EU slams Apple's Irish tax deal

LONDON (CNNMoney) Europe's top regulator has accused Ireland of striking a deal with Apple back in 1991 that helped the tech giant artificially lower its tax bill for more than 20 years.

The European Commission published details of its case Tuesday after announcing in June that it was probing tax arrangements between Apple (AAPL, Tech30) and Ireland, and Starbucks (SBUX) and the Netherlands.

Apple has paid as little as 2% on profits attributed to its subsidiaries in Ireland, where the top rate of corporate tax is 12.5%.

The European Union's investigation continues, and Apple will have a chance to challenge the allegations. But if the EU concludes that the tax deal broke rules on state aid, Ireland will have to recover billions of dollars in tax owed by Apple.

The Irish government says it did not break the law on state aid and has addressed "misunderstandings" with the European Commission.

"Ireland welcomed that opportunity to clarify important issues about the applicable tax law in this case and to explain that the company concerned did not receive selective treatment and was taxed fully in accordance with the law," said the Irish finance department in a statement Monday.

Apple said in June that it had paid everything it owed, and that its taxes in Ireland had increased tenfold since the launch of the iPhone in 2007.

The European Commission will release details of its case against Starbucks soon.

What's in Alibaba's Future? 10 Things You Should Know

ChinaFotoPress/Getty ImagesEmployees cheer at Alibaba headquartes in China as its stock debuts in New York. At $231 billion, Alibaba Group (BABA) closed Friday with more than twice the market cap of Facebook (FB), three times that of eBay (EBAY), and about 50 percent more than Amazon.com (AMZN). For founder Jack Ma, the run-up means he's now worth more than $20 billion, according to Forbes' estimates. Yahoo (YHOO), meanwhile, is now sitting on a stake that was worth more than $49 billion the day of the initial public offiering -- about $10 billion more than its current market cap.

How iPhone apps could impact your insurance

Apple's new Health app in action. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) The life insurance industry may have a new tool to help determine rates for customers: the iPhone.

As part of Apple's (AAPL, Tech30) new mobile operating system, developers can build apps that measure things like heart rate, sleep, weight and blood pressure. If users choose to do so, they can then send that information to doctors for medical advice.

Health insurers, which are barred by Obamacare from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, can't base their decisions on this kind of information. But the situation is different for life insurers, who use medical records to make decisions about the relative risks of prospective customers.

"If I'm an insurance company, I'd want access to everything, all the data points, so I can make an informed business decision," said Bradley Shear, a lawyer who works on digital privacy issues.

Life insurers take all kinds of information into account as they make policy decisions: age, medical history, occupation, and whether you're a smoker, just to name a few. Whether and how health app data might figure into these decisions remains an open question.

"We don't traffic in hypotheticals," said Jack Dolan, a spokesman for the American Council of Life Insurers. "We have to underwrite using reliable information and sound actuarial principles."

But it's not hard to imagine how data like weight and blood pressure could figure into these calculations.

"If you lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, that may be an indication that you've got a health condition," Shear said.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment.

  How China's iPhone 6 black market works

The insurance industry has already found ways of using tracking data in other contexts.

So-called "usage-based insurance," for example, is a fast-growing segment of the auto insurance market. With UBI, drivers agree to install devices from insurers that measure things like location, speed, miles driven and airbag deployment to help calculate rates.

There's also the possibility of health information being sought by plaintiffs in civil cases. Locati! on data from toll tags like E-ZPass, for example, has previously been used in divorce proceedings.

Of course, none of this means that you shouldn't share digital health information with your doctor, or that the information will be shared without your consent. But it's one more issue to be mindful of as more and more of our lives are tracked online.

"Doctors want this information, patients want this information and we're seeing safeguards put in place to show consumers how and when that information becomes part of your medical record," said Gerard Stegmaier, a privacy expert with the law firm Goodwin Procter. "It's a brave new world where we're going to have to figure things out as we go along."

