when i need to good etcash out of a machine. it is just another example of the nature of advertising in our digital society. >> and on that note that does it for "power lunch." >> absolutely. "street signs" starts right now. happy new year. 2015 be lucky number seven in a row for stocks? or is next year the one where the bull run finally goes to the slaughterhouse? happy almost new year everybody. the one thing that could derail this record run. two fund managers giving you their absolute favorite stock picks. susan lee, how are we looking right now? >> let's check in on the markets. with less than two hours left in the trader year 2014 stocks are struggling to get into the

green. what a year it has been. the nasdaq and the s&p are on pace to close out 2014 with double digit gains. the dow is up more than 8% since january. not a bad year. >> not at all. we know this. one may be the loneliest number but seven is the figure we are focused on. if the s&p 500 rises again next year it will be the seventh straight year of gains. how likely is that to happen? bob, what say you? will 2015 be another up year for the s&p 500? >> i think 2015 will be a good year for the overall market. right now i'm expecting 2,265 for s&p. first of all, we have to look at the positive trends that are out there. things like manufacturing, the service sector, the unemployment trends. the inflation outlook, consumer

spending and commodity prices acting as a tail wind. in 2015 what you are going to see is additional consumer spending. people find themselves with $20, $30 extra in the pocket they are likely to spend it. you are likely going to see rates move up gradually. as rates move up you will start to see lending standards loosen more. when you have additional consumer spending loosen lending standards you will have improved corporate confidence. you will see a pickup in cap x spending meaning higher earnings for companies. >> bob said seven in a row next year. what do you think? >> i'm optimistic, too. i also think for the economic reasons that bob mentioned it's very positive going into 2015. i would add there are other market factors like corporations continue to increase buybacks of

their own stock up 20%. the strong u.s. dollar acting like a magnet drawing capital over here. the really good news after a year of gains in the markets it is not anymore pricey than at the beginning because earnings pretty well kept up. as i said on new year's eve last year i am very optimistic that this bull market continues until it reaches some level of over valuation. mullp multiple would put it over 2,500. i believe it is a good indication of how much room there is for this market to run. >> what about oil prices? we are looking at the worst year for oil since 2008. there is news from saudi arabia. it is a boom for markets going into 2015? >> well, i'm in houston so i can tell you that oil is the conversation everywhere.

just talk to an apartment builder and they are looking at inventory and what they are building and what changes they can make. it certainly ripples through our economy in ways maybe not through the rest of the country. even here people say the overall obviously impact on consumers is very positive. i will say that the oil industry is punched above its weight in terms of cap x and spending. so it's not all one way street. it is not all positive. there is certainly going to be earnings and different impacts on the market that are not quite so positive. >> that's my concern. i'm in the camp that i think the energy space and loss of earnings will hurt the overall market. it sounds like you think something else will be able to lift it up. what will that be? >> it will be consumer spending, corporate spending. lower costs for consumers -- everybody is concerned about

what is going on with the rest of the world. what going on with south america? u.s. consumers have more money to spend overseas as those u.s. dollars get spent overseas it will help lift markets. if you are an individual investor don't worry about oil trends. oil trend is going to be down and will possibly break $40. i wouldn't let that scare me out of the overall market. >> i do appreciate it. happy new year. we have to go to the new york stock exchange for an annual tradition where people get together and sing songs. >> some things change but some things down here at the new york stock exchange never change. it's been singing in barbershop quartet singing on the floor for 150 years. beginning in the 1930s things took a much more sentimental tone during the depression. revived the 1905 song and sort of become the anthem of the

nyse. here is art cashin to lead in the annual singing of "wait till the sun shines, nelly". ♪ wait till the sun shines, nelly ♪ ♪ ♪ we will be happy, nelly ♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> art cashin who just celebrated 50 years of singing, 50th anniversary as a member. we celebrated that yesterday. they changed the style? >> they were singing that when i

first became a member 50 years ago. and it even preceded that. they started to do it in an that form. >> when it became sentimental did that reflect the more difficult times of the 1930s? because that song was out of fashion when it began being popular again. >> it was the hope that the clouds would roll by. seats on the stock exchange traded at $17,000. they had an insurance policy that paid you 20,000. so you could buy a seat and die and make $3,000. >> in the 1920s the seats were going for multiple times that. >> hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> we got over that and are looking forward to better times, as well. art cashin, thank you for 50 years on the floor. hope you keep leading the

