Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now

"Unfortunately, most aspiring traders find out far too late that the act of trading is 20% intellectual and 80% psychological," says Michael Martin in The Inner Voice of Trading. For this very reason, it's crucial that every individual investor finds a system that is compatible with his or her psychological makeup. Of all the investment advice out there, here are two particularly Foolish philosophies for long-term investors.�

�Value investing�

Gurus	Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger
Buffett investment advice	"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price."
Philosophy	Buy wonderful companies at reasonable prices.

An investment that could fit this investing style well is�Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) . Google is clearly the world's leader in online search, with more than 60% market share (no other competitor has more than 10% market share). While traffic acquisition costs are on the rise as the company transitions to a more competitive mobile environment (7.9% of revenues in Google's first-quarter results compared to 6.4% in the year-ago quarter), secular growth trends in digital advertising should continue to drive EPS growth. At 26 times earnings, the company is reasonably priced.Famed value investors Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger believe the best way to identify this value is to look for excellent businesses trading at reasonable prices and buy them with the intention of holding them over the long haul.The term "value investing" is often used in different ways, suffocating its meaning. But it's actually really simple. Charlie Munger, in his typical bluntness, sums it up best: "All intelligent investing is value investing -- acquiring more than you are paying for." Investment advice doesn't get any plainer than that.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Steiner Leisure Limited(STNR)

Steiner Leisure Limited provides spa services and personal care products for men, women, and teenagers worldwide. The company offers beauty care products, including cleansers, toners, moisturizers, lotions, waxing products, cleansing accessories, and other skin care and body products, as well as aromatherapy oils and beauty tools; and hair care products, such as shampoos, conditioners, styling products, and related items. Its services include massages, facials, microdermabrasion, waxing, aromatherapy treatments, seaweed wraps, aerobic exercise, yoga, pilates, hair styling, manicures, pedicures, and teeth whitening, as well as various other beauty and body treatments and services; acupuncture; and medi-spa services comprising BOTOX Cosmetic, Dysport, Restylane, and Perlane. In addition, the company operates approximately 12 post-secondary schools, which provide education in massage therapy, beauty, skin care, and related areas at 30 campuses in 14 states. Further, it provid es procedures for the removal of unwanted facial and body hair in a clinical setting. The company offers its products and services under the Elemis, La Th�apie, Bliss, Rem�e, Laboratoire Rem�e, Mandara Spa, Mandara, Jou, and Chavana brands through department stores; third party retail outlets; distributors; salons; mail orders; and company owned Websites, including www.timetospa.com, www.timetospa.co.uk, www.blissworld.com, www.blisslondon.co.uk, and www.bodyworkmall.com, as well as through the QVC home shopping television channel. As of February 13, 2012, it served 152 cruise ships representing 19 cruise lines; and operated 54 resort spas, 11 urban hotel spas, 6 day spas, and 59 ideal image laser hair removal centers. Steiner Leisure Limited was founded in 1934 and is based in Nassau, the Bahamas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vera Yuan]

  ��onsumer products and services company Steiner Leisure Ltd. (STNR) declined after the company reported its first quarter earnings. The company did not repurchase shares during the quarter despite declines in its stock price following the late 2013 announcement of a non-renewal by Celebrity Cruise Lines. In addition, the quarter reflected continued weakness in the company�� Ideal Image laser hair removal business. Later in the quarter, the company announced a 10b5-1 plan under which the company can repurchase shares according to a pre-set plan.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Royal Caribbean,�NCL (NYSE: NCL  ) , and ship spa services provider Steiner Leisure (NASDAQ: STNR  ) all hit new 52-week highs earlier this month. Unlike Carnival (NYSE: CCL  ) -- which has been sluggish in light of several mishaps at sea since last year -- everyone seemed to view the negative instances as Carnival-specific events. Now Royal Caribbean's fire may lead folks to question booking on any cruise line in the near future.

• [By John Udovich]

  On Thursday, small cap fitness club owner Life Time Fitness, Inc (NYSE: LTM) lost some weight for investors as analysts gave the stock a workout after its Analyst Day failed to ease their concerns, meanings its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of Town Sports International Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CLUB)�and Steiner Leisure Ltd (NASDAQ: STNR).

