Top 5 Rising Companies To Watch For 2014

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- As most investors know, emerging markets have been subject to panic selling for the last couple of months, with the main focus on Turkey, South Africa and the Ukraine. The panic has hurt equity prices in most of the emerging markets. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) is down 6.3% year to date, according to Google Finance.

This type of indiscriminate selling is not new, of course, and it potentially creates an opportunity to buy an emerging market with seemingly no fundamental connection to the current panic. One such country is Colombia and the Global X FTSE Colombia 20 ETF (GXG).

Fundamentally, Colombia's GDP growth has been solid at 4.8% in 2012, 4.5% in 2013 and, according to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria estimates, 5% for 2014. Inflation is running at 2%, which is surprisingly low considering inflation is more than 10% in Argentina and 5.5% in Brazil. Colombia also fares will with a debt to GDP ratio of 32% and a small current account deficit.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Invest In 2015: Firstbank Corporation(FBMI)

Firstbank Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides commercial banking products and services. It accepts checking, savings, and time deposits. The company also provides commercial, mortgage, agricultural, real estate, real estate mortgage, real estate construction, home improvement, automobile, and consumer loans. In addition, it offers trust, security brokerage, and title insurance services, as well as armored car services. The company operates 53 branch offices in central Michigan. Firstbank Corporation was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Alma, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  A great example of these small banks with big potential is Firstbank Corp. (FBMI), a $155 million market-cap stock that operates 53 branch offices in central Michigan. Firstbank provides commercial banking products and services, including traditional deposit accounts and loans tailored to meet the needs of its business customers. FBMI also offers trust, security brokerage and title insurance services, and even armored car services. This bank stock has been rated an “A” all year, and the fundamentals just keep getting better. FBMI shares remain a “strong buy” at current prices.

Top 5 Rising Companies To Watch For 2014: BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P.(BBEP)

BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. engages in the acquisition, exploitation, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States. The company?s properties include natural gas, oil, and midstream assets comprising fields in the Antrim Shale in Michigan, and the New Albany Shale in Indiana and Kentucky; and fields in the Evanston and Green River basins in southwestern Wyoming, the Wind river and Big Horn basins in central Wyoming, the Powder River basin in eastern Wyoming, the Los Angeles basin in California, and fields in Florida?s Sunniland Trend. As of December 31, 2011, its total estimated proved reserves were 151.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. BreitBurn GP, LLC serves as the general partner to the company. BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  Let's start with MLPs like Linn Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) or BreitBurn Energy Partners (NASDAQ: BBEP  ) . These are oil and gas exploration and production partnerships, and though this type of MLP is extremely exposed to commodity risk, commodity prices are tied to inflation, which in turn poses little threat to the partnerships.

Top 5 Rising Companies To Watch For 2014: Medley Capital Corporation (MCC)

Medley Capital Corporation is a business development company. The fund seeks to invest in privately negotiated debt and equity securities of small and middle market companies. It targets private debt transactions ranging in size from $10 million to $50 million to borrowers principally located in North America. It structures its investments as first lien senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loans, senior secured notes, senior subordinated notes, unitranche loans, and seeks warrants or other equity participation. The fund may take a board seat on its investee companies and exits its investments between three years and seven years.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nathan Slaughter]

  All of this is to say that while I strive to hunt down and recommend attractive securities with double-digit yields -- and own a few, like Medley Capital Corp. (NYSE: MCC) -- they are the exception in this environment, not the rule.

Top 5 Rising Companies To Watch For 2014: Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE)

Danske Bank A/S (the Bank) is a Denmark-based bank. Its operations are divided into five business segments: Banking Activities caters to personal and business customers, comprising finance centers, mortgage finance operations and real estate agency operations, as well as property finance operations; Danske Markets and Treasury is responsible for the Bank�� activities in the financial markets, such as trading in fixed income, foreign exchange, equities and interest-bearing securities, as well as equity portfolios, among others; Danske Capital is engaged in the development and marketing of wealth management products and services; Danica Pension encompasses the Bank�� activities in the life insurance and pensions market; Other Activities encompasses the Bank�� real estate activities and support functions, as well as the elimination of returns on own shares and bonds. Is operational in 15 countries, with emphasis on the Nordic region. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Kabel Deutschland Holding AG rose to a record after getting an offer from Liberty Global Plc. Aveva Group Plc (AVV) jumped 5.4 percent as Citigroup Inc. upgraded the shares. Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE) dropped 6.1 percent after Denmark�� financial regulator ordered it to increase its risk-weighted assets. Royal Imtech NV fell to the lowest price since 2004 after posting a first-quarter loss on costs relating to a fraud investigation.