singing of that song for many years to come. >> happy new yooyear to everyone out there. >> if you see art again tell him i wish him happy new year. i didn't know that the author of that song also wrote "take me out to the ball game." i guess there is no reason to sing that. we have established there is a lot of reason for financial optimism in the new year. however, there is one big thing that you are going to have to on your radar that can bring back the bear. joining us larry mcdonald of new edge. let's bring everybody down here on new year's eve. you have been all over this emerging market debt story. what are your real concerns. don't go over all risk indicators. >> let's keep in mind the last 2011, 2012 and this year you are better off waiting in the boat with patience. in this case we have a buying opportunity in october. so if you bought stocks in october you are outperforming

than if you bought stocks in january. that is number one. sit in the boat and wait for fear. what is going to cause that fear is that six years of zoo ero interest rate policy. there is a price to pay for that. let's not kid ourselves. emerging market companies in this world before the fed's policy were selling about 100 to $80 billion in debt. the last few years close to $3 billion each year. close to $1 trillion of debt exposed to emerging markets. the dollar's spectacular surge puts that debt in a really bad spot. >> great article on the front page of the "wall street journal" this morning. are we headed towards another crisis? >> you remember the fed left rates at 1% between 2004 and 2006. what did we get?

this market -- the market is a serpent. it is a beast. when the fed did this before we had tremendous deleverage build up in the housing market in the united states. today we are seeing tremendous leverage buildup not only in emerging markets debt but energy side. on planet earth you have two major countries, russia and greece. their curves, their bond curves are inverted. the one-year bonds are yielding more than five and ten-year bonds. that is so disturbing. that has a lot to do with debt leverage. >> what does that mean for russia? i think brian and bob predicted a russian default in 2015? >> if you look back one of the things i wrote about in my book and write about to this day is when you see a curve that is inverted, a credit curve of a major country or a company it is

a sign that default is coming near because investors don't want to buy that short term bond because there is a tremendous risk in a short term bond because the short term bond is a high dollar price. when you have an inverted yield curve on a country which was eighth largest economy in the world but now is the 15th largest economy, you can't just like ignore that. that is what investors, equity investors ignored the credit in 2007 at their peril. i want people at home to respect the credit mark markets. >> does it mean u.s. stocks are likely to fall? >> those same type of fund managers were bullish going into '08. i can tell you one thing. i feel very confident that the stresses in the credit markets in oil, emerging markets will create a phenomenal buying opportunity for u.s. equities. like i said, in 2011, 2012 and

this year you are better off waiting in the boat for that fear. and not putt iting a lot of mon to work january 1. >> scrooge mcdonald here. happy new year. >> long volatility. >> i always say every night. i am going to get long volatility. thank you. >> thank you. so we are keeping a close eye on a developing story out of saudi arabia. the 90-year-old saudi king taken to the hospital. we will tell you how this might impact oil markets. and your final, final mystery chart of 2014. we will give you a hint. it's just a hint. this is the best performing stock in the nasdaq 100 this year soaring 115%. that is a big hint right there. we will give you the answer later on in the program so stick around.

we are following a developing story out of saudi arabia. the saudi king is currentlyn hospital. saudi state tv saying the 90-year-old monarch has been admitted for tests. let's bring in jackie deangelis with more. how closely is the oil market watching this? >> it could potentially have an impact here. let me give you more context. you mentioned the king is in the hospital getting tests. he is over 90 years old and been frail for quite some time and has had some health issues in the past. for a long time when i lived in

the middle east there was no successor for king abdullah but in 2012 he appointed his half brother to be his successor. he is also fairly old and frail at this point. so a lot of people are wondering sort of what is the plan for the succession plan. they are looking at the oil minister saying he is on the oil side, as well. so they are weighing this a couple of different ways. if weaudi arabia you could see oil prices go higher because of uncertainty. if we get what we are expecting maybe prince next year things could stay the way they are if we don't see cut in production. there is also another piece to this that people are bringing to my attention which is the relations between u.s. and saudi arabia which have always been friendly people are questioning

if saudi is pushing this oil price down because it doesn't like the way president obama has dealt with the iranian nuclear situation and that it is trying to pressure iran through economic sanctions in way of its own. a lot of questions here to watch going into 2015. >> jackie deangelis, thank you very much. with the saudi king's health in question what is the plan and how will the eventual change in leadership impact the global oil markets? joining us on now set former senior adviser to the state department. obviously, all of us will eventually be leaving this planet. saudi king is in bad health. if he lives another week or ten years what will happen after he is gone? >> he has been in bad health for the past several years. there is a plan in place. >> what do we know about him? what would rule under king

solomon look like? >> there will be continuity. he will pursue same security arrangements with united states. he will also be pumping oil because they are a broader geo strategic interest. >> i would imagine that saudi arabia has been ready for this. abdullah is 90 years old. i think he moved a relative second in line to the crown. >> there wasn't a secession plan. now there are two individuals. so there are policies and personalities in place in order to maintain continuity. >> what about oil markets? would there be any change under any of these different kings? >> saudi arabia is pursuing an oil strategy to drive the price of oil down to reduce the competitiveness of shale oil that is coming from --

