The recent unrest in Egypt has drawn the attention of the entire world. A backlash against Mohamed Morsi, the nation's first democratically elected president, spurred a coup by the Egyptian military early this month. With the transitional government working to form a cabinet and restore order, the country is a potential powder keg as the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists find themselves under threat of arrest.
As you'd expect during times of trouble, the stock market in Egypt plunged during early June as protests gradually grew in force and the conflict began to escalate. Yet courageous investors bought into the market during those declines, and since the military has taken power, the Egyptian stock market has recovered almost to its pre-conflict level. As the new government fleshes itself out, is now the right time to invest in Egypt?
Image source: Wikimedia Commons.
Finding your way in
The first thing to realize about investing in Egypt is that it's not terribly easy. The most popular way for U.S. investors to invest in Egypt is the Market Vectors Egypt ETF (NYSEMKT: EGPT ) , which owns more than two dozen different stocks in the Middle Eastern country. The reason: Most of the stocks you'll find inside that ETF aren't available on major exchanges within the U.S., making it very difficult for investors to buy the stocks directly. The ETF is primarily concentrated in financial and telecom stocks, which make up almost 75% of its investments, with the remaining quarter of the fund's assets invested in the energy and basic-materials sectors.
Top 10 Gold Stocks To Invest In 2015: Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL)
Eutelsat Communications SA is a France-based holding company that provides fixed satellite services. It provides four types of services, including broadcast services, such as direct-to-home and professional broadcasting; broadband services, comprising broadband Internet access; telecoms and data services to ensure permanent communications links from all points of the globe, establish or restore communications in an emergency and multicast content; as well as mobile and maritime communications, such as fleet management and on- and off-shore broadband maritime communications. It operates a fleet of satellites covering Europe, the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia and the Americas. In January 2014, it acquired Satelites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. and together with SES SA have completed the sale to EchoStar Corp. of Solaris Mobile Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sofia Horta e Costa]
Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL) declined 6.2 percent to 21.02 euros after predicting sales will grow by more than 2.5 percent for the year 2013 to 2014. The company, which operates 31 satellites, forecast growth of more than 5 percent for the following two years through June 2016. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its price target for the stock to 24 euros from 33 euros, saying analysts��will probably reduce their estimates following the company�� revised guidance.
Top Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Telephone and Data Systems Inc.(TDS)
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., a diversified telecommunications service company, provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services in the United States. The company?s wireless services comprise postpaid and prepaid service plans, which consist of voice minutes, messaging, and data services; national consumer plans; business rate plans; smartphone messaging, data, and Internet services to access the Web, e-mail, social network sites, text, picture and video messages, and turn-by-turn GPS navigation, as well as to browse and download various applications; and data services, including news, weather, sports information, games, ring tones, and other services. It provides wireless devices, such as handsets, modems, and tablets; and a range of accessories comprising carrying cases, hands-free devices, batteries, battery chargers, and memory cards, as well as wireless device repair services. The company also offers voice services, including local and long-distance tel ephone service, voice over Internet protocol, voice mail, caller ID, and call forwarding services; broadband services comprising digital subscriber lines and other high-speed Internet data services; network access services; hosted and managed services consisting of co-location, hosting, hosted application management, and cloud computing services; and satellite and terrestrial video services to commercial and residential customers and carriers. In addition, it provides printing and distribution services. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 5.9 million wireless customers and 1.1 million wireline equivalent access lines. It sells its products through retail sales and service centers, direct sales, and independent agents, as well as through Website and telesales. Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE: TDS ) is phoning home another shareholder payout. The company has declared a dividend for its Q2, which will be $0.1275 per share of its common stock, paid on June 28 to shareholders of record as of June 14. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution that was disbursed at the end of March. Prior to that, the firm paid $0.1225 per share.
