, and motion pictures; and rents show cars for promotional events. As of November 30, 2011, it owned and/or op erated 13 motorsports entertainment facilities. The company was formerly known as Daytona International Speedway Corporation and changed its name to International Speedway Corporation in 1968. International Speedway Corporation was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Earnings Expected: International Speedway Corporation (NASDAQ: ISCA), WD-40 Company (NASDAQ: WDFC), Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA)

  Economic Releases Expected: French trade balance, British industrial production, British manufacturing production, Canadian housing starts, US redbook

• [By Patricio Kehoe] hem. This market giant operates 13 motorsports stadiums, including the infamous Daytona 500 and Talladega Superspeedway and hosts over 100 events during the racing season. The firm relies on the motorsport segment for 70% of its revenue, and is majority owned by the France family, which also owns the privately held NASCAR. However, this once popular sport has lost some of its fame from the 2000s and today, it might not be the most profitable business. Let�� take a look at what might have motivated investment guru David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) to sell out his company shares.

  Back and Forth in a Monopoly

  The motorsports industry is a natural monopoly at the local level, since only one racetrack can hold NASCAR events in each market, and until now, International Speedway has won this battle. Nevertheless, over the past five years, this company has suffered under declining ticket and concession spending, due to a weak demographic fan base located in troubled geographies. Although recent racetrack changes and customer stabilization will leave ISCA well positioned when spending power increases once again, this is bound to happen at a slow pace. However, the distinct properties of each racetrack attract high brand loyalty, and have compelled competitors like Speedway Motorsports Inc. (TRK) to focus business on completely different markets, therefore posing no real threat to ISCA.

  Given that a recession or high oil prices could lead to a strong decline in admissions and concessions revenue, as well as corporate sponsorships, the motorsport giant has been making active efforts to counterbalance its vulnerability. After the 2009 recession cut down on sales by 40% and motorsports lost some popularity, causing ROIC metrics to plummet from 17.7% (quarter four of 2008) to 6.2% in fiscal 2013, ISCA focused on improving its capital allocation strategy. The new Hollywood Casino at the Kansas Speedway racetrack, which the company is building in a joint ventu

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, motorsports entertainment promoter International Speedway (NASDAQ: ISCA  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Before the opening bell on Thursday, motorsports and entertainment company International Speedway Corporation (ISCA) reported that its third quarter loss widened compared to the previous year despite an increase in revenues. The higher losses were mostly due to a number of one-time costs.

  The Daytona Beach, Florida-based company posted a third quarter net loss of $7.9 million, or 17 cents per share, versus last year’s third quarter loss of $1.04 million, or 2 cents per share.

  Excluding various one-time items, International Speedway Corp. said its adjusted net income came in at $2.3 million, or 5 cents per share, in the third quarter. According to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, the company was expected to see an adjusted loss of 1 cent per share for the quarter.

  International Speedway’s third quarter revenues were $117.05 million, up slightly from the $115.93 million in revenues posted last year. On average, analysts were expecting the company to post revenues of $118.6 million in the quarter.

  “We remain encouraged with our quarter and year-to-date financial results; generating increased total revenue for the periods,” stated ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy. “Adjusting for comparable events, our attendance revenue, which has been our principal risk, was down less than one percent for the quarter delivering results within our range of expectations and showing further signs of stabilization in our business.”

  Looking forward, the company maintained its fiscal 2013 guidance. It expects full year revenues to come in between $610.0 million and $625.0 million, with adjusted earnings coming in between $1.35 and $1.55 per share. However, the company said it feels more comfortable expecting full year results to be at the low-to-mid range of this guidance.

  International Speedway Corp shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Thursday. The stock is up 20.76% year-to-date

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: United States Gasoline Fund LP (UGA)

United States Gasoline Fund, LP (UGA) is a commodity pool that issues limited partnership interests (units). The investment objective of UGA is for the changes in percentage terms of its units��net asset value (NAV) to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of gasoline (also known as reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygen blending (RBOB)) for delivery to the New York harbor, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract for gasoline traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (the NYMEX) that is the near month contract to expire, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case the futures contract will be the next month contract to expire, less UGA�� expenses. UGA seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a mix of Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. United States Commodity Funds LLC (USCF) is the general partner of UGA and is responsible for the management of UGA.

