Survey: Texters, tailgaters incite road rage

Texting while driving and tailgating are the behaviors most likely to elicit road rage from other motorists, the 2014 Road Rage Report from travel site Expedia finds.

Some 69% of drivers surveyed rated those who text behind the wheel as the worst of the worst for rudeness -- or being an outright threat -- in traffic. Next comes the ever-present tailgater at 60%; multitaskers who try to pile on several activities at once besides driving at 54%, those who drift out of their lane at 43% and slow pokes,at 39%.

Some 69% of those surveyed say they have been "flipped off" by a fellow motorist. Only 17% say they have delivered the obscene gesture to other drivers, the survey of 1,001 drivers found. Expedia says the survey has an error rate of plug or minus 3.1%.

"As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day sees a huge spike in the number of drivers on the road," says John Morrey, Expedia.com's general manager, in a statement. "The rule, as with airplanes and hotels, is that shared spaces demand decorum and attentiveness."

The list of bad traffic behavior isn't limited to texting, tailgating and the others. The survey also excoriates what it terms:

•The Swerver (failing to signal before changing lanes or turning):

38%

•The Left-Lane Hog (drivers who occupy the passing lane without moving):

32%

•The Inconsiderate (those who do not let others merge):

30%

•The Speeder (driving well past the speed limit at length):

27%

•The Honker (drivers who slam the horn at will):

18%

•The Unappreciative (drivers who do not give a wave or gesture of thanks):

13%

•The Red Light Racer (drivers who inch ever closer to the light when red):

12%

Blackstone Rises On Record Profits, Analysts Optimistic

Blackstone (BX) reported a better-than-expected first quarter on Thursday, logging its most profitable quarter ever.

The private equity firm said it earned $814 million, or 70 cents a share, up from 55 cents a share in the year-earlier period and well ahead of the consensus estimate of 57 cents.

Revenue rose 19.9% to $1.51 billion, also above the $1.3 billion analysts were expecting.

Distributable earnings rose 24% year over year in the first quarter, as total assets under management climbed 25%, thanks to double-digit increases across all of its investing businesses. Fee revenues for its real estate business were up 18%, while its hedge fund securities unit saw revenues increase 16%.

Analysts were largely upbeat about the quarter. Citigroup's William Katz reiterated a Buy rating and $40 price target on the stock, writing that the market continues to undervalue the sustainability and diversity of the firm's growing assets under management: "It is clear BX is firing across capital raising and dry powder deployment while benefiting from an acceleration in the realization cycle. Moreover, BX's strategic positioning continues to strengthen and BCP V is approaching a carry position which should drive a step function in ENI and DE and thus distributions, in our view."

Sandler O'Neill's Michael Kim and James Howley reiterated a Buy rating on the stock and $37 price target, writing that realizations remain robust, fund raising has never been stronger, and the firm is increasingly leveraging its global scale: "At a high level, we think today's news further validate momentum continues to build across the franchise. Put another way, activity levels remain high across fundraising, deal flow, and realizations setting the stage for concurrent growth in AUM (up 25% year-over-year) and distributable earnings. In turn, we look for ongoing realization activity to power a ramp up in distributable earnings (and therefore distributions to unitholders) in the near term and beyond, thereby driving a superior growth/yield profile for the stock –not fully reflected at current levels, we believe."

Morningstar's Stephen Ellis noted that he planned to increase his $33 fair value estimate about 10% to reflect the better-than-expected performance: "While all of Blackstone's segments performed well, we're particularly impressed with private equity. Because of a 400%-plus increase in incentive income to $287 million, overall economic net income jumped over 200% to $319 million. During the quarter, the carrying value of the segment's holdings leapt 7%, outpacing the market, and BCP V appreciated almost 6%. The BCP V main fund now only needs a 3% increase in total enterprise value before it can meet its hurdle rate and recognize accelerated incentive fees under the 80/20 catch-up period. We expect the fund to start recognizing these accelerated fees in 2014. We're also pleased to see the close of the Tactical Opportunities fund at $5.6 billion, which was larger than our original expectations, indicating continued healthy demand for Blackstone's services."

