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Investors are staying away from the shares of big drug companies since they are worried about patent expirations and the lack of new drugs in development. However, the pessimism seems overdone and some companies can even see its shares rise 30%.

Automobile insurance rates in the US fell 0.3% in 1998, the first nationwide decline since 1973, due to demographics, stricter driving laws, safer cars, and tighter competition. The largest US auto insurer, State Farm, reduced rates by an average of 6% in 1998, and the 5th largest, Progressive, lowered rates by an average of 5.3%. Direct sellers of insurance, such as Progressive and Geico, are helping to fuel the decline by cutting into the market share of such traditional insurers as State Farm and Allstate.

ExxonMobil's shares has been a laggard in the rally of 2009 even though they have the best reserves, management, and balance sheet. Investors focus too much on production growth but the company has a profit target and not a growth target. Exxon is a clear leader in its field and its shareholders may do as well.

The 57 companies that were bullishly covered on 'Barron's' for the first half of 2009 were up an average of 20.4 percent compared to the 10.2 percent gain in the relevant market indexes. The bearish stock picks by 'Barron's' was down 3.4 percent compared to a 6.4 percent for the benchmarks.

Most stocks in the food industry look reasonably priced after selloffs. These shares offer secure dividend yields of three percent or more and fetch higher projected earnings at 15 times for 2008 compared to data from 2004 to 2007. The shares of companies such as Kellogg, General Mills, Heinz, and Kraft are discussed.

The drop in share prices in January 2008 presents a buying opportunity for investors. Investment analysts are bullish on stocks for 2008 because of the low price-to-earnings ratios that stocks are trading as of late.

The Class-A shares of Berkshire Hathaway should be from $125,000 to $130,000 per share and not $143,000 based on several valuation measures. Berkshire's shares could even go higher in the coming years but financial companies could do even better especially if Buffett's tenure ends.

Airline stocks generally make money only for agile traders, but in October 2006 it appears that it may be time for investors to reconsider their aversion to these stocks as carriers cut costs, shrink capacity and look forward to lower fuel prices. Analysts believe the outlook for 2007 looks bright, baring a sharp economic slowdown, and in fact it would be the most profitable year ever for airlines.

The relentless pounding endured by equities markets through mid-2002 makes stocks a promising venture for investors fortunate enough to have anything left to invest. Steep declines in all major indexes mean a rebound from bottom is likely enough to wager on.

Better-than expected profit announcements invigorated major stock indexes for the week ending April 19, 2002. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, on a gain of 56 points, rose 0.5% to 10,257; Standard and Poor's 500 closed at 1125, a 1.2% increase of 14 points; and the Nasdaq Composite added 40 points, closing at 1797, a 2.3% increase.

Declines in major stock indexes are read to prefigure resistance in the technology industry to the economic recovery in the wider U.S. economy. The Dow Jones Industrial shed 132, or 1.3%, to 10,271; the Nasdaq lost 4.1%, falling 75 points to 1770; and the S and P 500 fell 22 points to 1122, a 2.1% decline.

Gross, of Pacific Investment Management, precipitated a 2.32 decline in GE's share price, from 40.19 to 37.87, with a stern critique of the company's accounting practices and credit position. Valuations of major equities indexes for the week ending March 22, 2002 are detailed, with trends for specific industries and companies closely detailed.

A 3.2% drop in the Nasdaq for the week ending March 15, 2002, is blamed on concerns for tech industry profits. The Dow Jones and Standard and Poor's 500 both witnessed minimal gains for the week.

Major equities indexes fluctuated throughout the week ending February 1, 2001, generating marginal gains or losses and offering uncertain footing for analysis. Investors are troubled by indications of accounting malpractice in the Enron case.

The Nasdaq composite climbed another 27 points, or 1.4%, to 1930 for the week ending November 30, 2001, marking a 35% increase of over 500 points since bottoming out at 1423 on September 21, 2001. The tech sector rally overshadowed less-than-hopeful weeks for the Dow Jones and Standard and Poor's indexes.

Stock prices for the week ending November 16, 2001 continued to gain ground lost in the week of trading following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Reasons for the improvement include success in the Afghanistan phase of the war on terrorism. Index statistics, and share-price breakdowns for leading companies in various industries, are provided.

Major stock indices, notably the Dow Jones and Nasdaq Composite, welcomed increases due to the Treasury's announcement that 30-year notes would be curtailed. Analysis is presented arguing that electric utilities represent a more profitable long term investment than the Nasdaq.