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: comScore Inc.(SCOR)

comScore, Inc. provides a range of digital analytics solutions primarily in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company offers its customers with information regarding usage of their online properties and those of their competitors, coupled with information on consumer demographic characteristics, attitudes, lifestyles, and offline behavior solutions through its digital media measurement platforms. Its digital media measurement platforms consist of proprietary databases and a computational infrastructure that measures, analyzes, and reports on digital activity. The company also provides audience analytics tools that measure the size, behavior, and characteristics of Internet users on PCs, mobile devices, and tablets, as well as insight into online advertising; and advertising analytics products, such as AdEffx, Media Planner 2.0, and Campaign Essentials, which provide solutions for developing, executing, and evaluating online advertising campaigns, as well as valida ted campaign essentials that provide intelligence regarding validated impressions. In addition, it offers Web analytics products and solutions, as well as Web analytics platform that integrates data from multiple sources, including Web, mobile, video, and social media interactions; and mobile and network analytics products, such as comprehensive market intelligence and network solutions to mobile carriers with information on network optimization and capacity planning, customer experience, and market intelligence. The company serves Internet service providers, investment banks, media and digital agencies, consumer banks, wireless carriers, pharmaceutical makers, credit card issuers, and consumer packaged goods companies. comScore, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The data was reported by comScore Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR).

  The other OEMs in the top five were HTC, with a July share of 8%, down from 8.9% in April; Motorola from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) with a 6.9% share, down from 8.3% in April; and LG Electronics with a 6.8% share, up 0.1% from April.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR  ) scored major gains today, up by as much as 24% after the company reported first-quarter earnings.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Last year, online shoppers spent $1.46 billion on Cyber Monday according to data from comScore Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) and the research firm is projecting that total online spending for the 2013 holiday season will rise from $144 billion a year ago to $164 billion this year. That total includes only desktop PC shopping, and does not take into account traffic and sales from mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The data was released Friday by research firm comScore Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) and excludes sales of cars, large corporate purchases, travel, and auction sales.

Top 5 International Stocks For 2015: Neogenomics Inc (NEO)

NeoGenomics, Inc. (NeoGenomics) operates a network of cancer-focused testing laboratories. The Company offers testing services, including Cytogenetics testing, which is the study of normal and abnormal chromosomes and their relationship to disease; fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) testing, which is a branch of cancer genetics that focuses on detecting and locating the presence or absence of specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences and genes on chromosomes; flow cytometry testing, which is a way to measure the characteristics of cell populations; immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing, this is the process of identifying cell proteins in a tissue section utilizing the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens, and molecular testing, which is a cancer diagnostic tool focusing on the analysis of DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA), as well as the structure and function of genes at a molecular level.

The cancer testing services, that the Company offers to community-based pathologists are designed to be a natural extension of, and complementary to, the services that they perform within their own practices. In areas where the Company does not provide services to community-based pathology practices, it may directly serve oncology, dermatology, urology and other clinician practices that prefer to have a direct relationship with a laboratory for cancer-related genetic and molecular testing services. NeoGenomics services these types of clients with a global service offering where it performs both the technical and professional components of the tests ordered.

The Company offers tech-only flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry testing services. These types of testing services generally allow the professional interpretation component of a test to be billed separately from the technical component. Its NeoFISH, NeoFLOW and other tech-only service offerings allow properly trained and credentialed community-based pathologists to extend their own practices by performing ! professional interpretations services.

The Company's tech-only services are designed to give pathologists the option to choose, on a case by case basis, whether they want to order just the technical information and images relating to a specific test so they can perform the professional interpretation, or order global services and receive a test report, which includes a NeoGenomics Pathologist�� interpretation of the test results.

The Company also offers a set of global services to meet the needs of those clients who are not credentialed and trained in interpreting genetic tests and who are looking for specialists to interpret the testing results for them. In its global service offerings, its lab performs the technical component of the tests and its doctor of medicine (M.D.s) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) s to provide the interpretation services. Its genetic pathology solutions (GPS) report summarizes all relevant case data from its global services on one summary report.

