Best New Companies To Invest In 2014

With the speculation over changes in Fed policy driving a lot of the activity in the market these days, it's important for investors to know how rising interest rates will affect various companies. With the Big Four banks -- Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) , JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM  ) , and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) -- being the most visible in the market, the coming normalization of interest rates is sure to drive changes going forward.

In the video below, Motley Fool contributor Jessica Alling discusses high-level changes the banks might face and how long-term investors should be approaching the oncoming transition.

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Best New Companies To Invest In 2014: Pearson(PSON.L)

Pearson plc engages in education, business information, and consumer publishing businesses worldwide. The company?s North American Education segment provides higher education services, such as higher education publishing; MyLab digital learning, homework, and assessment programs; and LearningStudio, a suite of learning management technologies, including eCollege and Fronter. This segment also offers assessment and information services; school curriculum services consisting of school publishing; enVisionMATH, a digital math curriculum; America's Choice school reform services; online learning platform for teachers and students; Poptropica video game; digital programs, such as digits, a digital middle school math?s program; Writing Coach, a blended print and online program; and Online Learning Exchange, a personalized digital learning program. Its International Education segment provides educational content, assessment, technologies, and related services to educational inst itutions. This segment offers spoken English training for adults, as well as provides eCollege and Fronter learning management systems. It also offers MyLab digital learning, homework, and assessment programs. The company?s Professional segment focuses on publishing, training, testing, and certification for professionals. Its Financial Times group segment provides business and financial news, data, comment, and analysis in print and online formats to the international business community. Its products include Financial Times newspaper; FT.com Website; financial magazines and online services; and Mergermarket, which provides forward-looking insights and intelligence to businesses and financial institutions. The company?s Penguin Group segment engages in book publishing business, under the Hamish Hamilton, Putnam, Berkley, Viking, Dorling Kindersley, Puffin, and Ladybird imprints. It also offers ebooks. The company was founded in 1844 and is headquartered in London, the Unite d Kingdom.

Best New Companies To Invest In 2014: Northrock Resources Inc (NRK.V)

Bama Gold Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada. It holds interest in the Turner Lake Gold property that consists of the HA 1-4 mineral claims, which cover an area of approximately 29 sq km located near Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut. The company was formerly known as Northrock Resources Inc. and changed its name to Bama Gold Corp. in December 2011. Bama Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

5 Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: First Defiance Financial Corp.(FDEF)

First Defiance Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for First Federal Bank of the Midwest that provides financial services to communities based in northwest Ohio, northeast Indiana, and southeastern Michigan. The company offers various deposit products, such as checking accounts, money market accounts, regular savings accounts, term certificate accounts, non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand deposits, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. It also provides residential real estate, non-residential real estate, construction, commercial, home equity and improvement, mobile home, and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers depository, trust, and wealth management services, as well as online banking services. Additionally, First Defiance Financial Corp., through its other subsidiary, First Insurance & Investments, Inc., operates as an insurance agency that offers property and casualty insurance, life insurance, and group health in surance products in the Defiance, Archbold, Bryan, and Bowling Green areas in Ohio. It operates 33 full service branches in northwest Ohio; southeast Michigan; and northeast Indiana. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Defiance, Ohio.