The 39% price-per-share plunge of old-economy bellwether Proctor and Gamble, in the same week that Nasdaq topped 5000 for the first time, gives new-economy enthusiasts more ammunition in their ongoing ideological battle with traditionalist investors. The underpinnings of the continuing high performance of technology stocks are examined, and real-world explanations for the poor performance of consumer-products stocks are analyzed.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average registered its worst weekly point decline last week when it dropped 524 points to 10,279. Worries about corporate profits and a weaker dollar caused big technology stocks to succumb to the weakness in the rest of the market. Microsoft president Steven Ballmer's comments about the 'absurd' overvaluation of technology stocks impacted the decline, as did the earthquake in Taiwan.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.5% the week ended Jun 18, 1999, despite Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan's strong suggestion that an increase in interest rates was likely in late Jun 1999. Gillette's share price, however, decreased sharply when the company warned that problems in international markets would cause a profit shortfall for 2nd quarter 1999. Other consumer stocks, such as Avon Products and Coca-Cola, were down slightly as well. Compaq issued a profit warning, as well. AMR, companies with low price-earnings multiples, and Qwest Communications are also discussed.

Rising interest rates and continued economic strength caused investors to keep buying economically sensitive stocks the week ended Jun 11, 1999, while selling of traditional growth stocks like drugs and beverages caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fall 2.9%. Nasdaq's 1.2% decline was led by Cisco Systems, Microsoft, and many Internet issues, especially AOL.

The stock market rallied the week ended Jun 4, 1999, despite worries about rising interest rates. Even tech stocks, which had been hurt by concerns about personal computer sales and fading confidence in Internet issues, rallied on Jun 4, 1999. The divergence between stocks and bonds, and particularly between utility stocks and bonds, remains troubling. Brokerage stocks were hurt by Merrill Lynch's announcement that it would establish an extensive online presence, and continuing weakness in the disk drive market hurt Quantum stock. Most analysts are pessimistic about the future of tobacco stocks, but one analyst feels that Philip Morris is underpriced.

Equities are 25% overvalued compared to bonds in late May 1999, compared to a 40% overvaluation in early May 1999, according to models kept by Morgan Stanley's Byron Wien. Wien's model takes interest rates, corporate earnings, and economic growth into account, and has proved reliable in the past. Unlike many analysts, Wien expects the rally in cyclicals to renew their rally, recovering from their battering the week ended May 28, 1999. Standard and Poor's 500 earnings outlooks, bank stocks, IMS Health, General Motors, and Avis are also discussed.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.6% between Mar 1, 1999 and Mar 5, 1999, spurred on by lower interest rates and a rise in unemployment to 4.4% from 4.3%. The Dow has risen 6% in 1999 to Mar 5, and the Standard and Poor's 500 Index has risen 3.8% in 1999 to Mar 5. Tom Galvin of Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette sees corporate earnings boosting the S and P 500 Index to a 20% gain for 1999. However, First Call reports that Wall Street estimates for 1st quarter 1999 corporate profits have been declining. Consumer stocks' price gains, Atlantic Richfield's dividend, and Walt Disney Co's difficulties are also discussed.

Despite large swings in the major stock indexes, stock prices ended Feb 26, 1999 quite close to where they began on Feb 22, 1999. Analysts remain unsure about whether the personal computer industry is about to slow down. Steve Milunovich of Merrill Lynch cut his 1st quarter 1999 profit estimate for Compaq down to $0.30/share, down from $0.35/share, but still sees 15% unit growth in PCs for 1999. Interest rate forecasts, the Standard and Poor's 500, and mining company Reynolds Metals are also discussed.

Industrial stocks rose sharply in the first week of 1999, reflecting faith in a continued strong economy and a search for value. Alcoa, General Motors, Caterpillar, DuPont, and USX-US Steel were especially strong. On Jan 8, 1999, the US government reported a 378,000 payroll increase for Dec 1998, which gave the cyclical stocks one of their best trading days relative to the overall market since 1997. Other groups of stocks discussed include Internet stocks, small-caps, drug stocks, regional bank stocks, and defense stocks.

The financial markets advanced on the rate cut by the Federal Reserve Board. The Nasdaq index rose more than both the Dow and the S and P 500. The Russell 2000 index also rose. Specific stocks are discussed in detail.

Anticipation of an interest rate reduction sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 133 points for the week ending Sep 25, 1998, marking the third straight week the average has advanced. Comments by Chmn Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve Board indicate that a rate cut is being considered.