Fellow financial names Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) also reported on Thursday, while Citigroup (C) delivered a beat earlier in the week.

Finally gave a damn 'bout a bad reputation

(Fortune) Microsoft and Yahoo veteran Blake Irving didn't see much to phone home about when he first considered running GoDaddy, the web domain-name provider. At best he saw a mixed bag of opportunities at a well-known, if poorly understood, company. GoDaddy had quirky marketing and attentive customer service but weak product development. It boasted an impressive footprint in the U.S. yet had made virtually no effort to do business beyond its native shores.

However, the biggest opportunity by far was in changing how the Scottsdale-based company addressed its customers. Irving says women run 58% of small businesses in the U.S. Yet GoDaddy had built its reputation on a series of Super Bowl TV ads beginning in 2005 that were overtly sexist. The attention-grabbing spots were blatant attempts to generate chatter about a product that its founding CEO, Bob Parsons, thought was boring. And while the strategy worked gloriously in making GoDaddy the subject of water-cooler conversation everywhere, "never has a company had as big a gap between what the ads say and what the company is," Irving says.

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Feds Push Jail For Tax Crimes: Like Your Cell, Keep Your Cell

Does jail work is a large and complex question. But prosecutors are trained to want it and to push hard, in some sectors more than others. Tax charges are not violent but the tax system works on self-reporting and honesty.

That's one reason indictments, prosecutions and convictions are trumpeted during tax filing season. In the run-up to April 15, the government wants to remind you to fly right. You sign tax returns under penalties of perjury. The numbers you report must be true—they're Not an Opening Offer.

A report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a Syracuse University research group, says the government is cracking down hard. It reports that average tax crime prosecutions sought by the Justice Department have grown to 1,568 annually. While IRS offshore account efforts continue to rake in money, the government keeps pushing hard for jail time. Cash isn't enough.

After Beanie Babies founder H. Ty Warner plead guilty to tax evasion, he was sentenced on January 13 to 2 years of probation and 500 hours of community service, but not to jail. So the feds have appealed to the Seventh Circuit. Prosecutors say Warner, Forbes' 209th richest American worth $2.6 billion, should be jailed.

Warner agreed to pay penalties of over $53 million after evading taxes. Judge Charles Kocoras cited Warner's charity work in choosing probation so his good works could continue. Mr. Warner opened an account with UBS in 1996. In 2009, the IRS launched its first Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), a variant of which is still open today.

It encourages people to come forward and avoid prosecution. UBS paid $780 million to the U.S. government and the banking world will never be the same. Some Swiss banks have closed, some are still working out deals, and FATCA now promises worldwide tax transparency. But when Warner applied for amnesty in 2009, he was rejected because the IRS already had his identity.

Few people are turned down, but the IRS policy is not to accept taxpayers who are already being investigated. Mr. Warner (#209 on Forbes 400 list) is not the first Forbes 400 member to draw tax charges. Leandro Rizutto (#296), founder of Conair, had his own run in. So did Igor M. Olenicoff (#184), a California real estate developer with a net worth of $2.9 billion.

Mr. Warner still paid considerable tax on the nearly $50 million of 2002 income he did report. But he shorted the IRS by about $1.2 million. That was a painful omission, not only drawing the tax evasion charge, but huge FBAR penalties too. It was the FBAR penalties that topped $53 million.

The staggering figures tie into criminal penalties. A tax evasion conviction carries up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Tax convictions even draw prosecution costs on top of all the back taxes, interest and penalties. And the penalties can be huge. Civil fraud penalties alone can add another 75%.

When it comes to penalties, FBARs—even civil penalties—are the real gravy train. An annual report of foreign accounts in the law since 1970, FBARs target money laundering. They were not widely known—or widely enforced—until the UBS scandal of 2008 and 2009. Now they are ubiquitous, requiring reporting of foreign accounts even by those with mere signature authority but no beneficial interest.