How 3D Printing's Adoption Rate Could Accelerate Due to This New Partnership

Software maker Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK  ) announced today that it's collaborating with Local Motors, a leader in open-source 3D printing hardware innovation. Local Motors will be using Autodesk's Spark, a new open platform for 3D printing, as it continues to develop the Strati, the world's first 3D-printed full-size car.

First, let's look at Autodesk's 3D printing initiative and its just-announced team-up, and then we'll explore the potential ramifications of the success of this partnership.

Conceptual rendering of Strati. Source: Cincinnati.

Audodesk's 3D printing initiative and the Local Motors team-up
Earlier this year, Autodesk announced plans to introduce Spark. Spark is aimed at making it simpler and more reliable to print 3D models and easier to control how those models are printed. Essentially, Spark acts as a bridge between the design and 3D printing of an object, as it translates digital design data from modeling software into a form that's required by a 3D printer. At the time of this announcement, Autodesk also said it would be launching a 3D printer, which will serve as a reference implementation for Spark (for those who don't already have their own hardware).

The Spark platform can be used for the full range of 3D printing applications from consumer to industrial. Aubrey Cattell, Autodesk's Director of Business Development, told me via a phone interview that the company views the manufacturing space as having the most potential. So, it's no surprise that its first Spark team-up involves a large-scale, industrial project.

The Strati project, which I've previously written about, is a fascinating and timely one. No doubt, the timeliness factor is why Audodesk released its announcement today. Just last week, the first Strati was 3D-printed live at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. The body of the vehicle was printed in a carbon-fiber-reinforced ABS thermoplastic by the BAAM (big area additive manufacturing) machine, which was just developed by privately held Cincinnati and the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab. I brought Foolish readers news of this partnership last February. The BAAM machine is an ultra-fast, large-scale polymer 3D printer that reportedly is 200 to 500 times faster and capable of printing polymer components 10 times larger than commercially available printers. 

BAAM machine printing the Strati at the IMTS. Source: Autodesk.

While the 3D printing of the Strati was successfully accomplished at the IMTS, there were some bumps in the road, as would be expected with any new technology. That's where Autodesk's Spark comes in. Spark will help connect automobile digital design data to the BAAM 3D printer in a streamlined way for easier visualization and optimization of 3D prints.

"The Spark platform is set to accelerate manufacturing innovation," said Alex Fiechter, head of community management for Local Motors, in the press release. "From capturing our ideas more accurately to guiding Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) and simplifying the creation of machine code, Spark will help us to turn digital models into actual physical production parts far faster [emphasis mine] than was previously possible."

Spark's goal: Lighting a fire under the adoption of 3D printing
Both Autodesk's Spark platform and the company's 3D printer design are open and freely available to hardware manufacturers, software developers, and others. This move marks the first time a major company has entered the 3D printing open source space.

Why would Autodesk introduce such a platform?

Simple. Autodesk makes computer-aided design (CAD) software for 3D printing, as well as other uses, so the company's potential market for its design software will increase as 3D printing becomes more prevalent. Thus, Autodesk has a big incentive to do what it can to make 3D printing as streamlined and user-friendly as possible.

Autodesk isn't the only player in the 3D printing design software space, but it's one of the biggest. France-based Dassault Systemes is also a major force in this market.

Fellow Fool Tim Beyers nicely summed up the company's strategy after Autodesk made its 3D printing plans public earlier this year: It's "reminiscent of how Google used the Nexus brand to accelerate development of third-party Android devices," he said. Tim says that he believed Autodesk's strategy was a smart one -- and I agree. Autodesk doesn't have much to lose and has everything to gain. After all, 3D printing is a huge growth space. According to Wohlers Report 2014, the global 3D printing industry is expected to grow from $3.07 billion in 2013 to more than $21 billion by 2020; that's greater than a 31% compounded annual growth rate. Furthermore, if Spark can speed up the adoption of 3D printing, then Wohlers' estimates could prove to be conservative.

Beyond Autodesk, there are certainly other potential winners if Spark helps increase the rate at which industrial companies adopt or further embrace 3D printing: manufacturers of 3D printers and companies that provide 3D printing services for industrial applications. This includes, to varying degrees, 3D Systems, Stratasys, ExOne, Arcam, voxeljet, and Materialise. Materialise doesn't make 3D printers like the others; however, it does provide 3D printing services.