>> we have had people that have come on this program and said that it's just an oversupply and demand issue. is there indication -- they have the cover now to do it. they wouldn't mind driving shale business out of business. >> they have 269 billion barrels of crude. they are producing 10 million barrels a day. they have a rival in the region which is iran. by reducing iran's revenue they are having an impact on sanctions targeting the government. >> saudi arabia can target the lower oil prices. does opec stay together or is this -- >> the saudi monarch has proven they are prepared to go it alone. they have a lot of consultation but saudi arabia has its own oil policy. it is important that the u.s.

and saudi arabia maintain cooperation. >> would saudi arabia listen to us if we asked them to change their oil production? >> in many instances we have asked. they have adjusted but haven't fundamentally changed. they will pursue their own national interests. in the past their interests and ours have overlapped. >> if we say you are crushing our oil here let's stabilize the price would they do it? >> they have made clear they will not change production totals. they will do what is in their interest. >> thank you. so it's a pop quiz time. do you know what the minimum wage is? federal, state, local, it doesn't matter. it is all the same. we will explain more next. 11 years and $6 million taxpayer embezzled. how one american city got swindled. residents are on the hook. i know i have an 810 fico score,

thanks to the tools and help on experian.com. and your big idea is hot dogs shaped like hamburgers? nope. hamburgers shaped like hot dogs. that's not really in our wheelhouse... you don't put it in a wheelhouse. you put it in your mouth. get your credit swagger on. become a member of experian credit tracker and find out your fico score powered by experian. fico scores are used in 90% of credecisions.

before the break we asked if you know the current minimum wage. it is kind of a tongue and cheek trick question because the answer is zero. it has always been zero and will always be zero because if you

don't have a job there is no minimum wage. experts say higher minimum wage going into effect will lead to less jobs. kate rogers is here to talk about the higher minimum wages. >> some 3 million workers around the country will be getting a raise to ring in the new year. beginning on january 1 ten states see increases to minimum wage rates thanks to ballot measures passed in mid term elections. another nine states get hikes. new yorkers get their raise today and alaskans see their hike in february. with higher wages comes more pressure on not just smaller businesses but franchisies like one who i spoke to of firehouse subs in florida. he says the costs he faces due to annual cost of living increases will hit his

customers. the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. some seeing changes including massachusetts at $9 an hour on january 1 phased to $11 an hour by 2017. washington state will have the highest rate in the nation as of the new year at $9.47 an hour. there are more than 770,000 franchise establishments and 18 million employees nationwide working for franchises according to the international franchise association. more than 85% of their members believe that recent efforts by some cities and states to increase the minimum wage will negatively impact business. subway, mcdonald's, kfc, they say the issue has been thrust into the national spot light. these companies have been mostly

quiet in the front. burger king saying their franchisees have to comply with wage laws in the states that they operate. >> we are going to have to leave it there. thank you very much. fascinating story. let's move on. three people were arrested in california all part of an investigation into an 11-year, $6 million alleged embezzlement scheme. joining us now is the reporter covering the story for us. fascinating stuff and a little bit sad i guess for the taxpayers of pasadena. what did you uncover in your reporting? >> yesterday los angeles county district attorney's investigators arrested a former city employee who worked in the department of public works who is accused of embezzling $6.4 million in taxpayer funds over 11 years and two others were also arrested who were involved in the scheme. >> how did they do it?