The Company competes with General Electric Healthcare Services and Novartis, A.G.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  One way or the other, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: MACK), Covidien plc (NYSE: COV), NeoGenomics, Inc (NASDAQ: NEO) and�CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) are targeting Barrett's Esophagus�or�esophageal cancer�(the former often leads to the latter) ��a form of cancer that may not be on the top of your list of cancers but is nevertheless on the rise. Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from Barrett's Esophagus, �a condition that�develops as a result of chronic injury from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) where the�normal esophageal lining is replaced with abnormal cells (known as Barrett�� tissue), putting patients at greater risk of developing cancer of the esophagus. And although less than 1% of these patients develop cancer each year, esophageal carcinoma is frequently not detected until later stages, at which point therapy options are limited, extremely invasive, and often ineffective.�This means that�early detection is important�along with�regular surveillance is recommended.�

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: American Electric Power Company Inc (AEP)

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP), incorporated on December 20, 1906, is a utility holding company that owns, directly or indirectly, all of the outstanding common stock of its public utility subsidiaries and varying percentages of other subsidiaries. The service areas of AEP�� public utility subsidiaries cover portions of the states of Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The generating and transmission facilities of AEP�� public utility subsidiaries are interconnected and their operations are coordinated. Transmission networks are interconnected with distribution facilities in the territories served. The public utility subsidiaries of AEP have provided electric service, consisting of generation, transmission and distribution, on an integrated basis to their retail customers. On December 31, 2011, Columbus Southern Power Company (CSPCo) merged with and into Ohio Power Company (OPCo) with OPCo being the surviving entity. In March 2012, the Company�� subsidiary, AEP Retail Energy acquired BlueStar Energy Holdings Inc. and its independent retail electric supplier BlueStar Energy Solutions.

Appalachian Power Company (APCo) is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 960,000 retail customers in the southwestern portion of Virginia and southern West Virginia, and in supplying and marketing electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, municipalities and other market participants. Among the principal industries served by APCo are paper, rubber, coal mining, textile mill products and stone, clay and glass products. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, APCo is interconnected with nonaffiliated utility companies: Carolina Power & Light Company, Duke Carolina and Virginia Electric and Power Company. APCo has several points of interconnection with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and has entered into agreements with TVA under whic! h APCo and TVA interchange and transfer electric power over portions of their respective systems. APCo is a member of Pennsylvania - New Jersey - Maryland regional transmission organization (PJM).

Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M) is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 582,000 retail customers in northern and eastern Indiana and southwestern Michigan, and in supplying and marketing electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, rural electric cooperatives, municipalities and other market participants. Among the principal industries served are primary metals, transportation equipment, electrical and electronic machinery, fabricated metal products, rubber and chemicals and allied products, rubber products and transportation equipment. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, I&M is interconnected with nonaffiliated utility companies: Central Illinois Public Service Company, Duke Ohio, Commonwealth Edison Company, Consumers Energy Company, Illinois Power Company, Indianapolis Power & Light Company, Louisville Gas and Electric Company, Northern Indiana Public Service Company, Duke Indiana and Richmond Power & Light Company. I&M is a member of PJM.

Kentucky Power Company (KPCo) is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 173,000 retail customers in an area in eastern Kentucky, and in supplying and marketing electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, municipalities and other market participants. Among the principal industries served are petroleum refining, coal mining and chemical production. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, KPCo is interconnected with nonaffiliated utility companies: Kentucky Utilities Company and East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc. KPCo is also interconnected with TVA. KPCo is a member of PJM. Kingsport Power Company (KGPCo) provides electric service to approximately 47,000 retail customers in K! ingsport ! and eight neighboring communities in northeastern Tennessee. KGPCo does not own any generating facilities and is a member of PJM. It purchases electric power from APCo for distribution to its customers.