Foolish final thoughts
If the Autodesk-Local Motors team-up can demonstrate that the Spark platform increases the ease and efficiency of Local Motors' 3D printing efforts on its Strati project and beyond, Spark could accelerate the adoption of 3D printing for industrial applications. This would likely benefit some or all of the publicly traded 3D printer manufacturers and 3D printing service providers. It could also light a fire under Audodesk's 3D printing design software sales.

As with the Strati, investors should stay tuned. We'll be keeping you updated as to the progress of this team-up as well as any new Spark partnership agreements that Autodesk inks. 

The under-the-radar best way to profit from the Apple Watch
You may have missed profiting from Apple's huge stock price run-up due to the introduction of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. However, the Apple Watch -- just announced last week -- could trump the everyday impact of its existing products. And one small company is poised to profit as wearable computing products take off. Its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early investors. To be one of them, click here.

The UPS Store will 3-D print stuff for you

  Watch this 3D printer print makeup NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Can't afford your own 3-D printer? Just head to the UPS Store.

UPS (UPS) announced plans Monday to bring in-store 3-D-printing services to nearly 100 stores across the country, billing itself as the first national retailer to do so.

With the UPS system, customers can submit their own designs for objects like product prototypes, engineering parts and architectural models that are then printed on a professional-quality 3-D printer made by Stratasys.

Prices vary depending on the complexity of the object; an iPhone case would be about $60, while a replica femur bone would be around $325. UPS can also connect customers with outside professionals who charge an hourly rate to help produce a design file for the printer.

It generally takes about four or five hours to print a simple object, with more complex items taking a day or more.

The program started as a pilot at six locations last year, and UPS says those stores "saw demand for 3-D print continuing to increase across a broad spectrum of customers."

5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Short-sellers hate being caught short a stock that reports a blowout quarter. When this happens, we often see a tradable short squeeze develop as the bears rush to cover their positions to avoid big losses. Even the best short-sellers know that it's never a great idea to stay short once a bullish earnings report sparks a big short-covering rally.

Read More: 5 Stocks Poised for Big Breakouts

This is why I scan the market for heavily shorted stocks that are about to report earnings. You only need to find a few of these stocks in a year to help enhance your portfolio returns -- the gains become so outsized in such a short time frame that your profits add up quickly.

That said, let's not forget that stocks are heavily shorted for a reason, so you have to use trading discipline and sound money management when playing earnings short-squeeze candidates. It's important that you don't go betting the farm on these plays and that you manage your risk accordingly. Sometimes the best play is to wait for the stock to break out following the report before you jump in to profit off a short squeeze. This way, you're letting the trend emerge after the market has digested all of the news.

Of course, sometimes the stock is going to be in such high demand that you risk missing a lot of the move by waiting. That's why it can be worth betting prior to the report -- but only if the stock is acting technically very bullish and you have a very strong conviction that it is going to rip higher. Just remember that even when you have that conviction and have done your due diligence, the stock can still get hammered if Wall Street doesn't like the numbers or guidance.

If you do decide to bet ahead of a quarter, then you might want to use options to limit your capital exposure. Heavily shorted stocks are usually the names that make the biggest post-earnings moves and have the most volatility. I personally prefer to wait until all the earnings-related news is out for a heavily shorted stock and then jump in and trade the prevailing trend.




With that in mind, here's a look at several stocks that could experience big short squeezes when they report earnings this week.

Read More: 5 Low-Priced Stocks to Trade for Big Gains

Layne Christensen

My first earnings short-squeeze trade idea is water management, construction and drilling services player Layne Christensen (LAYN), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Layne Christensen to report revenue of $217.17 million on a loss of 49 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Layne Christensen is extremely high at 16.3%. That means that out of the 19.45 million shares in the tradable float, 3.17 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a high short interest on a stock with a very low tradable float. Any bullish earnings news could easily spark a sharp short-covering rally that forces the bears to start covering some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, LAYN is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and well below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been uptrending a bit over the last month, with shares moving higher off its 52-week low of $10.10 to its recent high of $11.80 a share. During that uptrend, shares of LAYN have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of LAYN have now started to move back above its 50-day moving average and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on LAYN, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $11.80 to $12.68 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 221,491 shares. If that breakout triggers post-earnings, then LAYN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $13.93 to $15.50 a share.