>> so it looks like the city conducted an internal audit of this fund that this city employee was in charge of. it was a slush fund that would oversolve the city's undergrounding of utilities project. it looks among the findings from the audit he had allegedly forged invoices, changed invoice numbers by hand, his bosses had signed off on checks for $3,750 which then after they signed them became 43,7$43,750 checks. it looks like he kind of operated this scheme over 11 years of forging documents and not following proper city procedures. >> so what's going to be the outcome here? the law enforcement that you have talked to, do they suspect it might be more people? was it just these three guys? what are people saying? >> so it looks like this danny

wooten is the only city employee who can be held criminally responsible for the scheme. the city is conducting human resources investigation into involving this scheme. right now four other city employees are on paid administrative leave while that human resources investigation is pending, although they don't believe that those employees will be criminally responsible. >> pasadena star news, big story for the residents of pasadena. thank you very much and happy new year nonetheless. >> thank you. happy new year. one firm thinks a food related stock is going to really deliver in the new year. we will give you the name and others in street talk. >> that is a hint. another look at your final mystery chart of 2014. of course, it has to be final. it is the last day of the year. the stock has soared above the

rest in the nasdaq 100 up 115%. that is another hichnt for you. the answer coming your way.

let's check in with oil

prices. a bit of a lift going into the close. we are still down over 1%, down 45% on the year. and that, of course, is dragged down energy stocks which has dragged down the s&p a bit into the year's end. >> it has been a heck of a year for oil and a heck of a last six weeks or so. for about ten months of the year oil was around 95 to $105 a barrel. starting about october we started to slide and then, of course, the last four to six weeks you know what has happened. it's one of the steepest drops ever and we are down 48% on the price of a barrel of crude oil year to date. unbelievable drop. time for something we do each and every day at this time. and this is our final "street talk" of the year. we will hit analyst calls on stocks youz need to know about today. we will start with reits.

>> it is looking like gains have been made because citi group is not as bullish as they were before on the reit, removing it from the recommended list. up 41% this year. >> low rates, improving economy. let's talk about grub hub. i know you like using grub hub. i do. >> never used it. >> i live like in the woods, like suburbs. >> grub hub was up to outperform from market perform by barrington research. their target $43. they say grub hub has a competitive mode against others and could be a buy now target. >> and if you are saving money at the pump, saving more, eating out or delivering. >> don't do that. save the money. >> getting a target boost at

brean upping chimerix. a stock that is already up 170% year to date. they like the broad antiviral coverage and have phase three drug trials coming out. it's been a hot stock this year. >> let's talk about energy since we are down 45% on oil prices what is the thinking on par energy. the last stock in "street talk" is the name you don't know about. the ticker is parr. diversified energy company. they help move canadian oil to the gulf coast. just over $500 million market cap. starting with a buy and they see about 43% upside on par. let's talk about cars since we are looking at some how many

days that we have seen gas prices down at the pump? >> like 97 days in a row. >> this is a pretty good season to be buying cars. you are getting discounts. if you are in the market for a new car we are going to talk to an expert talking about the great buys. you want to stay with us for more. >> the last look at your final mystery chart of the year. this is a true high flyer. the stock is up 115% thus the best performing stock in the nasdaq 100. do you know? do you know? tweet us your answers. we will give you the real answer after the break. stick around. but i'm a bit skeptical of sure things. why's that? look what daddy's got... ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! growth you can count on from the bank where no branches equals great rates.

so ally bank really has no hidden fethat's right. accounts? it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that?

no hidden fees, from the bank where no branches equals great rates. this is it, the moment we have been waiting for, time to reveal the final mystery chart of 2014. this stock has soared. what is it? tell me. >> it is american airlines. aal up. best performer in the s&p 500. good economy, more people on planes, lower fuel prices. that is what you get. i know people are saying let's get to the other side of the

story. negative people out there. the russian telecom company has been anything but. it is the worst performing stock in the nasdaq 100 this year. if you are looking for a u.s. play, matel is worst performing stock in the nasdaq 100. >> that's a bit disappointing. >> kids are on iphones. they want their phones and want them now. >> they don't want their barb barbies. they only want elsa apparently from "frozen." let's talk about global markets. china is now the second largest equities market in the world. we are up 54% on the year. and we are still trading at multiples at just about 12 times earnings which is less than what you are getting for the s&p but people are hoping and praying for maybe more stimulus next

year and that is the rally we are seeing right now. >> what are people saying? i know you are based in hong kong. your show can be seen around the world. that is normally where you are. in china a heck of a year. are people suggesting that it can continue? can beijing continue spectacular runs? >> back in 2007 shanghai trading at mullples. some are saying there is a big opportunity still and we are not back up to those levels, still trading at the highest since 2010. they are still -- we are getting more money from the central bank and government and loosening that can go into stocks. >> long beijing water tank. it has been a year to remember for the auto makers and car dealers. sales are pace for about 17

