5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now

With Excel Maritime Carriers filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy, Motley Fool industrials analyst Blake Bos tells investors in the video below that it may be a dark omen for the dry bulk shipping industry as a whole. While several analysts earlier this year did cite what they saw as a bottom in the dry bulk shipping industry, setting a rebound target date of 2015 for shipping rates, Blake discusses why it isn't necessarily as simple as that and why many companies will continue to face chapter 11 risk for the long term in this troubled industry.

The best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of.�Click here now�to keep reading.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now: SmartPros Ltd.(SPRO)

SmartPros Ltd. provides learning and training solutions for accounting/finance, legal, engineering, securities, and insurance markets, as well as for banking and information technology (IT) professionals. Its products and services include accounting and finance libraries; SmartPros Advantage, a skills-based learning library; financial management network, a library of programs dealing with current topics; CPA Report, a library of programs that cover various topics in public accounting for accountants in public practice; CPA report government and not-for-profit, a library of programs designed for accounting professionals; and customized programs for its clients. The company?s engineering library comprises fundamentals of engineering exam review, PE Civil Exam Review course for civil engineers, online professional development hours, project management for engineers, supply chain and CPIM certification, and green engineering. It also offers continuing legal education; and cou rses, including banking compliance, general banking, general bank management, insurance, lending, retirement and estate planning, securities, ethics, anti-money laundering, financial planning, and industry-related sales and services, as well as provides various courses focusing on IT related briefings to executives, technologists, and consultants. The company?s training solutions comprise training in corporate governance, ethics, finance, and compliance for the general corporate market; and pharmaceutical, professional services, banking, securities, and insurance industries. In addition, SmartPros Ltd. offers video production, duplication, consulting, e-marketing, and e-commerce services. It provides its products in various formats consisting of print, CD-ROM, DVD, videotapes, and through the Internet. The company was formerly known as KeepSmart.com, Inc. and changed its name to SmartPros Ltd. in June 2001. SmartPros Ltd. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Hawthorn e, New York.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now: American National Bankshares Inc.(AMNB)

American National Bankshares Inc. operates as the bank holding company for American National Bank and Trust Company that provides various commercial, mortgage, and consumer banking products and services to individuals and businesses in Virginia and North Carolina. The company?s deposit products principally include checking, money market, savings, demand, and consumer time deposits, as well as certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio primarily comprises commercial and residential real estate loans, commercial loans to small and medium-sized businesses, construction and land development loans, and home equity loans, as well as 1-4 family residential mortgage loans. The company also provides trust and investment services, which include estate planning, trust account administration, and retail brokerage services, as well as investment management services, such as purchasing equity, fixed income, and mutual fund investments for customer accounts. In addition, American Natio nal Bankshares Inc. provides mutual funds, insurance, Internet banking, automated teller machine (ATM), and telephone banking services. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 18 banking offices and 2 loan production offices located in Danville, Pittsylvania County, Martinsville, Henry County, Halifax County, Lynchburg, Bedford County, Campbell County, and Nelson County in Virginia; and Caswell County in North Carolina. It also operates 25 ATMs. The company was founded in 1909 and is based in Danville, Virginia.

Top 10 Defensive Companies To Buy Right Now: Whitehaven Coal Ltd (WHITF)

Whitehaven Coal Limited (Whitehaven) is engaged in the development and operation of coal mines in New South Wales. During the fiscal year ended 30 June 2012 (fiscal 2012), Whitehaven Coal Limited and its controlled entities continued development at the Narrabri underground mine. The Company operates in two segments: Open Cut Operations and Underground Operations. The Company�� Gunnedah operations include the Tarrawonga (70% owned by Whitehaven), Rocglen (100% owned by Whitehaven), and Sunnyside (100% owned by Whitehaven) open cut mines and the Gunnedah coal handling and preparation plant and train load out facility (CHPP��(100% owned by Whitehaven). The Werris Creek mine is 100% owned by Whitehaven. During fiscal 2012, the Company produced 4.28 million tons per annum of saleable coal. On May 1, 2012, the Company acquired Boardwalk Resources Limited. On May 2, 2012, the Company acquired Aston Resources Limited. On June 20, 2012, it acquired Coalworks Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  OK, so First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF) is a bit of a gamble. But the company, even without Inmet Mining (IEMMF), is a major miner of copper, gold and nickel, and its shares are up 15.6% in the past 12 months as of Dec. 18. My last three stocks on this list, on the other hand, are hated.

  Which, of course, means that they've got tremendous upside if the market simply moves from "hated" to "despised." My first pick is Australian coal producer Whitehaven Coal (WHITF). The only thing more hated than a coal stock -- on falling coal prices and falling demand from everywhere, but especially China -- is an Australian coal stock, to which you can add rising production costs to the list of woes.

  Whitehaven Coal, which owns seven mines (and important railroad infrastructure) in New South Wales, freaked out the market in October, when it said that if coal prices stayed at current low levels, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) would come in at just $50 millionAustralian (that's about $52.4 million in U.S. dollars) for 2013. That was a shock, since the analyst consensus for 2013 EBITDA was then at A$185 million. Since then, though, prices of Australian thermal coal have shown signs of climbing off the floor with reports of increased growth from China. Coal still sells for 27% less than it did a year ago, but the Nov. 30 price of $83.01 per metric ton is an improvement from $81.85 on Oct. 31.

  Whitehaven shares posted a 26.6% gain from a Nov. 16 low through Dec. 19, but they are still well below the highest price of the year.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now: Nuveen California Select Quality Municipal Fund Inc.(NVC)

Nuveen California Select Quality Municipal Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is managed by Nuveen Asset Management. It invests in the fixed income markets of California. The fund invests primarily in municipal securities rated Baa/BBB or better. It invests in securities that provide income exempt from federal and California income tax. The fund employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P California Municipal Bond Index and the S&P National Municipal Bond Index. Nuveen California Select Quality Municipal Fund, Inc. was formed on April 3, 1991 and is domiciled in the United States.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now: VirtualScopics Inc.(VSCP)

VirtualScopics, Inc. provides imaging solutions for clinical trials serving the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. The company offers a suite of image analysis software tools and applications, which are used in detecting and measuring specific anatomical structures and metabolic activity using medical images. Its image-based measurement and visualization tools enable automated, accurate, and reproducible measurement of changes that occur in anatomic structures in musculoskeletal, oncological, cardiological, and neurological diseases. VirtualScopics has strategic relationship with Pfizer Inc. for the discovery, validation, and application of image-based biomarkers for clinical research; and with PPD Development, LP. to provide to provide clients with an integrated and customized clinical development and medical imaging solution for oncology clinical trials. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Rochester, New York.