I would simply avoid LAYN or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some near-term support levels at $10.81 to $10.63 a share and then below its 52-week low of $10.10 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then LAYN will set up to enter new 52-week-low territory, which is bearish technical price action. Some possible downside targets off that move are $9 to $8 a share.

Read More: 12 Stocks Warren Buffett Loves in 2014

Triangle Petroleum

Another potential earnings short-squeeze play is independent oil and gas player Triangle Petroleum (TPLM), which is set to release its numbers on Monday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Triangle Petroleum to report revenue $119.29 million on earnings of 16 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Triangle Petroleum is extremely high at 15.4%. That means that out of the 75.23 million shares in the tradable float, 11.64 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 16.2%, or by 1.62 million shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a bullish quarter, then shares of TPLM could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts rush to cover some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, TPLM is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months and change, with shares moving between $10.15 on the downside and $12.48 on the upside. Shares of TPLM have now started to move back above its 50-day moving average and it's starting to push within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings above the upper-end of recent sideways trading chart pattern.

If you're in the bull camp on TPLM, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $12.14 a share to its 52-week high at $12.48 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 1.35 million shares. If that breakout materializes post-earnings, then TPLM will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $15 to $17 a share.

I would simply avoid TPLM or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below its 50-day moving average of $11.39 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then TPLM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $10.68 to $10.15 a share, or its 200-day moving average of $9.72 a share.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

Vera Bradley

Another potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is retailer of functional accessories for women Vera Bradley (VRA), which is set to release numbers on Wednesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Vera Bradley to report revenue of $116.78 million on earnings of 19 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Vera Bradley is extremely high at 40.8%. That means that out of the 21.83 million shares in the tradable float, 8.9 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 4.4%, or by 373,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of VRA could easily trend sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts move to cover some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, VRA is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and just below its 200-day moving average, which neutral trendwise. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $18.92 to $18.75 a share. Following that bottom, shares of VRA have started to uptrend, with the stock moving higher from its low of $18.75 to its intraday high of $22.80 a share. That move has now pushed shares of VRA within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on VRA, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $23 a share to its 200-day moving average of $24.32 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that registers near or above its three-month average action of 457,581 shares. If that breakout begins post-earnings, then VRA will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $28 to its 52-week high at $30 a share. Any high-volume move above $30 will then give VRA a chance to trend well north of that level.

I would avoid VRA or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below its 50-day moving average of $20.46 a share to more near-term support at $19.75 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then VRA will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $18.75 to its 52-week low of $17.27 a share.

Read More: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves in 2014

Titan Machinery

Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is full service agricultural and construction equipment stores operator Titan Machinery (TITN), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Titan Machinery to report revenue of $442.37 million on earnings of 10 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Titan Machinery is extremely high at 28.8%. That means that out of the 16.98 million shares in the tradable float, 4.90 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 2.2%, or by 107,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of TITN could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts rush to cover some of their trades.

From a technical perspective, TITN is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months, with shares moving lower from its high of $18.25 to its recent low of $12.12 a share. During that downtrend, shares of TITN have been consistently making lower high and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of TITN have now started to rebound modestly off that $12.12 low and it could be setting up for a rebound trade post-earnings off oversold levels.

If you're bullish on TITN, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $14 to $14.73 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 161,872 shares. If that breakout starts post-earnings, then TITN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $16.50 to $18.25 a share.

I would simply avoid TITN or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then takes out its 52-week low of $12.12 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then TITN will set up to enter new 52-week-low territory, which is bearish technical price action. Some possible downside targets off that move are $9 to $8 a share.