The net assets of UGA consist primarily of investments in futures contracts for gasoline, but may also consist of investment contracts for other types of gasoline, crude oil, heating oil, natural gas and other petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures or other United States and foreign exchanges (collectively, Futures Contracts). UGA may also invest in other gasoline-related investments, such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for gasoline, cleared swap contracts and over-the-counter transactions that are based on the price of gasoline, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, Other Gasoline-Related Investments).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The United States Gasoline ETF (NYSEMKT: UGA) is up about 0.9%, at $62.75 in a 52-week range of $53.35 to $65.86.

  The United States Brent Oil ETF (NYSEMKT: BNO) is up 1.5%, at $89.43 in a 52-week range of $73.76 to $89.43. The annual high also was�set today.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The United States Gasoline ETF (NYSEMKT: UGA) is down about 0.7%, at $60.48, in a 52-week range of $53.35 to $65.86.

  The United States Brent Oil ETF (NYSEMKT: BNO) is up less than 0.1%, at $44.38 in a 52-week range of $36.88 to $45.05. The annual high was also set today.

5 Best Casino Stocks To Own Right Now: Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC)

Wisconsin Energy Corporation engages in the generation, distribution, and sale of electric energy and steam. The company also involves in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to retail customers, as well as in the transportation of customer-owned natural gas in Wisconsin. It generates electricity from coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro sources. The company offers its services under ?We Energies? name. It serves approximately 1,120,200 electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; approximately 1,064,500 gas customers in Wisconsin; and approximately 460 steam customers in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, the company invests and develops in real estate properties, including business parks and other commercial real estate projects primarily in southeastern Wisconsin. It provides electric utility service to industries, such as mining, paper, foundry, food products, and machinery production, as well as to retail chains. The c ompany was founded in 1981 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  This week a few companies answered the call and rewarded their shareholders with higher cash dividends:
  
  Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED) engages in regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2.4% to $0.63 per share. The dividend is payable March 15, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 12, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 4.7%.
  
  Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ), a real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, develops, and manages real estate portfolio, as well as performs certain real estate-related services. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 66.7% to $0.075 per share. The dividend is payable February 24, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.8%.
  
  Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC) generates and distributes electric energy, as well as distributes natural gas. The company operates in two segments, Utility Energy and Non-Utility Energy. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2% to $0.3900 per share. The dividend is payable March 1, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 14, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.8%.
  
  BlackRock Inc. (BLK) is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 14.9% to $1.93 per share. The dividend is payable March 24, 2014, to stockholders of record on March 7, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.4%.
  
  ONEOK Inc. (OKE) operates as a diversified energy company in the United States. January 15th the company increased its quarterly dividend 5.3% to $0.40 per share. The dividend is payable February 18, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.5%.
  
  Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. (OHI) is a real es

• [By Larry Smith]

  Wisconsin Energy (WEC) - Wisconsin Energy is the largest electric and gas company in Wisconsin with 1.1 million electric customers and 1 million gas customers. Wisconsin Energy also owns a 26% interest in American Transmission Company, a multistate, transmission only utility. WEC has been named the most reliable utility in the Midwest seven out of the last 10 years and has very high customer satisfaction. I owned WEC briefly and would be willing to own it again at a price under $38.00.

• [By Chris Hill]

  Our analysts share why they're keeping a close eye on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC  ) �and Coach (NYSE: COH  ) .

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Portland General Electric Company (POR)

Portland General Electric Company operates as an integrated electric utility in Oregon. The company engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity. Its generating portfolio consists of thermal, hydro, and wind resources. The company also sells electricity and natural gas in the wholesale market to utilities, brokers, and power marketers in the western United States and Canada. As of March 31, 2011, it served approximately 821,193 residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Utility operator�Portland General Electric� (NYSE: POR  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.275 per share, a near-2% increase over last quarter's payout of $0.27 per share.