A willful failure to file an annual FBAR can trigger a civil penalty of up to 50% of the account balance at the time of the violation. More garden-variety taxpayers can find themselves facing the awkward combination of failing to report foreign account interest and failing to file FBARs. Even if unreported income is small, the combination of amending tax returns to report it plus quietly filing past-due FBARs is a classic "quiet disclosure."

The IRS advises against them and says it can prosecute taxpayers who do it anyway. The IRS wants taxpayers to join the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program. As under the 2009 and 2011 programs preceding it, taxpayers must file up to 8 years of amended returns and up to 8 FBARs. It isn't perfect, but for many, it's a way to know you've resolved a potentially explosive situation.

You can reach me at Wood@WoodLLP.com. This discussion is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.

Burger King Takes a Run at a Soul Food Classic: Chicken and Waffles

Alamy Fried chicken and waffles is a staple menu item at countless soul food and comfort food restaurants, but that's not stopping Burger King (BKW) from trying to give the meal a fast-food spin. Burger King is testing a new sandwich in the Northeast that takes the breaded chicken patty used in its Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich from its King Deals Value Menu and replaces the bun with a split waffle. Burger King's Chicken & Waffle Sandwich isn't as hearty as the meal that it's based on. It's selling for as little as $2.29. But the chain's latest attempt to turn heads with a unique menu item will at least attract curious nibblers if it does decide to broaden the offering across the country. Waffling About Burger King isn't the first popular chain to attempt to reinvent this classic dish. As Nation's Restaurant News points out, last summer, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLKI) offered Chicken Waffle Tenders -- consisting of chicken tenders dipped in a vanilla maple-scented waffle batter, served with a honey maple dipping sauce. DineEquity's (DIN) IHOP did it three years ago by combining its chicken strips with Belgian waffle quarters. Yum! Brands (YUM) tried to breathe new life into its breakfast business last summer by testing a Waffle Taco -- an egg, sausage, and waffle breakfast sandwich. Even if it doesn't succeed -- and some of the early taste tests haven't been very flattering to the chain's new sandwich -- it's at least comforting to see that Burger King isn't just copying McDonald's (MCD) the way that it has for the past couple of years. Burger King followed McDonald's in offering fancy coffee drinks, fresh fruit smoothies, and popcorn chicken. It has gone on to roll out doppelgangers of the Egg McMuffin and McRib sandwiches. In November, it introduced the Big King, which any patron will quickly recognize as a body double to the Big Mac. Then again, it's not as if following McDonald's lead is such a clever idea right now. The world's largest restaurant operator disappointed investors by posting a 1.4 percent decline in comps at its North American eateries during the holiday quarter. Have It Your Way Burger King isn't doing a lot better than McDonald's these days. It won't post holiday quarter results until next week, but when last it checked in, 2013 was shaping up as a dud domestically. Burger King posted negative comps for its stateside locations during each of the first three quarters. The 13,259-unit chain is expected to post flat earnings growth for the period. Revenue is also expected to fall sharply, but that's not as alarming as it sounds. Burger King is in the process of re-franchising many of its locations as it hands over company-owned restaurants to franchisees. It's a move that sacrifices revenue now for higher-margin franchise royalties later. When you're as big as Burger King, with more than 7,400 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada alone, it's hard to engineer a turnaround on a single sandwich. Absent wildly buzzing reviews, it doesn't seem as if the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich will move its revenue needle. It may not even make it past the regional testing phase. However, the popularity of fast food chains in general has been diminishing in recent quarters, leaving them all hungrier for market share. Whether it makes a splash or not, this is the kind of thinking that Burger King needs if it's to stand out in a competitive landscape.

U.S. Auto Companies Release Sales Data; Growth Reported by Ford and Chrysler; GM Suffers Decline

December 2013 sales reports for Ford (NYSE: F), Chrysler, and General Motors (NYSE: GM) were released on Friday, with more (international) auto companies expected to release sales reports later this afternoon.

For the month, Ford reported 1.8 percent increase in total vehicle sales, Chrysler a 6 percent increase, and General Motors a 6 percent decrease when compared to the same month for 2012.

Although Ford and Chrysler experienced an increase in sales for December, both companies fell below growth estimates of 4.3 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively. General Motors' decline in sales was in drastic contrast to the estimate of a 1.5 percent increase.