Top Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vodafone Group PLC (VOD)
Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone), incorporated in 1984, is a mobile communications company operating across the globe providing a range of communications services. The Company offers a range of products and services, including voice, messaging, data and fixed-line solutions and devices to assist customers in meeting their total communications needs. Vodafone has a global presence, with equity interests in over 30 countries and over 40 partner markets worldwide. It operates in three geographic regions: Europe, Africa and Central Europe; Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and has an investment in Verizon Wireless in the United States. In October 2010, Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone, announced the acquisition of two telecom expense management (TEM) companies, Quickcomm and TnT Expense Management. In November 2011, the Company sold 24.4% interest in Polkomtel in Poland. In March 2012, Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone, purchased the operating assets of Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania from the Company. In April 2012, its Netherlands-based division, Vodafone Libertel BV, acquired Telespectrum-DJ. On October 31, 2012, the Company acquired TelstraClear Limited. In May 2013, Vodafone Group Plc announced launch of its carrier services business unit.
In Europe, the Company�� mobile subsidiaries and joint venture operate under the brand name Vodafone. Its associate in France operates as SFR and Neuf Cegetel, and its fixed-line communication businesses operate as Vodafone, Arcor, Tele2 and TeleTu. Vodafone�� subsidiaries in Africa and Central Europe operate under the Vodafone brand, or in the case of Vodacom and its mobile subsidiaries, the Vodacom and Gateway brands. Its joint venture in Poland operates as Polkomtel and its associate in Kenya operates as Safaricom. The Company�� subsidiaries and joint venture in Fiji operate under the Vodafone brand, and its joint venture in Australia operates under the brands V! odafone and 3. The Company�� associate in the United States operates under the brand Verizon Wireless.
Vodafone has an international customer base with 370 million mobile customers across the world as of March 31, 2011. Vodafone also caters to all business segments ranging from small-office-home-office (SoHo) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to corporates and multinational corporations. Through its subsidiaries, Vodafone directly owns and manages approximately 2,200 stores around the world. The Company also has around 10,300 Vodafone-branded stores run through franchise and exclusive dealer arrangements.
The Company�� range of handsets covers all its customer segments and price points, and is available in a variety of designs. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), 14 new handsets were released under its own brand and it shipped 5.8 million. In addition to handsets, it supplies a range of connected smart devices. It supplies the iPhone in 19 markets. During fiscal 2011, the Company launched its USB stick based on 4G/LTE technology in Germany and Verizon Wireless launched in the United States.; Vodafone WebBox; a smartphone roaming data plan that allows the European customers to use their home data plan abroad for only 2 a day to access the Internet, emails and applications; the Android-powered Vodafone 845 and 945 devices; Vodafone TV services; Vodafone 252, which comes pre-loaded with Vodafone M-Pesa for mobile payment services and a prepaid balance indicator that helps customers to keep track of their phone credit to avoid overspending; Vodafone M-Pesa in South Africa, Qatar and Fiji; 3G services in India, and LTE services by acquiring LTE spectrum in Germany.