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Grana y Montero SAA (GRAM)

Grana y Montero SAA is a Peru-based holding company primarily engaged in the four business areas: Construction and Engineering Industry, Real Estate, Oil Services, and Operation of Public Concessions and Business Support Services. Through its subsidiaries, the Company provides such services as the development and management of real estate properties and leisure facilities; the exploration, production and sale of oil, natural gas and its derivates; the storage and distribution of combustibles; information technology services; engineering consultancy; the operation and maintenance of rails and roads concessions; as well as the execution and management of projects related to the generation of electric power; among others. The Company owns such subsidiaries as GMD SA, Concar SA, Survial SA, Norvial SA and Promotores Asociados de Inmobiliarios SA, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By alicet236]

  Grana y Montero SAA (GRAM) Reached the Five-Year Low of $20.90

  The prices of Grana y Montero SAA (GRAM) shares have declined to close to the five-year low of $20.90, which is 17.3% off the five-year high of $22.14. Grana y Montero SAA is owned by four Gurus we are tracking. Among them, four have added to their positions during the past quarter. Zero reduced their positions. Grana y Montero SAA was established in Peru on August 12, 1996 as a result of the equity spin-off of Inversiones GyM S. Grana Y Montero Saa has a market cap of $2.75 billion; its shares were traded at around $20.90 with a P/E ratio of 24.60 and P/S ratio of 1.24.

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Westwood Holdings Group Inc(WHG)

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. It operates through two subsidiaries, Westwood Management Corp. and Westwood Trust. The Westwood Management Corp. provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds, individuals, and clients of Westwood Trust. The Westwood Trust provides trust and custodial services to institutions and high net worth individuals, and participates in common trust funds that it sponsors. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Even though APAM stock has been hitting its 10-month high in recent days, its yield is still 2.6% — 50 basis points higher than BLK, WDR and WETF. If you like asset managers that handle big chunks of institutional money while still playing the retail mutual fund game, this is the smart choice.

  Westwood Holdings Group (WHG)

  I first became aware of the Dallas-based asset manager Westwood Holdings Group (WHG) when I read about its founder, Susan Byrne, in an article that appeared in Fortune magazine several years ago. Her firm has been doing great things outside the bright lights of Manhattan ever since.

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Santos Ltd (STOSF)

Santos Limited is an oil and gas producer, supplying Australian and Asian customers. The Company is primarily engaged in the exploration for, and development, production, transportation and marketing of, hydrocarbons. The Company develops major oil and gas liquids businesses in Australia, and operates in all mainland states and the Northern Territory. The Company has exploration-led Asian portfolio, with a focus on three core countries: Indonesia, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea. The Company operates in four business units of Eastern Australia; Western Australia and Northern Territory; Asia Pacific, and Gladstone LNG (GLNG). The Asia Pacific operating segment includes operations in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks fell early Wednesday, tracking a weak lead from the U.S. but with a few blue-chip miners higher after gains for some commodities overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) retreated 0.4% to 5,237.80 after similar losses for the main Wall Street indexes, with the Australian benchmark trading around its lowest level since October. Among the major decliners, Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) lost 2.5%, Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (AU:HVN) (HNORY) gave up 1.3%, and Incitec Pivot Ltd. (AU:IPL) (ICPVY) fell 1.8%. Santos Ltd. (AU:STO) (STOSF) fell 2.6% on indication it will miss its lowered production guidance for 2013, according to the Australian Financial Review. On the upside, top miners BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively, while Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) traded 1% higher. Shares of global shopping-mall developer Westfield Group Australia (AU:WDC) (WEFIF) were on halt

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Activision Blizzard Inc(ATVI)

Activision Blizzard, Inc., through its subsidiaries, publishes online, personal computer (PC), console, and handheld games worldwide. The company develops and publishes PC-based computer games and maintains its proprietary online-game related service, Battle.net. It publishes interactive software products and peripherals. Its products cover various game categories, such as action/adventure, action sports, racing, role-playing, simulation, first-person action, music, and strategy. Activision?s products comprise Monsters vs. Aliens, Guitar Hero, X-Men Origins, PROTOTYPE, Transformers, Ice Age, Wolfenstein, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, DJ Hero, Band Hero, Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero, Three map packs for Call of Duty, True Crime, Spider-Man, Bakugan, Blur, and Singularity. Its customers include retail outlets and distributors, including mass-market retailers, consumer electronics stores, discount warehouses, and game specialty stores. Activision Blizzard, Inc. is based in Santa Monica, California. Activision Blizzard, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Vivendi.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brandy Betz]