Ford Motor

Ford's 2013 U.S. sales totaled 2,493,918, making it the top U.S. brand for the fourth consecutive year. The high sales performance of Ford is partly attributable to annual sales records set by Fusion, Fiesta, Escape and the F-Series. The strongest regions for Ford are the West and Southeast, with a 21 percent and 17 percent increase in yearly sales.

Other significant sales increases for Ford include the Police Interceptor Utility, which experienced a 127.1 percent increase for December and 140.3 percent for the year.

Related: Tesla May Unveil Lower-Priced Sedan at 2015 Detroit Auto Show

Chrysler

Chrysler's Jeep brand experienced its best ever December sales with a 34 percent gain, helping Chrysler reach 45 consecutive months of year-over-year gains.

"Our Jeep and Ram Truck brands had a strong finish led by the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and the Ram pickup truck, Motor Trend's 2014 Truck of the Year. Sales of the new Cherokee topped 15,000 units in December as our newest SUV continues its solid sales performance out of the gate," said Reid Bigland, head of U.S sales.

The new 2014 Jeep Cherokee experienced a 48 percent increase in sales over the previous month and was awarded the "best new SUV/CUV under $35,000" by the Automobile Journalist Association of Canada. The Ram 1500 saw gains of 11 percent for December and was named Motor Trend's 2014 Truck of the Year, becoming the first ever back-to-back winner.

General Motors

GM December sales totaled 230,157 vehicles, a decrease of 6 percent from the previous year. Despite this decrease, the month's volume was the highest since August and sales for the quarter increased 6 percent.

The Acadia had gains of 53 percent, the model's best December ever. Buick also had its best sales year since 2006, partly due to the expansion into the sedan and crossover markets with the Verano and Encore.

Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales said, "2013 was the year that GM and the auto industry put the last traces of the recession in the rear-view mirror, so now we can devote our full attention to the things that matter most to customers: compelling design, world-class quality and delivering the best ownership experience in the business."

Posted-In: Acadia Chrysler Escape fiesta Fusion Jeep CherokeeEarnings News Retail Sales Markets Best of Benzinga

(c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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The 3 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2014

Face it, some TV shows matter more than others.

For example, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. matters more to ABC than Grey's Anatomy because Scandal is already a huge Thursday night winner for the network. By contrast, S.H.I.E.L.D. has built a following without any lead-in ratings support and in the process given ABC the bankable Tuesday night property it's long lacked.

I'm telling you this so you'll understand why I chose the shows you see below as the most anticipated TV properties of 2014. These three, I think, matter most to the studios producing them, and consequently to us as investors in entertainment stocks.

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen in Arrow. He'll reprise the role in The Flash spinoff pilot. Sources: TheCW, Wikimedia Commons.

The Flash
Episodes ordered: Pilot
Starring: Grant Gustin
Network: TheCW

Premise: Episodes 8 and 9 of season 2 of TheCW hit Arrow introduced audiences to Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, a Central City police scientist who is slated to become the super speedster known as The Flash. We don't know much beyond that right now. But if Arrow is any indicator -- and with DC's Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns teaming with Arrow co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg to write the pilot, the comparison seems fair -- the idea is to have Gustin take inspiration from Stephen Amell's Starling City vigilante in becoming Central City's hometown hero. He'll need a fast start in the pilot, which has yet to be scheduled.

Promise: The bigger idea, of course, is to use television to expand the range and scope of the DC Cinematic Universe so that when Wonder Woman appears in 2015's Batman vs. Superman, a significant portion of the mythos will have already been established elsewhere. That, in turn, should make it easier for studio parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) to focus on epics rather than origin stories.

Executive Producer Ron Moore will adapt the acclaimed book series. Source: Starz.

Outlander
Episodes ordered: 16
Starring: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan
Network: Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA  )

Premise: Based on the hit book series from author Diana Gabaldon, the show tells the tale of a married former WWII combat nurse transported in time to feudal Scotland, where she proceeds to fall in love with a young warrior.