Read More: 10 Stocks Billionaire John Paulson Loves in 2014

Francesca's

My final earnings short-squeeze play is retail boutiques chain operator Francesca's (FRAN), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Francesca's to report revenue of $99.78 million on earnings of 26 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Francesca's is very high at 17.8%. That means that out of the 41.85 million shares in the tradable float, 7.46 million shares are sold short by the bears. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of FRAN could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

From a technical perspective, FRAN is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and well below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $12.39 to $12.45 a share. Following that bottom, shares of FRAN have started to uptrend, with the stock moving higher from $12.45 to its recent high of $14.90 a share. Shares of FRAN are now starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance levels post-earnings.

If you're in the bull camp on FRAN, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $14.90 to $15.69 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that registers near or above its three-month average action of 1.01 million shares. If that breakout develops post-earnings, then FRAN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $17.34 to $19.97 a share.

I would avoid FRAN or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout, and then drops back below some key near-term support at $13.17 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then FRAN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week low of $12.39 a share. Any high-volume move below that level will then push shares of FRAN into new 52-week-low territory, which is bearish technical price action.

To see more potential earnings short squeeze plays, check out the Earnings Short-Squeeze Plays portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Rocket Stocks Ready for Blastoff This Week

>>Must-See Charts: How to Trade 5 Huge Stocks

>>5 Breakout Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com.

You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

3 Stocks Spiking on Unusual Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume recently.

Read More: 5 Toxic Stocks You Need to Sell Now

Sturm, Ruger

Sturm, Ruger (RGR) designs, manufactures and sells firearms in the U.S. This stock closed up 2.3% at $50.41 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 725,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 304,674

Volume % Change: 133%

From a technical perspective, RGR trended higher here right above some near-term support at $48.66 with above-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $47.94 to $48.66. Following that bottom, shares of RGR have now started to spike higher and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if RGR manages to take out Friday's intraday high of $50.92 to some more key overhead resistance at $51.91 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in RGR as long as it's trending above those double bottom support levels and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 304,674 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then RGR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its gap-down-day high from early August of $54.71. Any high-volume move above that level will then give RGR a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone that started near $58.

Read More: 10 Stocks George Soros Is Buying

Vasco Data Security International

Vasco Data Security International (VDSI), together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops and markets security systems to secure and manage access to user digital assets worldwide. This stock closed up 4.8% at $14.77 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 791,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 348,035

Volume % Change: 114%

From a technical perspective, VDSI ripped higher here right above some near-term support at $14.04 with above-average volume. This strong spike to the upside on Friday is quickly pushing shares of VDSI within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if VDSI manages to take out Friday's intraday high of $14.96 to its 52-week high at $15.17 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in VDSI as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $14.04 or above more support at $13.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 348,035 shares. If that breakout starts soon, then VDSI will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $17 to $20.

Read More: 7 Stocks Warren Buffett Is Selling in 2014

Amira Nature Foods

Amira Nature Foods (ANFI) is engaged in processing, distributing and marketing packaged specialty rice and other food products. This stock closed u 6.1% at $17.22 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 672,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 211,292

Volume % Change: 233%

From a technical perspective ANFI ripped sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $15.87 with above-average volume. This strong push to the upside on Friday also sent shares of ANFI into breakout territory, since this stock took out some key overhead resistance levels at $17 to $17.01. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the short-term if ANFI manages to clear Friday's intraday high of $17.38 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ANFI as long as it's trending above its 50-day moving average at $15.87 or above more near-term support at $15 and then once it sustains a move or close above $17.38 with volume that's near or above 211,292 shares. If that move starts to develop soon, then ANFI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $20.29 to around $21. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ANFI a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone form February that started near $24. z

Read More: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves in 2014

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>Must-See Charts: 5 Big Trades for S&P 2,000

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

>>5 Breakout Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Pier 1 Imports shares fall 11%

Foot traffic is down at Pier 1 stores. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Pier 1 Imports is the latest retailer to disappoint Wall Street.

Shares plunged as much as 11% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the company said profit was nearly cut in half during its most recent quarter.

Pier 1 earned less despite an increase in sales compared to the same quarter last year. CEO Alex W. Smith blamed that on an increase in promotions and the costs associated with online sales. Plus, fewer people are shopping at its stores.