Gains in the benchmark and the Standard and Poor's 500 index indicate strong investor interest in blue chips in favor of smaller issues. Despite considerable gains, analysts agree that the market is likely to maintain a tight trading range of about 9000.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average set a record for its closing of 8370.10 on Feb 13, 1998, thus regaining all value lost in the Oct 1997 correction. Analysts expect the market to rise more in 1998 despite questionable economic conditions in Asia and their effect on US stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 554 points in one day for its greatest point drop in history, but the late Oct 1997 decline was unique in that it was not triggered by an increase in interest rates. In fact, the stable rates may have contributed to a rally the following day.

The shares of SLM Corp. could gain value if the company increases its profits and manages to return money to shareholders. Share prices could rise from $12 to as high as $18 by 2011.

Some blue-chip stocks included in Warren Buffett's investments can be purchased by investors at a bargain. Investors betting on a rebound in blue-chip stocks can buy these stocks for less than what Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway paid.

The shares of construction leading firms D.R. Horton, PulteGroup, Lennar, and Toll Brothers have reasonable prices and these firms have improved their balance sheets compared to previous years. There is limited downside risk and there is considerable upside for this group.

Stock picks involving companies that have emerged from bankruptcy are described. Investors are advised to invest in the shares of Smurfit-Stone, Lyondell, and Aventine Renewable while avoiding the shares of Six Flags, SuperMedia, Dex One, and Chater Communications.

Bullish stock picks by Barron's registered an average decline of 7.2% in 2010, outperforming benchmark indexes, which fell by 8.3%. Bearish stock picks fell by an average of 8%, falling more than the benchmark average of 6.4%.

The shares of credit card lending provider Alliance Data Systems are trading above the company's value. The company, the shares of which trade at $56.58 each, has a book value of minus $1 a share and a sum-of-the-parts value of $25 a share.

Investors are advised to invest in European stocks as these have relatively low prices and high dividends. The steep decline in global stock markets caused by concerns about the financial crisis in Greece has left US and European stocks below their levels at the start of 2010.

The stocks of Goldman Sachs appear attractive due to its their price/earnings ratio and the company's strong earnings but are weighed down by the fraud case filed against it. The shares, which trade at $157 each, are also weighed down by the potential passage of a financial services reform law curtailing derivatives trading.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman Sachs with securities fraud related to their underwriting of collateralized-debt obligations backed by subprime mortgages. Their shares look tempting after the case caused its shares to fall by 13 percent.

The stocks of financial advisor and asset manager Lazard could benefit from a stricter policy on employee compensation and benefits. The company's shares could rise from $37 to over $50 each if the company manages to lower its compensation ratio to 50% of its revenue.

The Washington Post has a market value of $4.2 billion based on their shares that trade for 445. A sum-of-the-parts analysis shows that the company is worth about $8.5 billion due to their large and rapidly growing Kaplan education division. A spinoff of Kaplan could unlock value.

The shares of property and casualty insurance company Chubb are projected to benefit from the company's strong finances. The company's shares, trading at $50 each or 1.1 times estimated book value, could rise by 10% or more in 2010.

The shares of Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo could rise by as much as 80% as the economy and their financial situations improve. These banks have reduced their exposure to commercial real estate and have recapitalized themselves.

The shares of Progressive trades at 11 times projected 2009 profit of $1.47 a share and commands two times book value which is rich compared with most peers. The shares could rise at least 25 percent in a year from November 2009.

The shares of managed-care companies are projected to gain in value despite the possibility of health care reform. The shares of these companies are trading at eight times earnings and could gain by as much as 25% by 2010.

AVI BioPharma is developing a drug against Duchenne muscular dystrophy and antivirus therapies against Ebola, Marburg, and the swine flu. Their stock could surge if their Duchenne drug gets approved.

The shares of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway have fallen to $85,000 and these are cheap since they are trading at just 1.2 times estimated book value and are well below its peak of $149,000. One fan of the stock expects it to top $110,000 in the next year from June 2009.

US stock markets are due for a rebound starting in 2009 due to historically low stock prices and high liquidity. The Dow Jones Industrial Average could hit a bottom above 5,000 points, while that of the Standard & Poor's 500 index will be above 500.

The shares of Heinz could rise due to the company's profit and sales rise and its international exposure. The company's shares could rise from $36 to $45 in 2009 and eventually to $60.