Promise: Not exactly an all-in bet since Starz also has the pirate drama Black Sails on the horizon. But that's also a new concept while Outlander is based on beloved source material. In ordering a full 16-episode season, Starz is betting that executive producer Ron Moore, one of the principal architects of Syfy's award-winning reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, will once again figure out how to draw a wider than expected audience to a niche concept.

Comedian Bob Odenkirk brings Breaking Bad's crooked lawyer to life in the spinoff. Photo credit: Frank Ockenfels/AMC.

Better Call Saul
Episodes ordered: Full season
Starring: Bob Odenkirk
Networks: AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX  ) , Sony, and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  )

Premise: Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan apparently sees this spinoff as a prequel that reveals how Bob Odenkirk's crooked lawyer, Saul Goodman, got involved with the shady characters that would ultimately lead him to Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.

Promise: Reports say AMC, which has distribution rights, and Sony, which produces, haggled over the details till the last minute. The good news? There's enough confidence in the product that AMC has agreed to a full series order, though you could argue the network didn't have much choice with Breaking Bad finished and Mad Men nearly complete.

Netflix, meanwhile, will stream Saul episodes in Europe and Latin America shortly after they air on AMC in the U.S. North American subscribers will get access after the season finale airs.  We don't yet have a timeline for Saul but all three studios participating in the project have a lot riding on the ratings.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. Which do you rank as the most anticipated TV shows of 2014? Which studios do you believe are best positioned to profit in the year ahead? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

Your option to win, no matter who else loses
Improving entertainment options are one of many consequences from the widening war for your living room. Much will be decided over the next several years. The companies that prevail could earn untold sums for shareholders as the losers seek the protection of bankruptcy courts. Our top analysts sort out the likely winners in a groundbreaking special report, and we've reserved a free copy just for you. Click here now to start reading.

Can Working Too Much Cut Your Social Security Benefits?

Making a smart choice about when to take Social Security is crucial, as your decision can affect your finances for the rest of your life. But some people don't realize that if they take early Social Security benefits before they stop working entirely, they can end up forfeiting some of what they receive from the government.

In the following video, host Alison Southwick interviews Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, to learn more about how working can cut what you receive from Social Security. Dan notes that only people who have started taking early benefits but haven't reached their full retirement age need to worry, as anyone who has reached full retirement age can take their benefits without fear of forfeiting any of them no matter how much they work. But if you're younger than full-retirement age, you can lose $1 in Social Security benefits for every $2 you make above $15,120. For those who reach full-retirement age this year, higher limits apply, with the potential to lose $1 for every $3 you make above $40,080.

Dan continues by explaining that family members who receive benefits also have to pay attention to the limitations, as both their wages and the wages of the person on whose work history they're receiving benefits can come into play to cause reductions. Dan concludes that in general, it's smarter to wait until you've fully retired or reach full retirement age before starting to take Social Security in order to avoid the entire possibility of losing benefits.

Do you know everything you should about Social Security?
Complex rules like this make Social Security almost incomprehensible to many Americans. But we can shed some light on even the hardest-to-understand elements of Social Security to help you. In fact, that's why we came out with our brand-new free report, "Make Social Security Work Harder For You." Inside, our retirement experts give their insight on making the key decisions that will help ensure a more comfortable retirement for you and your family. Click here to get your copy today.

Banyan continues to expand, adding two firms, $1B in assets

Banyan Partners LLC said today it had agreed to acquire Plano, Texas-based Rushmore Investment Advisors Inc. and Madison, Wis.-based Holt-Smith Advisors Inc., with combined assets under advisement of about $1 billion.

The deals are the sixth and seventh acquisitions Banyan has made in the last five years. The two new firms will operate under the Banyan Partners name. John Vann, chief executive of Rushmore, and Marilyn Holt-Smith, chief executive of her eponymous firm, will become partners of Banyan.

Both firms are money managers that have verified performance under the Global Investment Performance Standards, which should help Banyan add institutional clients, said Peter Raimondi, Banyan's founder and chief executive. The deals also give Banyan a presence in the central states, Mr. Raimondi added.