The Company is a carrier of mobile voice traffic in the world providing domestic, international and roaming voice services to more than 370 million customers. Its networks sent and received over 292 billion text, picture, music and video messages during fiscal 2011. The Company ! serves mo! re than 75 million customers with data services, which allow access to the Internet, email and applications on their phones, tablets, laptops and netbooks. The Company provides a range of data products, including Machine-to-machine (��2M�� connections, which allow devices to communicate with one another via built-in mobile SIM cards; Third party billing; Financial services; Near field communication (��FC��, and Mobile advertising. The Company, as of March 31, 2011, served 5.3 million M2M connections around the world. NFC allows communication between devices when they are touched together or brought within a few centimetres of each other. The Company has mobile advertising business in 18 countries with a range of capabilities. Over six million customers use its fixed broadband services in 13 markets to meet their total communications needs. In addition, through Gateway, it provides wholesale carrier services to more than 40 African countries. Other service revenue includes business managed services, such as secure remote network access, and revenue from mobile virtual network operators generated from selling access to its network at the wholesale level. The Company�� enterprise customers range from small-office-home-office (��oHo�� businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (��MEs��, through to domestic and multinational companies. The Company has 34 million enterprise customers accounting for around 9% of all customers and around 23% of service revenue. The Company focuses on SoHos and SMEs to provide customers with integrated fixed and mobile communications solutions. Vodafone Global Enterprise manages the communication needs of over 560 of the multinational corporate customers. It provides a range of managed services, such as Central Ordering, Device Manager, Spend Manager Solutions, Invoice Manager, Vodafone Neverfail and Telecoms management. The Company offers a range of total communications applications, as well as services for enterprise and consumer customers. Vodafone Alw! ays Best ! Connected software enables customers to stay connected to the Internet on the available connection wherever they are by automatically managing the switching between connection types including mobile broadband, Wi-Fi and LAN. Vodafone PC Backup is an online back-up and restores service that enables users to remotely store data securely and automatically via their Internet connection.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
Companies are still looking for ways to expand, and there are a few acquisitions that should give investors a little hope. Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD ) agreed to buy Kabel Deutschland, Germany's largest cable operator, for $10.1 billion in an effort to expand in one of Europe's only healthy economies. Vodafone will expand its TV and fixed-line business and add them to the wireless services it already offers in the country. �
- [By Dan Radovsky]
Verizon (NYSE: VZ ) caught everyone off guard when it announced that Verizon Wireless, the venture it shares with U.K.-based telecom Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD ) , would be paying out $7 billion to its two partners.
- [By Rebecca McClay]
In a second major deal in tech, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) announced plans to buy Vodafone Group's (Nasdaq ADR: VOD) principal asset of 45% of Verizon Wireless for $130 billion in a cash and stock deal. VZ shares are down about 3% in morning trade.
Top Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS)
T-Mobile US, Inc., formerly MetroPCS Communications, Inc., incorporated on March 10, 2004, is a wireless telecommunications carrier, which offers wireless broadband mobile services primarily in metropolitan areas in the United States, including the Atlanta, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando/Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Tampa/Sarasota metropolitan areas. Its flagship brands include T-Mobile and MetroPCS. As of December 31, 2012, it held licenses for wireless spectrum suitable for wireless broadband mobile services covering a total population of 144 million people in and around many of the metropolitan areas in the United States. It provides its services using code division multiple accesses (CDMA) networks using 1xRTT technology and evolution data optimized (EVDO) and fourth generation long term evolution (4G LTE).
The Company has roaming agreements with other wireless broadband mobile carriers that allow them to offer its customers service in many areas when they are outside its service area. These roaming agreements, together with the area it serve with its own networks, allows its customers to receive service in an area covering over 280 million in total population under the Metro USA brand. The Company sells products and services to customers through its Company-owned retail stores, as well as indirectly through relationships with independent retailers and third party dealers. Its service allows its customers to place unlimited local calls from within its local service area and to receive unlimited calls from any area while in its service area, for a flat-rate monthly service fee. For additional usage fees, it also provide certain other value-added services. All of these plans require payment in advance for one month of service. If no payment is made in advance for month of service, service is suspended at the end of the month that was paid for by the customer and, if the customer does not pay within 30 day! s, the customer is terminated. It believes its service plans differentiate them from the more complex plans and long-term contract requirements of traditional wireless carriers.
The Company voice services allow customers to place voice calls to, and receive calls from, any telephone in the world, including local, domestic long distance, and international calls. Its voice services also allow customers to receive and make calls while they are located in areas served by its networks and in those geographic areas served by the networks of certain other wireless broadband mobile carriers with whom it has roaming arrangements. The Company�� data services include text messaging services (domestic and international); multimedia messaging services; mobile Internet access; mobile instant messaging; location-based services; social networking services; push e-mail; multimedia streaming and downloads; and services provided, depending on the network and locale, through the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, or BREW, Blackberry, Windows, and the Android platforms, such as ringtones, ring back tones, games, content, and applications.
