Best Sliver Stocks To Buy For 2014

It's hard to compete against "free."

Free-to-play and casual games finally took a big bite out of Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) tent pole franchise, World of Warcraft. The subscription-based game lost 1.3 million members last quarter, or 14% of its total user base.

In the following video, Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos says there's a sliver lining to this bad news, and that Activision has some levers it can pull to keep Warcraft afloat. Still, the best-case scenario is for a more steady decline for this aging game that will give the company time to build up its newer franchises.

While Activision and Microsoft have been taking the headlines when it comes to console gaming, investors following the gaming sector would do well to also keep tabs on Electronic Arts. We can help. The Motley Fool's special report breaks down the risks and opportunities facing the company to help you decide if EA is right for your portfolio. Click here to get your copy now.

Best Sliver Stocks To Buy For 2014: TICC Capital Corp.(TICC)

TICC Capital Corp., a business development company, operates as a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. The firm invests in both public and private companies. It invests in secured and unsecured senior debt, subordinated debt, junior subordinated debt, preferred stock, and common stock. The firm primarily invests in debt and/or equity securities of technology-related companies that operate in the computer software, Internet, information technology infrastructure and services, media, telecommunications and telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, hardware, technology-enabled services, semiconductor capital equipment, medical device technology, diversified technology, and networking systems sectors. It concentrates its investments in companies having annual revenues of less than $200 million and a market capitalization or enterprise value of less than $300 million. The firm invests between $5 million and $30 million per transaction. It seeks to exit its investments within 7 years. It serves as the investment adviser to TICC. The company was formerly known as Technology Investment Capital Corp. and changed its name to TICC Capital Corp. in December 2007. TICC Capital Corp. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Best Sliver Stocks To Buy For 2014: CEPHEID(CPHD)

Cepheid, a molecular diagnostics company, engages in developing, manufacturing, and marketing integrated systems for testing in the clinical market, as well as for application in legacy biothreat, industrial, and partner markets. Its systems enable molecular testing for organisms and genetic-based diseases by automation. The company offers GeneXpert system that integrates sample preparation in addition to DNA amplification and detection; and SmartCycler system, which integrates DNA amplification and detection to allow rapid analysis of a sample. The GeneXpert system is designed for reference laboratories, hospital central laboratories, and satellite testing locations, such as emergency departments and intensive care units within hospitals and doctors? offices. Cepheid also provides GeneXpert Infinity System for high volume testing. The company offers tests for the GeneXpert and the SmartCycler systems in the areas of healthcare associated infections, critical infectious d isease, genetics, women?s health, and oncology. These tests include U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared products, CE marked products, analyte specific reagents, and research use only tests in the clinical market. In the industrial market, it sells its SmartCycler system along with general use polymerase chain reaction reagents and reaction tubes. Cepheid sells its products its direct sales force and through third-party distributors worldwide. It has collaboration agreements with Novartis, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Life Technologies Corporation, and Northrop Grumman Corporation. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: CIFC Deerfield Corp.(DFR)

Deerfield Capital Corp. (DFR) operates as a real estate investment trust. The firm invests in real estate-related securities, commercial mortgage backed securities, bank loans, leveraged finance securities and alternative assets. It primarily provides junior debt including second lien and mezzanine and one-stop debt financings, with a limited appetite for preferred stock and non-control common equity investments. The firm invests in growth, change of control transactions, strategic acquisitions, and recapitalizations. It typically invests between $10 million to $40 million in companies with minimum annual EBITDA of $5 million with a focus on North America. The firm also invests in Western Europe. For mortgage investing, it invests in Agency and AAA-rated non-Agency loans with target duration of one year or less. For direct real estate lending, it provides mezzanine financing, platform investment, and institutional investment, For mezzanine investing, it invests in property types including office, retail, multi-family, industrial, hospitality, senior housing, and land of United States. For platform investments, it provides capital to financial companies and real estate sponsors on a platform basis through first loss financing on warehouse lines; Equity Bridge lines with a transaction size between $20 million and $90million with multiple assets as collateral. For institutional investment, the firm invests in first and second lien debt, B notes, and mezzanine offerings arranged by investment and commercial banks to real estate related companies and project finance secured by real estate. It was formerly known as Deerfield Triarc Capital Corp. Deerfield Capital Corp was founded in 2004 and is based in New York, New York.