Best Stocks to Buy Now: These Tech Picks Promise Tremendous Upside in 2014

Best stocks to buy for the week ending March 14, 2014: Stock futures suffered worldwide on fallout from the Ukraine. A referendum set for yesterday (Sunday), in which Crimeans voted on whether to become part of Russia or declare independence first, had investors increasingly cautious as the week ticked by.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week down 2.35% to close at 16,065.67. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index closed down at 1,841.13, a 1.97% loss. And the Nasdaq dropped 1.43% by Friday to close at 4,245.40.

The downturn presents investors with opportunities to nab valuable stocks at a discount. Money Morning keeps readers current on the best stocks to buy now, and innovation in tech headlined our picks last week. These hungry, inspired companies are a driving force behind the U.S. economy - and have a tremendous upside for investors. Here's what we covered last week:

• On Wednesday, Money Morning Executive Editor William Patalon III wrote about three plays in the red-hot robotics sector. He believes one could have a 50% to 100% upside in 2014 alone because of improving finances and a potential for a takeover. MarketWatch agreed - they liked Patalon's pick so much, they made it their "Call of the Day."

• It's not often you get a chance to get in on the "ground floor" of an entire new business. But as Money Morning Defense & Tech Specialist Robinson said on Friday, that's exactly what you have here. The "Golden Age of Materials Science" is about to boom, and Robinson gives readers one of the best super-low priced stocks to buy with 300% profit potential...

• Canada ranks among the world's top five producers of 14 mineral commodities, and it's the world leader in production of potash and uranium. But Canada also boasts a burgeoning tech scene that continues to fly under the radar in the wake of Silicon Valley hype. Robinson highlighted five Canadian tech opportunities in the mining sector that are likely to offer rich returns for investors this year...

• And finally last week, Robinson touched on a social media darling that recently announced a $19 billion acquisition. He said tech investors have two choices from here: They can give into the negative hype about this deal from the media... or, they can take advantage of the huge upside and laugh all the way to the bank. Here's his breakdown of the deal...

• An upcoming early April stock split for this Internet tech giant presents interesting, long-term value for investors for years to come. "Even at these prices you can buy mini-shares or you can buy a single share. Buy it, tuck it away, hold it - especially if you're young. Because it's one of those companies that's going to change the future," Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said last week.

• Last week, we confirmed an innovative online retailer giant is in hot pursuit of gaming industry talent. The retailer's stock is already up almost 44% from a year ago today. And as early as 2014, it will compete - and even beat out - industry leaders Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Here's why this retailer's push into the gaming industry will send its stock soaring even higher.

• Wearable technology is one of the hottest trends in tech right now, but it's challenging to find companies to invest in that aren't already big, popular names. We did the heavy lifting last week and came up with five stocks to buy with great upside potential in the wearable tech market...

• Speaking of great upside potential, this young biotech firm had about 26 months' worth of cash in its coffers as of the end of Q3 2013. It currently has a market cap of $389.6 million, and its stock value has increased by 126.4% in 12 months. Money Morning BioScience Investment Specialist Ernie Tremblay expects it'll move even higher in 2014...

• Finally, Money Morning Global Resource Specialist Peter Krauth touched on bullish developments for this heavy metal that point to even bigger gains. Krauth's method of identifying global trends before they gain mainstream recognition has paid off for readers - his November stock pick for the same heavy metal is already up 8%.

NOW: An aging bull is igniting this sector rally, and some equally dramatic indicators point to it heading much higher still...