  Shares of Activision Blizzard� (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) �have risen over 13% in the past week following positive fourth-quarter and full-year reports. The company is fresh off the launch of�Call of Duty: Ghosts, which became the second best-selling game of the year behind�Take-Two's� (NASDAQ: TTWO  ) �Grand Theft Auto V.�The shares of Take-Two and�Electronic Arts� (NASDAQ: EA  ) �fell after these companies' recent earnings reports as investors decide what to do with gaming companies now that the next-gen consoles have launched. How did Activision avoid a similar fate? �

• [By Timothy Boyle]

  While Disney has proven itself time and time again in the movie business, its foray into the video game market has yet to live up to the success that accompanies its name.�Disney's video game business model has always been that a recognizable character base takes precedence over any other gaming aspect, such as game play interface, graphics, or plot line. Whereas Disney previously marketed to the teenage demographic with the likes of�Kingdom Hearts, its most recent focus is the preteen and younger age classification with the company's newest product, Disney Infinity. With�Disney Infinity, �the consumer purchases toys that are then synthesized with the video game on any recent-generation�console. The first-generation character base includes various Disney characters from its newest releases, such as from�The Lone Ranger, The Incredibles, Monsters University,�and Cars 2. Disney Infinity will be released in August, and hopes to rival the likes of the $1 billion industry of Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) �Skylanders, which has more or less the same structure as�Disney Infinity�but without the famous characters Disney brings to the table. Investors should keep in mind that�Skylanders�has been in existence for the past two years, and has a strong marketing campaign; Activision Blizzard, moreover, may have already captured the majority of the market share in this field. You can read more of my analysis of the�Skylanders�versus�Disney Infinity�debate in my most recent article. �Although the success of�Skylanders�could hold back Disney initially, the popularity of Disney's movies�only helps to market the physical toys that are essential to the game.

• [By Eric Rodawig]

  Activision Blizzard (ATVI) is the world's largest and most successful video game developer, and is majority owned (61%) by French telecom and media conglomerate Vivendi (VIVHY.PK). Vivendi has been undergoing a massive strategic review with the intent to reduce debt and unlock the value of its assets that has fueled speculation surrounding ATVI. In conjunction with this, ATVI CFO Dennis Durkin announced on the 4Q12 earnings call

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Itau Unibanco Holding SA (ITUB)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A., incorporated on September 9, 1943, is a bank in Brazil. The Company has four operational segments: Commercial Banking, Itau BBA, Consumer Credit and Corporate and Treasury. Commercial banking, including insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management and a variety of credit products and services for individuals, small and middle-market companies). Itau BBA includes corporate and investment banking. Consumer credit includes financial products and services to its non-accountholders. Corporate and treasury includes the results related to the trading activities in its portfolio, trading related to managing currency, interest rate and other market risk factors, gap management and arbitrage opportunities in domestic and foreign markets. It also includes the results associated with financial income from the investment of its excess capital.

On October 24, 2010, Itau Unibanco completed the integration of customer service locations throughout Brazil. In total, 998 branches and 245 customer site branches (CSB) of Unibanco were redesigned and integrated as Itau Unibanco customer service locations, thus creating a network of approximately 4,700 units in the country under the Itau brand. The Company is a financial holding company controlled by Itau Unibanco Participacoes S.A. (IUPAR). As of December 31, 2010, it had a network of 3,747 service branches throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 913 CSBs throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 28,844 automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout Brazil.

Commercial banking

The commercial banking segment offers a range of banking services to a diversified base of individuals and companies. Services offered by the commercial banking segment include insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management, credit products and customized products and solutions. The commercial banking segment comprises the specialized! areas and products, such as retail banking (individuals); public sector banking; personnalite (banking for high-income individuals); private banking (banking and financial consulting for wealthy individuals); very small business banking; small business banking; middle-market banking; credit cards; real estate financing; asset management; corporate social responsibility fund; securities services for third parties; brokerage, and insurance, private retirement and capitalization products.