OPCo is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 1,460,000 retail customers in Ohio, and in supplying and marketing electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, municipalities and other market participants. Among the principal industries served by OPCo are primary metals, chemicals and allied products, health services, electronic machinery, petroleum refining, and rubber and plastic products. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, OPCo is interconnected with nonaffiliated utility companies: Duke Ohio, The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Dayton Power and Light Company, Duquesne Light Company, Kentucky Utilities Company, Monongahela Power Company, Ohio Edison Company, The Toledo Edison Company and West Penn Power Company. OPCo is a member of PJM.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 532,000 retail customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma, and in supplying and marketing electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, municipalities, rural electric cooperatives and other market participants. Among the principal industries served by PSO are paper manufacturing and timber products, natural gas and oil extraction, transportation, non-metallic mineral production, oil refining and steel processing. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, PSO is interconnected with Empire District Electric Company, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, Southwestern Public Service Company and Westar Energy, Inc. PSO is a member of Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization (SPP).

Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCo) is engaged in the generation, transmission an! d distrib! ution of electric power to approximately 521,000 retail customers in northeastern and panhandle of Texas, northwestern Louisiana and western Arkansas and in supplying and marketing electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, municipalities, rural electric cooperatives and other market participants. Among the principal industries served by SWEPCo are natural gas and oil production, petroleum refining, manufacturing of pulp and paper, chemicals, food processing, and metal refining. The territory served by SWEPCo also includes several military installations, colleges and universities. SWEPCo also owns and operates a lignite coal mining operation. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, SWEPCo is interconnected with Central Louisiana Electric Company (CLECO), Empire District Electric Company, Entergy Corp. and Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company. SWEPCo is a member of SPP.

AEP Texas Central Company (TCC) is engaged in the transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 787,000 retail customers through REPs in southern Texas. TCC has sold all of its generation assets. Among the principal industries served by TCC are chemical and petroleum refining, chemicals and allied products, oil and gas extraction, food processing, metal refining, plastics and machinery equipment. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, TCC is a member of Electric Reliability Council of Texas regional transmission organization (ERCOT). AEP Texas North Company (TNC) is engaged in the transmission and distribution of electric power to approximately 186,000 retail customers through REPs in west and central Texas. TNC�� generating capacity has been transferred to an affiliate at TNC�� cost pursuant to an agreement effective through 2027. Among the principal industries served by TNC are petroleum refining, agriculture and the manufacturing or processing of cotton seed products, oil products, precision and consumer metal products, meat products and gypsum products. The territor! y served ! by TNC also includes several military installations and correctional facilities. In addition to its AEP System interconnections, TNC is a member of ERCOT.

Wheeling Power Company (WPCo) provides electric service to approximately 41,000 retail customers in northern West Virginia. WPCo does not own any generating facilities. WPCo is a member of PJM. It purchases electric power from OPCo for distribution to its customers. AEP Generating Company (AEGCo) is an electric generating company. AEGCo sells power at wholesale to OPCo, I&M and KPCo. AEP also owns a service company subsidiary, American Electric Power Service Corporation (AEPSC).

Utility Operations

Utility operations constitute most of AEP�� business operations. Utility operations include the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to retail customers and the supplying and marketing of electric power at wholesale (through the electric generation function) to other electric utility companies, municipalities and other market participants. AEPSC, as agent for AEP�� public utility subsidiaries, performs marketing, generation dispatch, fuel procurement and power-related risk management and trading activities.

Electric Generation

As of December 31, 2011, AEP�� public utility subsidiaries owned or leased approximately 37,000 MW of domestic generation. AEP�� public utility subsidiaries procure coal and lignite under a combination of purchasing arrangements including long-term contracts, affiliate operations and spot agreements with various producers and coal trading firms. Through its public utility subsidiaries, as of December 31, 2011, AEP owned, leased or controlled more than 7,600 railcars, 634 barges, 16 towboats and a coal handling terminal with 18 million tons of annual capacity to move and store coal for use in its generating facilities. Through its public utility subsidiaries, AEP consumed nearly 167 billion cubic feet of natural gas, during the year ended Dec! ember 31,! 2011, for generating power. The Unit Power Agreement between AEGCo and I&M provides for the sale by AEGCo to I&M of all the capacity (and the energy associated therewith) available to AEGCo at the Rockport Plant. The Unit Power Agreement between AEGCo and OPCo provides for the sale by AEGCo to OPCo of all the capacity and associated unit contingent energy and ancillary services available to OPCo from the Lawrenceburg Plant.

