I. Conservative Recommendation

Markel Corporation (MKL)

Trading at less than 4% of Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK-B) market cap, Markel Corporation, a holding in Smart Money Masters, is referred to as a “mini-Berkshire” for its similarity to Warren Buffett’s investment vehicle.

Like Berkshire, Markel focuses on growing its book value per share as a diversified financial holding company based on the core competency of its specialty insurance segment. Its investment portfolio is led by world-class investor and Markel co-CEO Tom Gayner.

Even with shares hitting a new all-time high in the wake of its recent earnings announcement, Markel still trades at only 1.7 times book value.

MKL also currently scores 100% on all short-term technical indicators I follow.

II. Aggressive Recommendation

Universal Display (OLED)

Based near Princeton University in New Jersey, Universal Display Corporation (OLED) has been on a tear. The company is profiting from smartphone makers like Samsung and Apple (AAPL) shifting from traditional liquid crystal displays to OLED screens. OLED displays are superior to LCD screens in color reproduction, refresh rate and power consumption. It is currently a holding in Momentum Trader Alert.

OLED broke out to the upside Nov. 1, and has remained on a sharp uptrend ever since. It is already up 6% since my initial recommendation on Nov. 13.

Nicholas Vardy

Nicholas Vardy has a unique background that has proven his knack for making money in different markets around the world. He was the Editor of The Global Guru, a free weekly e-newsletter, and also edited the trading services Momentum Trader Alert, which focused on making short-term profits in the hottest markets in the world, and The Alpha Algorithm, which was designed specifically to deliver big, fast triple-digit winners, month after month. He was also the editor of Smart Money Masters, a monthly service focused on longer term investments recommended by the brightest minds in the business. Mr. Vardy has been a regular commentator on CNN International and the Fox Business Network. He has also published articles in The New Republic, The World and I, and The Baker & McKenzie Legal Review. The Global Guru/Nicholas Vardy has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Fox Business News, CBS MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance, and MSN Money Central. Mr. Vardy graduated from Stanford with a B.A. — with honors and distinction — in both Economics and History, and he also earned an M.A in Modern European Intellectual History. After winning a Fulbright Scholarship, he earned a J.D. degree at Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard International Law Journal. When not uncovering investment opportunities for his subscribers and investors, Mr. Vardy is a keep-fit enthusiast and an avid student of classical music.  

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