The Company�� credit products include personal loans, overdraft protection, payroll loans, vehicles, credit cards, mortgage and agricultural loans, working capital, trade note discount and export. Its investments products include pension plans, mutual funds, time deposits, demand deposit accounts, savings accounts and capitalization plans. Its services include insurance (life, home, credit/cash cards, vehicles, loan protection, among others), exchange, brokerage and others. Its core business is retail banking, which serves individuals with a monthly income below R$7,000. In October 2010, it completed the conversion of branches under the Unibanco brand to the Itau brand and as of December 31, 2010, it had over 15.2 million customers and 4,660 branches and CSBs. Its public sector business operates in all areas of the public sector, including the federal, state and municipal governments (in the executive, legislative and judicial branches). As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 2,300 public sector customers. Itau Personnalite�� focus is delivering financial advisory services by its managers, who understand the specific needs of its higher-income customers; a portfolio of exclusive products and services; special benefits based on the type and length of relationship with the customer, including discounts on various products and services. Itau Personnalite�� customer base reached more than 600,000 individuals as of December 31, 2010. Itau Personnalite customers also have access to Itau Unibanco netwo! rk of bra! nches and ATMs throughout the country, as well as Internet banking and phone.

Itau Private Bank is a Brazilian bank in the global private banking industry, providing wealth management services to approximately 17,951 Latin American clients as of December 31, 2010. The Company serves its customers��needs for offshore wealth management solutions in major jurisdictions through independent institutions in the United States through Banco Itau Europa International and Itau Europa Securities , in Luxembourg through Banco Itau Europa Luxembourg S.A. , in Switzerland through Banco Itau Suisse , in the Bahamas through BIE Bank & Trust Bahamas and in Cayman through Unicorp Bank & Trust Cayman. As of December 31, 2010, it had over 565 very small business banking offices located throughout Brazil and approximately 2,500 managers working for over 1,235,000 small business customers. Loans to very small businesses totaled R$5,981 million as of December 31, 2010. As of December 31, 2010, it had 374 small business banking offices located nationwide in Brazil and nearly 2,500 managers who worked for over 525,000 companies. Loans to small businesses totaled R$28,744 million as of December 31, 2010.

As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 115,000 middle-market corporate customers that represented a range of Brazilian companies located in over 83 cities in Brazil. The Company offers a range of financial products and services to middle-market customers, including deposit accounts, investment options, insurance, private retirement plans and credit products. Credit products include investment capital loans, working capital loans, inventory financing, trade financing, foreign currency services, equipment leasing services, letters of credit and guarantees. The Company also carries out financial transactions on behalf of middle-market customers, including interbank transactions, open market transactions and futures, swaps, hedging and arbitrage transactions. It also offers its middle-market custom! ers colle! ction services and electronic payment services. The Company is able to provide these services for virtually any kind of payment, including Internet office banking. It charges collection fees and fees for making payments, such as payroll, on behalf of its customers.

The Company is engaged in the Brazilian credit card market. Its subsidiaries, Banco Itaucard S.A. (Banco Itaucard) and Hipercard Banco Multiplo S.A. (Hipercard), offers a range of products to 26 million customers as of December 31, 2010, including both accountholders and non-accountholders. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately R$16,271 million in outstanding real estate loans. As of December 31, 2010, it had total net assets under management of R$291,748 million on behalf of approximately 2.1 million customers. The Company also provides portfolio management services for pension funds, corporations, private bank customers and foreign investors. As of December 31, 2010, it had R$184,496 million of assets under management for pension funds, corporations and private bank customers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company offered and managed about 1,791 mutual funds, which are mostly fixed-income and money market funds. For individual customers, it offered 154 funds to its retail customers and approximately 287 funds to its Itau Personnalite customers. Private banking customers may invest in over 600 funds, including those offered by other institutions. Itau BBA�� capital markets group also provides tailor-made mutual funds to institutional, corporate and private banking customers.