Electric Transmission and Distribution

AEP�� public utility subsidiaries (other than AEGCo) own and operate transmission and distribution lines and other facilities to deliver electric power. Most of the transmission and distribution services are sold, in combination with electric power, to retail customers of AEP�� public utility subsidiaries in their service territories. AEP�� public utility subsidiaries (other than AEGCo) hold franchises or other rights to provide electric service in various municipalities and regions in their service areas. In some cases, these franchises provide the utility with the right to provide electric service. In addition to providing transmission services in connection with their own power sales, AEP�� public utility subsidiaries through RTOs also provide transmission services for non-affiliated companies. AEP�� System Transmission Integration Agreement provides for the integration and coordination of the planning, operation and maintenance of the transmission facilities of AEP East and AEP West companies.

Transmission Operations

AEP Transmission Company, LLC (AEP Transco), a subsidiary of AEP, has seven wholly-owned transmission companies, geographically aligned with its existing operating companies. These transmission companies will develop and own new transmission assets that are physically connected to AEP�� system. The transmission companies have been approved in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Oklahoma. AEPSC and other AEP subsidiaries provide services to the transmission companies throug! h service! agreements. The Company has established joint ventures with other incumbent electric utility companies for the purpose of developing, building and owning Extra High Voltage (EHV) transmission lines in North America. Its joint venture, Electric Transmission Texas, LLC (ETT), was established to construct, fund, own and operate electric transmission assets within ERCOT, including transmission projects in the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ). Business services for the joint ventures are provided by AEPSC and the joint venture partner entity.

AEP River Operations

The Company�� AEP River Operations Segment transports coal and dry bulk commodities primarily on the Ohio, Illinois and lower Mississippi rivers. Almost all of its customers are nonaffiliated third parties who obtain the transport of coal and dry bulk commodities for various uses. AEP�� affiliated utility customers procure the transport of coal for use as fuel in their respective generating plants. AEP River Operations includes approximately 2,600 barges, 45 towboats and 25 harbor boats that it owns or leases.

Generation and Marketing

The Company�� Generation and Marketing Segment consists of non-utility generating assets and a power supply and energy trading and marketing business. It enters into short and long-term transactions to buy or sell capacity, energy and ancillary services primarily in the ERCOT market, and to a lesser extent Ohio in PJM and MISO. As of December 31, 2011, the assets utilized in this segment included approximately 310 megawatt of Company-owned domestic wind power facilities, 177 megawatt of domestic wind power from long-term purchase power agreements and 377 megawatt of coal-fired capacity which was obtained through an agreement effective through 2027 that transfers TNC�� interest in the Oklaunion power station to AEP Energy Partners, Inc. The power obtained from the Oklaunion power station is marketed and sold in ERCOT.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Consolidated Edison is average -- at best
  When you stack up Consolidated Edison stock up against two of its bigger rivals -- American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP  ) and Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK  ) -- at first glance, ConEd doesn't look all that bad. Its dividend yield, 4%, is smack-dab in the middle between AEP's 3.8% yield and Duke's 4.2%. Similarly, ConEd's free cash flow yield, sandwiched between those of AEP and of Duke, looks pretty average.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Now don’t misunderstand. Gordon isn’t telling investors to avoid all regulated utilities. He has some favorites, including American Electric Power (AEP), Dominion Resources (D), ITC Holdings (ITC), Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Westar Energy (WR).

• [By Morgan Housel]

  Within seconds of the opening bell Thursday, shares of�American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP  ) collapsed 54%, trading as low as $22.28 after opening the day at $48.18. Moments later, the stock was back near $48.

• [By Richard Stavros]

  Meanwhile, the companies that are projected to be spending more in 2015 than they are presently include The AES Corp (NYSE: AES), Ameren Corp (NYSE: AEE), American Electric Power Co Inc (NYSE: AEP), CMS Energy Corp (NYSE: CMS), and Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU).