On the equity side, Holt-Smith has strategies for large-cap growth, large-cap value, mid-cap growth and tactical, and a fixed-income product with actively managed duration.

Rushmore runs equity income, non-U.S. equity and large-cap-growth strategies. The firm has about $850 million in assets, half of it from institutional clients.

“We've been zero institutional up this point,” Mr. Raimondi said. “We haven't been GIPS-verified because we weren't playing in the institutional market.”

Banyan has expertise in equities and options management.

Mr. Vann, 65, will move into more of a “rainmaker” sales role that will allow him to work as long as he wants, Mr. Raimondi said. “John has a good reputation in the high-net-worth and institutional space.”

Mr. Vann, who started with E.F. Hutton & Co. in 1973, is well-known in the investment management consulting industry. He founded Rushmore in 1996.

By joining Banyan, the Holt-Smith firm should be able to grow, Mr. Raimondi said. It has about $100 million under management.

Ms. Holt-Smith's firm will be “a hub for any kind of Midwest expansion,” Mr. Raimondi said. “If an opportunity shows up, we've got someone there now.”

Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Mr. Raimondi said Holt-Smith was purchased for cash, and the Rushmore deal was part cash and part equity.

The two acquisitions are being financed from capital raised last January from Temperance Partners, a private-investment firm that took a minority stake in Banyan.

Mr. Raimondi wouldn't disclose the size of his war chest, but said he will still have more than half of his private-equity capital after closing on his latest purchases.

Banyan now will have 85 employees in 10 locations around the U.S.

In addition to the newly aquired firms in Madison and Plano, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based Banyan has offices in New York, Boston, Atlanta and San Francisco, and three locations in Florida: Naples, Coral Gables and! Miami.

Last June, Baynan added wealth management capabilities by agreeing to acquire Silver Bridge Advisors LLC, a Boston-based firm with $2.2 billion in assets that was owned by the Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP law firm.

Futures Trade: Closing CL

We entered a trade last week on the expectation that if odds continued to strengthen that the U.S. will not attack Syria, the added risk premium would be priced out of longer dated options on oil futures contracts. We looked at a November short vertical call spread as one way to trade this expectation.

Since then, November WTI crude has fallen to $104.71, which benefited the short call spread because of the bearish price bias in the trade. But just as significant was the reaction in options markets.

 IV November CL Options Source: Condor Options View Chart �

 

The darker blue line shows the implied volatility for November CL options on September 12th, with the same volatility skew a few sessions later in light blue. The bid in out of the money call options dropped almost a full volatility point in some cases, and that means we can exit the options spread having collected most of the possible profit in a much faster time frame than would have been possible if we were relying on price changes alone.

Trades: BTC LOX3 November 114 calls at $0.28 and STC LOX3 November 116 calls at $0.17.

The trade collected $0.30 to open and costs $0.11s to exit, for a return of 11% on capital risked in less than a week.

OptionsProfits can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/OptionsProfits

Jared can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/CondorOptions

KS Bancorp, Inc. Announced 2nd Quarter 2013 Financial Results (OTCBB:KSBI, OTCMKTS:CLNO)

KS Bancorp, Inc. (KSBI)

Last Friday, KSBI previously surged (+6.67%) up +0.50 at $8.00 with 235 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 26, 2013 – Close).

KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

KS Bancorp, Inc. (KSBI) 5 day chart:

Cleantech Transit, Inc. (CLNO)

Cleantech Transit, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CLNO) (www.cleantechtransit.net ) through its Discovery Carbon subsidiary, develops emissions offset strategies for companies, municipalities, and countries. Last Friday, CLNO previously surged (+12.82%) up +0.025 at $.220 with 163,136 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 26, 2013 – Close).

CLNO 's daily range was at ($.22 – $.185) thus far and currently at $.22 would be considered a (+19900%) gain above the 52 wk low of $.0011. The stock is up +0.22 ( +9066.67%) since the concerning dates of January 28, 2013 – July 26, 2013. +9066.67% is the 6 month high and rightly so.

Cleantech Transit, Inc. (CLNO ) 5 day chart: