評論
打印
Best performers of 2008
As Wall Street's worst year since the 1930s draws to a close, we take a look at the companies that bucked the trend .
The Dow, down. The S&P 500, down. And the NASDAQ, down. What a record for 2008! But it’s not as bad as the Detroit Lions' unprecedented 0-16 runless season. There are actually some big winners this year, but not many. Out of the S&P 500, 478 are closing the year in the red, while just 22 stocks will end 2008 in the black. Believe it or not, the top two performers in the S&P 500 are consumer-related stocks. No, not Wal-Mart, not McDonalds. They’ve had good years though. The winners are, drum roll please, Family Dollar, no surprise there, and US Tobacco. Now with the index down roughly 39% from the beginning of the year, it has headed for its worst annual performance since the S&P made its debut in 1957. But discount retailer Family Dollar is on track to be the top performer this year as of Tuesday the stock was up more than 32%. And giving credence to the theory that vices are recession-proof, shares of /UST, the maker of smokeless tobacco products like Copenhagen and Skoal as well as wine are up more than 26% this year, putting it squarely in the second slot. Now to be sure UST had a bit of help this year. See the big spike on this chart, that’s when Altria group announced its agreement to acquire UST for nearly 70 bucks a share. But the strength of these two companies in the midst of a recession, well, it’s nothing new. We saw something similar when the market tends to last. Peak to trough(經(jīng)濟周期中的低谷) from August 2000 to September of 2002, the S&P 500 tumbled some 46%. But during that time, Family Dollar’s stocks spiked 49% and shares of UST shot up more than 30%. So what’s your bet for the best and of course the worst performers of 2009? Let us know, Chime in right here on our talk-back segment on CNNmoney.com. Have a great new year!