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Statoil ASA (STO)

Statoil ASA (Statoil), incorporated on September 18, 1972, is an integrated energy company primarily engaged in oil and gas exploration and production activities. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had business operations in 41 countries and territories. Effective from January 1, 2011, the Company�� segments were Development and Production Norway; Development and Production International; Marketing, Processing and Renewable Energy; Fuel & Retail, Other. As of 31 December 2011, the Company had proved reserves of 2,276 million barrels (mmbbl) and 3,150 billion cubic meters (bcm) (equivalent to 17,681 trillion cubic feet (tcf)) of natural gas, corresponding to aggregate proved reserves of 5,426 mmboe. In December 2011, the Company acquired Brigham Exploration Company. On April 14, 2011, Statoil's formation of a joint venture and sale of 40% of the Peregrino field off the coast of Brazil to the Sinochem Group was closed. With effect from January 2011, Statoil formed a joint venture with PTTEP of Thailand in its oil sands business and, as part of that transaction, sold PTTEP a 40% interest in the leases in Alberta, Canada. Statoil retains 60% ownership and operatorship of the oil sands project. In June 2012, the Company divested its 54% interest in Statoil Fuel & Retail ASA to Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Development and Production Norway

Development and Production Norway (DPN) consists of the Company�� field development and operational activities on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Development and Production Norway is the operator of 44 developed fields on the NCS. Statoil's equity and entitlement production on the NCS was 1.316 mmboe per day in 2011, which was about 71% of Statoil's total production. Acting as operator, DPN is responsible for approximately 72% of all oil and gas production on the NCS. In 2011, its average daily production of oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) on the NCS was 693 mboe, while its average daily gas production on the NCS was 99.1 mmcm (3.5 b! illion cubic feet (bcf)). The Company has an ownership interests in exploration acreage throughout the licensed parts of the NCS, both within and outside its production areas. It participates in 227 licenses on the NCS and is the operator for 171 of them. As of 31 December 2011, Statoil had a total of 1,369 mmbbl of proved oil reserves and 444 bcm (15.7 tcf) of proved natural gas reserves on the NCS. Total entitlement liquids and gas production in 2011 amounted to 1,316 mmboe per day.

Statoil's NCS portfolio consists of licenses in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. It has organized its production operations into four business clusters: Operations South, Operations North Sea West, Operations North Sea East and Operations North. The Operations South and Operations North Sea West and East clusters cover its licenses in the North Sea. Operations North covers the Company�� licenses in the Norwegian Sea and in the Barents Sea, while partner-operated fields cover the entire NCS and are included internally in the Operations South business cluster. During 2011, it two Statoil-operated oil discoveries: the Aldous discovery (PL265) in the North Sea and the Skrugard discovery (PL532) in the Barents Sea. The Aldous Major South discovery in PL265 on the Utsira Height in the Sleipner area is situated 140 kilometers west of Stavanger and 35 kilometers south of the Grane field. The Skrugard discovery is located about 250 kilometers off the coast from the Melkoya LNG plant in Hammerfest.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� fields under development included the Gudrun, Valemon, Visund South, Hyme, Stjerne, Vigdis North-East, Skuld, Vilje South, Skarv, and Marulk. In 2011, the Company�� total entitlement oil and NGL production in Norway was 252 mmbbl, and gas production was 36.2 bcm (1,287 bcf). The main producing fields in the Operations South area are Statfjord, Snorre, Tordis, Vigdis, Sleipner and partner-operated fields. Operations North Sea East is a gas area tha! t also co! ntains quantities of oil. The area includes the Troll, Fram, Vega, Oseberg and Tune fields. The Company�� producing fields in the Operations North area are Asgard, Mikkel, Yttergryta, Heidrun, Kristin, Tyrihans, Norne, Urd, Alve, Njord, Snohvit and Morvin.

