Year 2014 saw the stock market performing exceedingly well and it was hoped that the wave would be carried into the New Year. Unfortunately, this was not the case and year 2015 witnessed a shaky start. This has jolted the investor confidence for now and it is too early to say whether it is a short term trend or a long term one. The investment bankers and brokerage houses are still working on their list of recommendations for the year 2015.

They are taking a number of factors into consideration which varies from dropping oil prices to the US pullout from Afghanistan this year. UBS (NYSE:OUBS) has recently released a list of 5 stocks that are expected to yield the highest dividend in 2015. The list includes Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE:CL), Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M), Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT). This is a much diversified list that has big names dealing in daily household products to international IT giants.

Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE:CL) is one of the largest consumer based company and has operations in nearly 200 countries. This makes Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE:CL) a household name in every part of the world. It should also be noted here that Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE:CL) makes more money outside the USA and is known to pay a regular dividend to its shareholders. Last year Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE:CL) announced a dividend of 2.1% and is currently trading around the $70 bracket.

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) is another stock that one should keep an eye on. The financials posted by Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) are very promising. The debt to equity ratio of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) is only 0.5 which makes it extremely attractive for the investors. Even though the stock under performed during the previous year, UBS AG (NYSE:OUBS) has strong hopes and expectations from it. Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) paid out a 3.1% dividend last year and is currently trading around the $60 bracket.

Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M) is one of the biggest names in general merchandising and is investing big to develop its online sales division. The improvement in the online presence resulted in an increase in sales which was more than the expectation of Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M). It is believed that the company will continue its growth in 2015. Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M) gives a dividend of 2.1% and is currently trading at the $65 bracket.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a leading healthcare company. The company performed well during the last year with a growth of 15%. Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) operates in over 140 countries and has a diversified portfolio. Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) announced a dividend of 3.1% and is currently trading at the $60 bracket. The name Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) alone is enough to make it on any list. The computing giant gave out a dividend of 2.7% and is currently trading at the $50 bracket.

There could be several factors, affecting the 3^rd quarter earnings of the company. If we study AmEx (NYSE:AXP)’s stock, we will see that the company has a core customer section in which a yearly earning of higher spending household is at least $95,000 – $100,000. The average card member, spending in the last quarter saw a year-over-year increase of 9%. In September the spending, buying inclinations of clients and the stability in their incomes reached a new high which resulted in better economy and more substantial consumer sentiment. Therefore the household income and the purchases these people make on their cards are the key factors that affect the overall earnings of the company.

There has been improvement in the factors that affect the growth of credit card companies and AmEx (NYSE:AXP) should also be able to grow and move forward due to these enhancements. In August, the second quarter consumer credit in the U.S rose to $880 billion from $875 billion. During the 3^rd quarter AmEx (NYSE:AXP) expects 4 – 5% increase in loans. AmEx (NYSE:AXP) has been successful in generating low default rates at 1% which is less than the U.S credit card industry average of 2.25%.

AmEx (NYSE:AXP) plans to take its business further through a 3^rd party, by expanding it outside of U.S. The company hopes to find international clients, and therefore AmEx (NYSE:AXP) is looking to become partners with financial services institutes through Global Network and Merchant services. These alliances then provide the clients with AmEx (NYSE:AXP) branded GNS issued cards and play the role of banks for merchants. The company had almost 42million cards by the end of the second quarter. Outside U.S, AmEx (NYSE:AXP) managed to issue about 15 million cards to consumers. The expansion of business outside U.S will definitely help AmEx (NYSE:AXP) grow as a company and will open up new doors for it.

In the second quarter, the two countries that proved to be the main catalyst in the growth of AmEx (NYSE:AXP) were China and Japan. The two countries generated 10% growth in card billed business and 8% increase in cards. FX to some extent balanced the growth and is expected to influence the progress in the 3^rd quarter, especially because of the strong U.S dollar against the Japanese yen.

These key features are certain to make an impact on the performance, revenues and the future stature of American Express (NYSE:AXP).

This request comes just a week after GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) filed for bankruptcy in a court of law. According to the filing papers, GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) blamed Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) for putting “oppressive” and “unrealistic” demands on the company, which, it claims, has resulted in terrible financial backlash for the company, and has caused the closure of its plants in Mesa, Massachusetts, Salem, as well as Arizona.