"The paradigm for customer shopping behavior continues to change," Smith said.

He pointed to the jump in online sales, which now make up nearly 10% of overall sales, as a highlight. But that growth is cutting into the company's bottom line in the short-term, due to investments in marketing, staff and the opening of the company's second fulfillment center.

  Sears 'irrelevant' as losses deepen

Smith said he was hopeful that an increase in online sales can also help drive traffic at stores. About one-third of online orders are currently picked up at Pier 1 stores and about a quarter of online orders are placed at computers located in the stores.

Shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR) are down 33% since the beginning of 2014.

Olive Garden's big problem? Cold breadsticks

  Mangia? Olive Garden investor wants better food NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Olive Garden is trying to attract more customers with a bold publicity stunt: a limited time only Never Ending Pasta pass that quickly sold out and started showing up for sale on eBay.

That's because the company that owns Olive Garden, Darden Restaurants (DRI), has some never ending problems with sluggish sales and earnings. One prominent Darden investor is so fed up it's demanding changes to make the Italian-themed food better.

Starboard Value Partners, a firm that owns an 8.8% stake in Darden, released a 294-panel slide show late Thursday on its Shareholders for Darden web site with numerous suggestions for improvement at Olive Garden.

Many of the demands were your usual garden variety tough talk from activists: fire the CEO, bring in a new board, sell non-core assets. But Starboard also had some culinary advice. It made you wonder if Mario Batali or Giada De Laurentiis helped write the report.

Starboard pointed out that it thinks too much food is being wasted. The firm noted that too many breadsticks are delivered to diners at once and they quickly get cold and stale.

The investment firm also said that "the pasta is overcooked with sauce simply ladled on top." (I agree. Any good cook knows that you make the pasta al dente and finish it in the sauce!)

Finally, Starboard complained about how Olive Garden was starting to put too many things on its menu that are "astonishingly far from authentic Italian culture" such as burgers and tapas.

The firm said that Darden would be better off following the strategy of competitor Brinker International (EAT), which has found success over the past few years by focusing all its efforts on improving its two core brands: Chili's and Olive Garden competitor Maggiano's.

Darden claims it is in the midst of a "brand renaissance," but its latest results aren't helping that case. Darden said Friday that Olive Garden's same-store sales, a key measure of financial health for restaurants, fell in its most recent quarter, and they aren't expecting much improvement this quarter.

What does Darden think of this? President and COO Gene Lee said in a statement Friday that the company will "remain open minded toward all ideas that support long-term value creatio! n for our shareholders and improve the dining experience for our guests." Lee added that it "will carefully review" the Starboard plan but also said the company was already implementing some of the strategies Starboard proposed.

Lee added that the company is testing the use of tablets in some of its restaurants to improve efficiency. It's a move that other casual dining chains, most notably Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), is experimenting with as well.

Darden did try and please investors by saying that it would use some of the proceeds from its sale of Red Lobster chain earlier this year to buy back more stock in fiscal 2015. Darden has already paid down some debt.

  $2.1B for coconut shrimp? Red Lobster sold

Still, investors were not bowled (sorry) over by Darden's latest results. Shares were slightly lower Friday after the company, which also owns LongHorn Steakhouse and Bahama Breeze, reported profits that topped forecasts and issued earnings guidance that was better than expected as well. And the stock is down 12% this year.

Starboard clearly isn't the only investor that thinks that quality would be better than quantity at Olive Garden.

3 Kinds of Insurance You Need -- and 3 You Don't

Getty ImagesWhile you should hold off on purchasing some types of insurance, investing in homeowners and auto insurance is a good idea.