Development and Production International

Development and Production International (DPI) is responsible for the development and production of oil and gas outside the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). In 2011, the segment was engaged in production in 12 countries: Canada, the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Angola, Nigeria, Iran, Algeria, Libya, Azerbaijan, Russia and the United Kingdom. In 2011, DPI produced 28.9% of Statoil's total equity production of oil and gas. Statoil has exploration licenses in North America (Gulf of Mexico, Canada and Alaska), South America and sub-Saharan Africa (Brazil, Cuba, Suriname, Venezuela, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania), Middle East and North Africa (Libya and Iran) and Europe and Asia (the Faeroes, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and Indonesia). The main sanctioned development projects in which DPI is involved are in the United States, Angola and Canada. The Brigham Exploration Company acquisition added production of approximately 21 mboe per day (as of December) to Statoil's production and gave access to 1,500 square kilometers (375,000 acres) in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin.

The Company has exploration licenses in North America (Gulf of Mexico, Canada and Alaska), South America and sub-Saharan Africa (Brazil, Cuba, Suriname, Venezuela, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania), Middle East and North Africa (Libya and Iran), and Europe and Asia (the Faroes, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and Indonesia). It completed 16 wells in 2011. Five were announced as discoveries: the Mukuvo and Lira discoveries in Angola, the Gavea and Peregrino South discovery in Brazil and the Logan discovery in Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Statoil acquired in! terests i! n six new licenses in Indonesia in 2011. Statoil has activities in the United States, with approximately 300 exploration leases in the GoM and 66 in Alaska. It is also an operator and partner in exploration licenses off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada. Statoil is operator and partner in exploration licenses off the coast of Newfoundland (11,138 square kilometers). It has exploration licenses in Brazil, Cuba, Suriname, Venezuela, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania. The Company has licenses in Libya, Iran, Faroes, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and Indonesia. In 2011, Statoil's petroleum production outside Norway amounted to an average of 334 mboe per day of entitlement production and 534 mboe per day of equity production.

The Company has activities in the United States Gulf of Mexico, the Appalachian region, south-west Texas, the Williston Basin, off the East Coast of Canada and in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. It also has a representative office in Mexico City. Offshore, the Company has production interests in Hibernia and Terra Nova, and interests in two development projects. Its development and production activities in South America and sub-Saharan Africa comprise the Peregrino operatorship in Brazil, the Petrocedeno project in Venezuela, the Agbami offshore field in Nigeria and four Angolan offshore blocks. Statoil's development and production in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, primarily encompassed Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Iran and Iraq. The Company�� Development and Production in Europe and Asia primarily comprises Azerbaijan, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Marketing, Processing and Renewable Energy

Marketing, Processing and Renewable Energy (MPR) is responsible for the transportation, processing, manufacturing, marketing and trading of crude oil, natural gas, liquids and refined products, and for developing business opportunities in renewables. It runs two refineries, two gas processing plants, one methanol plant and three crude! oil term! inals. MPR is also responsible for marketing gas supplies originating from the Norwegian state's direct financial interest (SDFI). In total, it is responsible for marketing approximately 80% of all Norwegian gas exports. In 2011, Statoil sold 36.1 bcm (1.3 tcf) of natural gas from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) on its own behalf, in addition to approximately 33.5 bcm (1.2 tcf) of NCS gas on behalf of the Norwegian state. Statoil's total European gas sales, including third-party gas, amounted to 79.8 bcm (2.9 tcf) in 2011, of which 39.5 bcm (1.4 tcf) was gas sold on behalf of the Norwegian state. The Natural Gas business cluster is responsible for Statoil's marketing and trading of natural gas worldwide, for power and emissions trading and for overall gas supply planning. In 2011, the Company sold 36.1 bcm (1.3 tcf) of natural gas from the NCS on its own behalf, in addition to approximately 33.5 bcm (1.2 tcf) of NCS gas on behalf of the Norwegian state. Statoil's total European gas sales, including third-party gas, amounted to 79.8 bcm (2.9 tcf) in 2011, of which 39.5 bcm (1.4 tcf) was gas sold on behalf of the Norwegian state. In addition, it sold 5.5 bcm (0.2 tcf) of gas originating from its international positions, mainly in Azerbaijan and the United States, of which 2.7 bcm (0.1 tcf) was entitlement gas. As technical service provider (TSP), Statoil is responsible for the operation, maintenance and further development of the Karsto gas processing plant on behalf of the operator Gassco.