When asked to provide more information regarding its dealings with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) has hinted at legal constraints, citing a confidentiality agreement signed with Apple Inc. as reason for its non-disclosure. It is a widely known fact that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is strict when it comes to confidentiality. According to GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT), the confidentiality agreement it has entered into with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has the power to inflict a fine of $50 million on the company in case of violation, a cost the already bankrupt company simply cannot incur.

GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) entered into a contract worth $578 million last November for the development of synthetic Sapphire screens for its new iPhone and Apple Watch technologies due to release this year. However, the company failed to deliver the technology in time, which has resulted in the new iPhone 6 being released without a Sapphire screen. According to Apple, this failure to deliver is the reason it stopped the final payment of $139 million to GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT), the reason for GTAT’s bankruptcy.

However, GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) maintains the blame on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), stating non-payment as reason for the delays and eventual stoppage of the development of the synthetic Sapphire technology. According to GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT), considering the “burdensome” requirements posed by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) in the development of the Sapphire technology, stoppage of funds has proved to be lethal to its operations.

The U.S. Trustee, the segment of the Justice Department responsible for bankruptcy filings, has urged a judge to order GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) to disclose all the information relevant to the case. According to the U.S. Trustee, it is absolutely imperative that the public be let in the dealings of GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) which may affect their interests, which “is essential to fostering confidence among creditors and parties in interest regarding the fundamental fairness of the bankruptcy system.”

This disclosure of additional information, according to the U.S. Trustee, will result in better understanding of GTAT’s bankruptcy, which has angered a lot of stakeholders. In August of this year, GTAT (NASDAQ: GTAT) released statements stating the almost completion of the Sapphire project, which built up a lot of confidence among shareholders of the company. Stocks skyrocketed on the stock exchange, as people anticipated rapid growth for the company. Additional disclosure will sift through the details, and will investigate whether the company mislead shareholders.

Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) has been down 4% on fears that their hepatitis c drug won’t compete effectively against Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

This successful U.S. regulators approved drug by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is called Olysio. Its sales in the second quarter were strong and remained strong in the third quarter in which they were recorded at $796 million.

Things will soon become competitive for Olysio; according to Damien Conover, an analyst of Morningstar. He believes Olysio sales will dwindle after the approval of a new and more potent treatment pill by the name of Harvoni, which has been manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD); the approval for Harvoni is expected to come this Friday. According to Conover’s estimates, Harvoni’s launch will cause a dip in Olysio’s sales by 50% in 2015.

Despite this upcoming approval Conover believed that Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) had strong third quarter results in which sales for its drugs Zytiga (prostate cancer treatment), Xareltos (prevention for blood clots) and Olysio stayed strong. Conover believes that important drugs are selling well and there is a lot of competition for the big players, which is a healthy sign for pharmaceutical stocks.

Harvoni is expected to be an expensive treatment, which will cost $94,500. It is a combination of Gilead’s Sovaldi pill, which costs $84,000, and ledipasvir.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s CFO Dominic Caruso hopes that the company will remain strong in pharmaceutical market and will experiment by combining Olysio with more advance treatment options. He further said that Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) does not shy away from investing into this strong market.

According to the company’s quarterly reports drug sales of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) went up by 18% to reach $8.3 billion. However things weren’t this good for the company’s medical devices in the third quarter; their sales went down by 5.2% to reach $6.6 billion. The main reason for this decline in medical devices sales was the disposal of Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics cell of the company along with the recession in economy that caused a decline in surgical procedures. A few consumer products also saw a decline in sales by 0.6% to reach $3.6 billion; these products included Tylenol.

Other Highlights

• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s third quarter earnings were $4.75 billion ($1.66/share,), which were an improvement from last year’s $2.98 billion ($1.04/share).
• Per share earnings for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) were $1.50, which does not include special items. These figures are better than estimates of $1.45/share.
• Overall sales for the company jumped up by 5.1%, which is equal to $18.47 billion. This figure also beat estimates, which were $18.38 billion.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) per share earnings forecast for the full year is between $5.92 and $5.97 per share; these estimates are better than its July forecast that was between $5.85 and $5.92.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) stock opened today at $100.53.