The Company�� Custom calling features offers custom calling features, including caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling and voicemail. Its Advanced handsets sells a variety of feature phones, and increasingly, smartphones, predominately manufactured by nationally recognized manufacturers for use on its network, including models that have cameras, include HTML browsers, play music, play streaming audio, display streaming video and downloaded video, and have other features facilitating digital data. It sells a variety of handsets using vendor or handset specific operating systems, such as BREW, Blackberry, Windows, and the Android operating system.
The Company provides its wireless broadband mobile services using paired personal communications services (PCS), spectrum and advanced wireless services, or AWS, spectrum. In addition, it holds a! license ! for 12 MHz of paired 700 MHz Lower Band A spectrum in the Boston-Worcester, MA/NH/RI/VT basic economic area (BEA), which, unless it receives a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), of the four year construction requirements, it plans to construct in the first half of 2013. In each of its metropolitan areas where irt provides service. As of December 31, 2012, it holds between 10 mega hertz (MHz) and 60 MHz of paired spectrum and on average it has approximately 22 MHz of paired spectrum in the metropolitan areas it serves. In the aggregate, as of December 31, 2012, it offers wireless broadband mobile services using its own network.
The Company operates 1xRTT CDMA networks in all of the metropolitan areas it serves and it has upgraded its networks to 4G LTE in all of metropolitan areas. It also has deployed EVDO at selected high use sites in its CDMA network to increase network data capacity to meet the growing data needs of iy customers. Its network includes a mobile switching center (for CDMA), enhanced packet core (for 4G LTE), and IP core. These serve several purposes, including routing traffic, managing call handoffs, and managing access to the public switched telephone network (for CDMA) or the Internet (CDMA and 4G LTE). These network elements also provide access to voicemail and other value-added services, base stations (for CDMA) or eNodeBs (for 4G LTE), cell sites or distributed antenna system (DAS), nodes, and backhaul facilities, which carry traffic to and from its cell sites and its switching or enhanced packet core facilities, consisting of a combination of dedicated circuits, cable, fiber, and microwave facilities.
Its cell sites in the network are co-located, meaning its equipment is located on leased facilities that are owned by third parties who retain the right to lease the locations to additional carriers and in many cases other wireless broadband mobile service providers already have facilities at such locations. The switching centers and na! tional op! erations center provide around-the-clock monitoring of its network. Its switches connect to the public switched telephone network through fiber rings leased from third-parties, which transmit originating and terminating traffic between its equipment and local exchange and long distance carriers. It also has negotiated interconnection agreements with relevant local exchange carriers, or LECs, in its service areas. It uses third-party providers for domestic and international long distance services, international SMS interconnection with the public switched network and other carriers, roaming services, and the majority of its backhaul services.
The Company competes with AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA , Deutsche Telekom, Clearwire, Dish Network , Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox Communications, Cricket Communications, Leap Wireless International and Google.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Adrian Covert]
For the most part, you get what you pay for. These plans are in no way more convenient than Verizo, (VZ, Fortune 500) AT&, (T, Fortune 500)Sprin or (S, Fortune 500) T-Mobile' pla (TMUS)ns, since they typically require you to make a compromise of some sort.
- [By Dan Burrows]
The most interesting news out of T stock recently is that it�� slashing prices — again — as its price war with T-Mobile U.S. (TMUS) heats up. AT&T customers can sign up for a 2-gigabyte data plan for $65 per month, down from $80. And adding a second phone lifts the total to $90, down from $105. As much as the price war might help T’s market share, it doesn’t help the share price. T stock is down 8% so far this year.
- [By MARKETWATCH]
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks inched downward Wednesday, with action quiet as most other Asian markets were closed for the Christmas holiday. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) eased 0.1% to 15,874.40, with the Topix 0.2% lower, failing to get a bump from gains in Wall Street's abbreviated session Tuesday. Shares of Softbank Corp. (JP:9984) (SFTBF) slipped 0.3%, showing little reaction to an article in the Nikkei Asian Review saying that previously reported plans by the firm to buy T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) through its newly acquired Sprint (S) unit would value the transaction at more than 2 trillion yen ($19 billion) and would take place as early as next spring. Seven & I Holdings Co. (JP:3382) (SVNDF) , operators of the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain, rose 0.5% as a separate Nikkei report said it planned to pay about 楼5 billion yen to purchase nearly half of Bals, which runs home-and-kitchen-furnishings retailer Francfranc. On the upside, Renesas Electronics Corp. (JP:6723) (RNECY) rallied 5.3% after suffering a sizeable drop in the previous session.
- [By Neha Marwah]
The second largest US telecom provider AT&T (T) posted strong third quarter earnings for the fiscal on October 23. The carrier recorded strong postpaid net additions with improved profitability margins despite increasing competition from smaller national carriers T-Mobile (TMUS) and Sprint (S). So what were the revenue and profit figures for the quarter?
Top Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vivendi SA (VIVHY)
Vivendi SA (Vivendi), incorporated on December 18, 1987, is a communications and entertainment company. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had six business segments: Activision Blizzard, Universal Music Group, SFR, Maroc Telecom Group, GVT (Holding) S.A. (GVT) and Canal+ Group. Activision Blizzard develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software, online or on other media (such as console and personal computer (PC)). Universal Music Group is engaged in the sale of recorded music (physical and digital media), exploitation of music publishing rights, as well as artist services and merchandising. SFR is engaged in the phone services (mobile, broadband Internet and fixed) in France. Maroc Telecom Group is a telecommunication operator (mobile, fixed and Internet) in Africa, principally in Morocco, as well as in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali. GVT is a Brazilian fixed and broadband operator. Canal+ Group is engaged in publishing and distribution of pay-television mainly in France, in both analog and digital (terrestrially, via satellite or ADSL), as well as film production in Europe. In July 2013, Vivendi SA and Universal Music Group announced the completion of the sale of Parlophone Label Group to Warner Music Group Corp.
On November 13, 2009, Vivendi acquired an aggregate of 29.9% of GVT�� outstanding voting shares from Swarth Investments LLC, Swarth Investments Holdings LLC and Global Village Telecom (Holland) BV. In addition, Vivendi acquired from third parties an additional 8% interest in GVT's outstanding shares. On December 28, 2009, Canal+ Group, Vivendi�� subsidiary, acquired TF1�� 9.9% interest in the capital of Canal+ France. On July 31, 2009, Maroc Telecom acquired 51% controlling interest in Sotelma. On August 27, 2009, CID, a company 40% owned by SFR and 60% by other financial investors, acquired the 62% interest in 5 sur 5.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI ) is striking out on its own. The company reached a purchase agreement with Vivendi (NASDAQOTH: VIVHY ) �to transfer enough shares so that it will become an independent company, one that's majority-owned by public investors rather than a single corporation.
Top Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: DTE Energy Company(DTE)
DTE Energy Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in Michigan. It also involves in non-utility operations. The company?s Energy Utility segment engages in the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity in southeastern Michigan. It generates electricity from various fuels, including coal, as well as from nuclear and hydro facilitates. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned and operated approximately 674 distribution substations and approximately 412,100 line transformers; and supplied electricity to 2.1 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Michigan. The company?s Gas Utility segment engages in the purchase, storage, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas in Michigan. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s distribution system included approximately 19,000 miles of distribution mains, 1,036,000 service lines, and 1,319,000 active meters. It also o wned approximately 2,000 miles of transmission lines that deliver natural gas; and supplied natural gas to approximately 1.2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Michigan, as well as to approximately 17,000 customers in Adrian, Michigan. The company?s non-utility operations include natural gas pipelines and storage; unconventional gas exploration, development, and production; power and industrial projects, and coal transportation and marketing; and energy marketing and trading operations. Its customers include electric utilities, merchant power producers, integrated steel mills, and industrial companies. DTE Energy Company was founded in 1995 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Morgan]
Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) lost 0.6 percent as a gauge of banks posted the largest drop of the 19 industry groups in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) advanced 2.2 percent as a gauge of telecom companies rose the most on the Stoxx 600.
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