million plus this year. managing editor of reuters. paul, we thought this year would be a bounce back year again but did anybody including yourself predict 17 million cars would be sold? >> well, not me. this is really remarkable. this is the first time that that fresh level has been hit since 2001. it is only five years after the big bailouts and bankruptcies. it is really quite remarkable. and with gas prices sinking like stones as they say, it looks to be a good year next year, too. >> it is starting to become more of a car buyer's market. we are not there yet. what does a big discount look like to you? >> definitely buyer incentives discounts are sweetening right now. they are not back to what they were. that was probably unrealistically high level. i think it will be spotty this next year. usually when gas prices fall

demand picks up for pickup trucks and for suvs. you are probably not going to find the great deals there. hi brids and high mileage small cars demand drops. you will probably find rich incentives there. >> what is amazing is that general motors has done this is in the face of probably one of the greatest crisis aside from the bankruptcy with the recalls and scandals. they have managed to literally put all of that behind them. is that maybe the greatest single surprise out of detroit this year? >> it is remarkable. people that i have talked to in the car business can't really explain it why this terrible ignition switch scandal that has killed people, basically, although it is in years past has not had an effect on sales. one reason is when people bring cars in for recalls they are in the dealership and some look at new cars. these are people who might not

come into a dealership so there is a potential buyer on the showroom floor. >> is the u.s. i guess a great enough market to carry the car makers? china is slowing down. europe is not really settling. can the u.s. carry sales in the balance sheets forward? >> that's going to be the big question in 2015 from the auto makers perspective. definitely the united states market is by far and away the best outlook. as you say china sales are slowing after some years of rapid increases. europe is more -- the potential for a new financial crisis with greek election coming up. latin america is not very robust either. so it's going to be a year in which the car companies are going to rely on their u.s. sales and markets like indone a indonesia, southeast asia, some oft traditional, russia will be dead for a while.

>> real pleasure to have you on the show. have a happy new year. >> thank you. >> by the way, with regards to the stock market, last day of the trading year seems to be a good day. not today. the dow jones industrial average is on the lows. the s&p 500 is close to it. the dow is down 95 points to 17,888. the s&p 500 actually turning negative for the month of december with this down turn today. merry late christmas. >> i wonder what happened? >> more sellers than buyers. a little help getting your portfolio ready for next year. there is always 2015. special stock picks for you coming your way next. and an exclusive interview with the man who runs the biggest wine and spirits company in america, rob sands, ceo of con stiilation brands. you might be sipping one of their products now. it is 5:00 somewhere. we will have bubbly with the man

coming up.

so take a look at the declines across the board. we are at the lows of the session heading into the final hour of trade. s&p, if we do end here we are

down for the month. we haven't seen a negative december since 2007. the nasdaq is lower in december and the dow holding on to a few points above. >> yesterday we talked about how some of the oil-related names began to look like they bottomed out and they were up when oil was down. i know oil caught a bid but we are in the low 50s. qep resources and nbr are two best performers on the s&p 500. watch these names. your guest yesterday said the stocks will bottom before oil. let's end the year with opportunity and big smiles. we have pickers with us now. mark travis and eric marshall of hodges small cap funds. we will get past the small talk. give us stocks you think will be winners. >> i am always hopeful when i come on your show. i have three mid cap names i

think make sense of the prices. the first one is oak tree capital. it's a distress debt buyer and a fund manager. and very successful one. they have raised over $16 billion in the last year. they pay out a lot in dividend to shareholders. we think shares are under valued here in the low 50s. so you get paid to wait. there is a name of $17 million market cap. number two is lukeucadia. acquired a lot of assets and kind of a mini. you can buy it close to book value. we think it is worth in the high 20s. so that is another name. and the last one is western

union. hopefully sent money home to grandma in virginia. and it pays out a lot of free cash flow to shareholders as a dividend and share buybacks. ideal candidate for somebody to take private. let's hope that happens early in the early in the year. >> i would drive it home for biscuits and gravy with it. >> i'll be there. >> a little scrapple on the side. >> eric, you getting any cookies and milk these days? >> yeah. i think you have to be very selective here and one that we like is a regional bank called viewpoint financial. they're about to complete a very important merger which they'll close here on january 1st and change to legacy texas financial group and change their symbol as of this friday. and this is really going to transform the bank, give them a lot of operating leverage.