Statoil is the seller of crude oil, operating from sales offices in Stavanger, Oslo, London, Singapore, Stamford and Calgary and selling and trading crude oil, condensate, NGL and refined products. Statoil holds the lease for the South Riding Point crude oil terminal in the Bahamas, which includes, oil storage as well as loading and unloading facilities. It also operates the Mongstad terminal and has shared ownership with Petoro. The Company is a majority owner (79%) and operator of the Mongstad ref! inery in ! Norway, which has a crude oil and condensate distillation capacity of 220,000 barrels per day. It is the sole owner and operator of the Kalundborg refinery in Denmark, which has a crude oil and condensate distillation capacity of 118,000 barrels per day. In addition, it has rights to 10% of production capacity at the Shell-operated refinery in Pernis in the Netherlands, which has a crude oil distillation capacity of 400,000 barrels per day. The Company�� methanol operations consist of an 81.7% interest in the gas-based methanol plant at Tjeldbergodden, Norway, which has a design capacity of 0.95 million tons per year. It also operates the Oseberg Transportation System (36.2% interest), including the Sture crude oil terminal.

Technology, Projects and Drilling

Technology, Projects and Drilling (TPD) is responsible, as a global service provider to Statoil, for delivering projects and wells and for providing support through global expertise, standards and procurement. TPD is also responsible developing and implementing new technological solutions. Statoil's research and development portfolio is organized in seven programs covering the upstream building blocks. The research and development organization operates and develops laboratories and test facilities and has an academia program that addresses cooperation with universities and research institutes.

Global Strategy and Business Development

Global Strategy and Business Development (GSB) was established in 2011, with its main office in London. GSB sets the direction for Statoil and identifies, develops and delivers opportunities for global growth.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  The second issue for CIE and Lontra is that there is a lack of infrastructure in Angola to even consider using gas from the field. Oil majors like ConocoPhillips (COP) and Norway�� Statoil (STO) are looking at building liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation facilities in the nation. However, these projects could take years to develop. At the same time, getting the gas from Lontra to these facilities would take plenty of infrastructure muscle — something that doesn�� exist yet. So, CIE�� field could be dead in the water.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But another reason for the rise is that so many Europe-based companies have global exposure that never truly justified a big European discount. France's Total (NYSE: TOT  ) and Norway's Statoil (NYSE: STO  ) both found themselves trading at discounts to other global energy players, despite the fact that both Total and Statoil have massive exposure to international projects in the same areas around the world as U.S. and other global energy players. Similarly, in the pharmaceutical industry, Switzerland's Novartis (NYSE: NVS  ) didn't do as well as some of its U.S. rivals. Yet Novartis hasn't really faced any tougher a road than its global counterparts in fighting against the industrywide patent cliff and coming up with new promising treatments.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Central Fund of Canada Limited (CEF)

Central Fund of Canada is an closed-ended commodity mutual fund launched and managed by Central Group Alberta, Ltd. It invests in the commodity markets. The fund primarily invests in commodities like silver and gold. Central Fund of Canada was formed on November 15, 1961 and is domiciled in Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Parnell]

  It also remains worthwhile to hedge stock allocations to protect against any major downside event along the way. This includes positions with low correlations such as the PIMCO Total Return ETF (BOND) or the PIMCO Global Advantage Inflation Linked Bond ETF (ILB). This also includes allocations that are likely to rally sharply in the event of a stock pullback but can also continue to rise along with the market such as long-term Treasuries (TLT) or Build America Bonds (BAB). And despite the recent thrashing they have endured, the precious metals complex including gold (GLD), silver (SLV), platinum (PPLT) and palladium (PALL) continue to provide attractive long-term portfolio diversification benefits. I remain long all of these metals via the Central GoldTrust (GTU), the Central Fund of America (CEF), the Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV) and the Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium Trust (SPPP).