Lafley is well known for combating a severe sales slump during 2000-2009. It’s also because of him that P&G (NYSE:PG) bought Gillette and started turning the company into a major beauty contender. Lasley wants the whole operation to be simplified; too many brands are costing P&G (NYSE:PG). Lafley believes relieving P&G (NYSE:PG) of extra brands will boost their core sales performance.

The strategy employed by the CEO is risky but if it bears fruit, the company will prosper in the long run. It desperately needs smooth sales and a significant profit margin. If P&G (NYSE:PG) stumbles now, things could get even worse and Lafley might have to take severe measures to bring order.

Lafley returned to the company last year in May and instantly showed his dissatisfaction with the company’s 1 percent sales growth and 3 percent organic growth. Lafley is also known to be ruthless when it concerns the company’s performance. He fired thousands of employees, got rid of the pet care business and ordered a review on the factory operations. Lafley on many occasions has said that he’d get rid of any brand that would cause a lag in the operations of P&G (NYSE:PG). Apparently P&G (NYSE:PG) would be making $8 billion in revenue when they sell off the brands.

Lafley could be risking a lot here. The previous CEO was shown the exit door after a continuous slump in the company sales. If the strategy that is being employed by Lafley fails, it could mean the same for him. If not that, he could lose his goodwill.

Analysts claim that the revenue gained from the selloff would benefit P&G (NYSE:PG) in marketing and innovation. However, P&G (NYSE:PG) cannot afford to be distracted from its core operations. No matter what the circumstances are, if the core operations are interrupted, P&G (NYSE:PG) will have a lot to lose.

Lafley has already cut two operations: a Chinese battery firm and Puma perfume. It’s being said that heavier cuts will come to the surface in the coming months, especially those brands which have cost P&G (NYSE:PG) in one or another way.

Lafley turned the company into a beauty and razor contender back in 2000 when he took the helm of the company. Beauty products became the ace of spades for THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY (NYSE:PG). But since then, sales have slumped. Lafley acknowledged the fact that beauty products haven’t exactly been at their best. THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY (NYSE:PG) still is considered the best because of its lower costs, higher margins and a carefully fragmented market. It won’t really be a surprise if the company attains its lead once again.

Otherwise the list was made up of the usual stocks. The ones that made it to the list of top five had short interest of over 100 million shares towards the end of their period.

First on the list is, Sirius XM Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:SIRI) an American broadcasting company that provides two satellite radio services operating in the United States, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. Sirius XM Holding (NASDAQ:SIRI) whose shares increased from 5.70 million to over 249.84 million. During this time, Sirius lost a royalties related suit which led to a price fall and stock was under 3% for the two weeks but eventually pulled through. Its shares closed at $3.28 on Thursday.

Next in line is the Frontier Communications Corp (NASDAQ:FTR), a telephone company in the United States, mainly serving rural areas and smaller communities. It was known as Citizens Utilities Company until May 2000 and Citizens Communications Company until July 31, 2008. Frontier Communications shares slipped by 14.9% after it announced changes in its management. But two weeks until September 30^th the stocks rose by 2% to $5.93 in 52 weeks.

Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) is one of the world’s largest and most valued, in terms of revenue, semiconductor chip manufacturers. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) was short by 124.18 million shares. But within four days it recovered, the share price halted, resulting in share price of $33.62 on Thursday with a 52 week range between $22.82 and $35.56. But the shares were still up by 32% year-to-date.

Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) is a multinational American corporation, best known for producing many forms of semiconductor devices. This includes DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, and SSDs. Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQQ:MU) faced short interest of 105.00 million shares by the end of the month. It’s total float at 9.9%, with less than four days to cover. Regardless of the situation Micron (NASDAQ:MU) reported better results than they anticipated; the Thursday’s session closed at a value $30.64. Stock’s range over 52 weeks was between $16.17 and $34.85 with recorded price gain of 14% for two weeks.

Lastly, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), a well known name that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services. Company’s shares shot up by 30%, making it not only the largest gain for the stock, but also showing its peak level in a year. The shares short were of 100.34 million, with two days recovery time at 1.3% of float. Eventually the stock closed at $45.85 on Thursday, with the 52 week range between $33.57 and $47.57.