There isn't a lot of talk about insurance in school. So when we become adults, we're left to consider the dizzying array of insurance policies on our own and wonder if we need all of them, just some, or none of them. It's almost as confusing as learning the Pythagorean theorem and the periodic table of elements. So if you're new to the world of insurance or you could use a brush-up tutorial, here is a somewhat subjective list of the types of insurance you absolutely need, types you may want and those you definitely don't want to buy. Insurance You Need Homeowners insurance. If you own a house, your bank will require you to have homeowners insurance. In fact, "if someone loses their homeowners insurance for some reason – cancellation, nonpayment, nonrenewal, then the bank is notified," says Dan Weedin, an insurance consultant in Seattle. "They will immediately place their own insurance in it and bill the homeowner. Then they will give the homeowner a chance to get their own. The bank will not allow it to go uninsured for any length of time." Unless you've paid off your mortgage, there's really no way out of homeowners insurance. Auto insurance. This is another must-have. In fact, it's against the law to drive without some sort of coverage. If you're caught driving without insurance, you probably won't go to jail, but your driver's license will likely be suspended and you'll be fined. Health insurance. If you are 25 or younger, you don't need to buy health insurance, assuming you're still covered on your parents' policy. But otherwise, add it to your list. According to Healthcare.gov, in 2014, if you don't have health insurance, you'll have to pay whichever is higher: either 1 percent of your yearly household income or $95 per uninsured adult ($47.50 per child under 18). In 2015, the fee will be 2 percent of your income or $325 per person, and in 2016, it'll be 2.5 percent of your income or $695 per person. In 2017 and beyond, the fee will be adjusted for inflation. Insurance You May Need Disability insurance. Regi Armstrong, president of Armstrong Wealth Management Group in Florence, South Carolina, casts his vote for disability insurance as something everyone should consider getting. "Disability insurance replaces one's income if we become incapacitated during our working years," he says. "It's very important when only one person in the household has an income or one has a much larger income than their spouse." Life insurance. Generally, people buy a life insurance policy after they're married or have a child. As Laura Adams, a senior analyst at InsuranceQuotes.com, says, "It's critical when your death would create a financial hardship for those you leave behind." Adams also points out that there may be some unmarried, childless people who should get life insurance. "For instance, if you cosigned a car loan, student loan or credit card with a family member or friend, they would be responsible for the entire debt if you died," she says. Umbrella insurance. Think of this as insurance for your insurance. "It's an extra amount of liability coverage in $1 million increments that protects over and above your personal and auto liabilities if they become exhausted," says Weedin, who thinks middle-class individuals and families and those in the upper middle class and higher should consider umbrella insurance. "Generally, a family can add this policy for between $250 to $300 a year," he adds. Whether you need umbrella insurance depends on what you have to lose and how concerned you are about getting hit with a lawsuit. After all, even if you aren't worth millions, somebody could sue you as if you were. That worry is why umbrella insurance exists. "It's very important for those who might be the targets of lawsuits, like physicians and business owners," Armstrong says. Insurance You Don't Need Credit card insurance. In general, stay away from any type of coverage that would pay off a credit account, whether it's a credit card, mortgage or car loan, Adams says. "You can get this coverage by having enough regular disability or life insurance and avoid this duplicate coverage," she says. True, many homeowners who don't have a large enough down payment are required to buy private mortgage insurance and pay it monthly until the loan balance reaches 78 percent of the original value of the home. But otherwise, these types of credit insurance are only good deals for the insurer. For instance, credit card insurance, which kicks in if you have trouble making your payments due to, say, job loss, won't pay off the entire debt on your credit card – it will just make your monthly minimum payment for you. And some people say it's challenging to get credit card issuers to actually make those payments. Credit card fraud insurance. People who worry about credit card theft and are fearful that they'll be on the hook for thousands of dollars of fraudulent purchases tend to purchase this. But the odds that you'd have to pay in this scenario are virtually nonexistent. "It's typically overkill," Adams says. "Your maximum liability is limited to $50." This applies to all credit cards. Life insurance for a child. Some people buy these policies in case the unthinkable happens to their child, figuring at least there will be money for a funeral. But your child would be far better off if you had a brighter outlook and put that money into a college savings account. Look at it this way: Insurance exists to help you replace or recover what you've lost. The more expensive that loss is, the more likely you need insurance. That's why homeowners, auto, health and life insurance are so important, and things like an extended warranty on an appliance are a waste of money. But life insurance for the loss of a child? No insurance policy will help you recover from that.