double their size and allow them to grow at a much faster rate in the respective market. we like the management team. trades at a reasonable valuation. it's a stock about where it was a year ago at this time. it could be a best performer in 2015 and one we own in the hodges small intrinsic value fund. we like lithia motors. they're run 86 car dealerships. we see that business continuing to build momentum next year. like the valuation on that stock. and then we also think this is a timely spot to start looking at some of the trucking companies which have kind of lagged the transports over a few years and we like some of the truckload carriers like swift. they're starting to see pricing power for the first time since 2004, really. and we see expanding margins,

accelerating earnings there in that business and like the valuation on swift. >> all right. mark, eric, happy new year. enjoy your new year's eve. thank you for joining us today. before we go, it is this time. we'll pop the bubbly for the new year and go inside the booze business. you like that ill lit ration? >> yeah. i do like that. uncork the next segment. we won't whine about it. >> that's good. that is good. >> that's why i make the medium bucks. >> all right. we'll get a break and come back and talk more about the booze. no question about that. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,

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tonight is night, december 31st, lots of people popping the bubbly to toast in the new year, 2015. what about the rest of the year? what can champagne sales tell us about cob summer spending? you're the champagne girl. >> i'm the expert today. historically, champagne sales are closely corelated of incomes. lowell goldman in nashville says the champagne sales are up 7% year over year. goldman attributes it to growth in nashville and changing state laws. sales director of empire distributors in north carolina says as goes september champagne sales and the first quarter of the economy and reason to be

optistic saying high-end champagne is stronger in the category up 8.6% this holiday season and champagne shipment data for the u.s. from the champagne bureau shows a drop-off with the recession in 2008 and in line with the economic recovery. 2014 data won't be available until next year and so much of this year's sales come from december and even this week especially. according to nielsen, 20% of annual sales for champagne occur in december. half of which come the week of new year's and we are in right now. >> all right. so now that you are in-house champagne expert, what is the difference between california champagne and champagne? >> well -- >> i don't know. >> real champagne comes from -- >> champagne region. >> in france. >> but french sued. i think they sued. >> you can have sparkling wine and italian. >> let's get personal. you had the bachlorette party in nashville. >> i did. >> you contributed to half that

number. >> probably did. >> you just cited. mandy was there. >> mandy was there. >> what are you -- what are you seeing in your channel checks? >> no. i mean, actually, in all fairness, millennials are into champagne. more so than the greater population. >> are you a millennial. >> it's 50% for the general population. >> i thought the trend was about high-end tequila now. >> that's another trend. >> that's another trend. >> not new year's. >> let's bring in another guy that knows more about this than us, ron sand ceo of constellation brand. he's joining us now by phone. so, rob, what are the trends that you are seeing? are people going for the tequilas, beers, champagnes or all of the above? >> yeah. i would say all of the above. in fact, champagne and sparkling wines having a great season. we've got brands like which are up double digits.

cook's sparkling wine up big-time. we just bought a new tequila brand. i noticed you mentioned high-end tequila. that's up very strong. people are drinking a lot of tequila. the beer business has been on fire in general. >> well, either people have a consumption issue of everything up or hopefully something else is falling to keep things steady. what are people not drinking and cutting back on? don't say zima. >> people are drinking a lot of imported beer, craft beer, sparkling wine, wine in general. brown spirits are very popular right now. we're seeing declines in areas like domestic beer, for instance. light beers have been in decline so these other products are taking some share from some of the more traditional things as i said like domestic beer.

>> and so why do you think, rob, that you are seeing the increase in demand for the sparkling wines in particular? i have heard the same thing today and not exactly sure why that's become so popular. >> yeah. you know, post the recession, sparkling wine has really taken off again. i think that very core lated to the economy and very corelated to people's income as the economy recovered, unemployment has diminished, i think we have seen sparkling wine pick up. also, there's a lot of i'll say new products out there that have popular. porseco in particular has come on strong primarily because it's easy to drink, a fun product and good price point. >> rob, we're holding a bottle of cook's here, california champagne. >> there you go. >> there we go. >> that sounded good. >> thank you for joining us and

susan. happy new year to you and the "street signs" family and, m mandy, happy new year's in new orleans. >> go bucs. >> rolling tide! "closing bell" starts right now. happy new year, everybody. welcome to "the closing bell." >> i'm bill griffeth. i'm kayla taushe here for kelly evans. no fireworks today but we have fireworks as you're watching a live shot right now in dubai ringing in the new year at this very moment. a volatile market there in the wake of an oil plunge but nonetheless, a celebration there this evening in dubai. >> yep. as you can imagine, an elaborate display in the united arab emirates ringing in 2015. we are bringing