The Company provides securities services in the Brazilian capital markets. Its services also include acting as transfer agent, providing services relating to debentures and promissory notes, custody and control services for mutual funds, pension funds and portfolios, providing trustee services and non-resident investor services, and acting as custodian for depositary receipt programs. The Company also provides brokerage services to inte! rnational! customers through its broker-dealer operations in New York, through its London branch, and through its broker-dealers in Hong Kong and Dubai. Its main lines of insurance are life and casualty (excluding Vida Gerador de Benefucio Livre), extended warranties and property. Its policies are sold through its banking operations, independent local brokers, multinational brokers and other channels. As of December 31, 2010, it had 9.9 million in capitalization products outstanding, representing R$2,620 million in liabilities with assets that function as guarantees of R$2,646 million. The Company distributes these products through its retail network, Itau Personnalite and Itau Uniclass branches, electronic channels and ATMs. These products are sold by its subsidiary, Cia. Itau de Capitalizacao S.A.

Itau BBA

Itau BBA is responsible for its corporate and investment banking activities. As of December 31, 2010, Itau BBA offered a portfolio of products and services to approximately 2,400 companies and conglomerates in Brazil. Itau BBA�� activities range from typical operations of a commercial bank to capital markets operations and advisory services for mergers and acquisitions. As of December 31, 2010, its corporate loan portfolio was R$ 76,584 million. In investment banking, the fixed income department was responsible for the issuance of debentures and promissory notes that totaled R$18,888 million and securitization transactions that amounted to R$4,677 million in Brazil in 2010. In addition, Itau BBA advised 35 merger and acquisition transactions with an aggregate deal volume of R$16,973 million in 2010.

Itau BBA is also active in Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES) on-lending to finance large-scale projects, aiming at strengthening domestic infrastructure. In consolidated terms, total loans granted by Itau BBA under BNDES on-lending represented more than R$9,010 million in 2010. Itau BBA focuses on the products and initiatives in the international ! business ! unit, such as structuring long-term, bilateral and syndicated financing, and spot foreign exchange. In addition, in 2010 Itau BBA continued to offer a large number of lines of credit for foreign trade.

Consumer Credit

As of December 31, 2010, its portfolio of vehicle financing, leasing and consortium lending consisted of approximately 3.8 million contracts, of which approximately 71.1% were non-accountholder customers. The personal loan portfolio relating to vehicle financing and leasing reached R$60,254 million in 2010. The Company leased and financed vehicles through 13,706 dealers as of December 31, 2010. Sales are made through computer terminals installed in the dealerships that are connected to its computer network. Redecard S.A. (Redecard) is a multibrand credit card provider in Brazil, also responsible for the capturing, transmission, processing and settlement of credit, debit and benefit card transactions. As of December 31, 2010, the Company held approximately 50% interest in Redecard�� capital stock.

The Company competes with Bradesco, Banco do Brasil S.A. (Banco do Brasil), Banco Santander, Caixa Economica Federal (CEF), BNDES, HSBC, Banco Citibank S.A, Banco de Investimentos Credit Suisse (Brasil) S.A., Banco JP Morgan S.A., Banco Morgan Stanley S.A., Banco Merrill Lynch de Investimentos S.A., Banco BTG Pactual S.A., Banco Panamericano S.A, Citibank S.A., Banco GE Capital S.A. and Banco Ibi S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Hilary Kramer]

  Itau Unibanco (ITUB): A lot of investors have never heard of Itau because it’s headquartered in Brazil, but it’s one of the world’s largest financial institutions. With 5,000 branches, 100,000 employees and nearly $500 billion in assets (yes, half a trillion!), ITUB is not just the largest Latin American bank, it is one of the biggest in the world. With proven dominance in Brazil (and Latin America), Itau Unibanco is a go-to financial pick, and it currently yields an attractive 3.5%. I recently recommended that my Inner Circle readers sell ITUB on a nice bounce due to the risk of near-term weakness on economic data out of China, but I�� already looking for an opportunity to get back in.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Cencosud is one of the largest retailers in Latin America. It operates grocery stores, home improvement stores and department stores in five countries including Chile, its home base. Its stock is down 51% over the past year for several reasons, including a deal falling through that would have seen it sell 51% of its credit card operations in Chile and Argentina to Itau Unibanco (ITUB) and using the proceeds to reduce its heavy debt load. Add to that a major devaluation of the peso in Argentina, where it generates a quarter of its overall revenue, and you have investors in a full-on panic.