It works in football and in value investing. Last week when I was telling you to buy banks, the lemming leaders on Commentary Nothing But Crap (CNBC) were telling you to avoid them like the plague. Now that they've digested a few of the expected Fed drops, and actually started to look at the filings, banks are starting to look pretty. Go figure.

This is a world of the moment. What have you done for me lately, Brian?  

So where is the smart play ahead of Fast Lemmings or Mad Lemmings?  Your best defense right now is to find great value in the areas that the shorter hyenas have already picked clean and where the herd has stampeded out of the valley.   You should also be looking at stocks that either pay a nice enough dividend to ride through the Dark side of the fiscal Force, or whose growth story is either not greatly affected or aided by the current market conditions.

Remember to read all reports, call your financial advisor, guru, rabbi, chiropodist or whomever gives you financial advice and check these out fully before dropping a plug nickel into anything. Some ideas and actions that I'm taking...

HOLD EM:

EV - Eaton Vance. Reminder that all sectors get sacked, and some companies get nailed unfairly. If you bought when I did, during the pillage fund houses phase of the lemming run, you are up  104.89%.

Buy: 

Accenture (ACN) is up 51.59% even in this market at its current depressed price from the drubbing it got last year. Still, it's a five star buy right now, primariy because it's a target for fears that IT spending will go down. 1.23% dividend isn't meaningful, but it is still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Under 37.00 it is still a great company to own.

FWRD - Forward Air is a deep play into shipping infrastructure. A bit more sensitive to the economy, but less so than many other goods carriers because of the way that it is built. A niche player that plays well.

AutoZone (AZO) If the stock drops below $115.00 I will pull the trigger. My original purchase is up 38% even in this crappy market. I'm going to add to my holdings becuase that price seems pretty cheap to me. AZO doesn't pay out a dividend, but it has been a solid growth story in good times, and, if more people hold on to cars and fix them up in bad times, it still is a winner.

More to come...
 

Salut:

 How good of a shortcut to finding quality stocks during a declining market would it be, if one were to have a list of (large cap?) companies that are buying back their own stock?

 Would this not be similar to considering companies with high ratios of insider "buy-and-holds"?

Where could one get such a list?

 Merci mille fois,

Tahquo

If you go to the TOOLS tab, and choose the stocks link premium screens, and click on Morningstar Screens, you will find Buyback Champions. That is not, however, the first bellwether you should use to select a stock.  Buybacks reinforce the notion that prices are cheap enough for the company to feel it a good use of their capital to buy back their stock, but start with the fundamentals of the companies and look for solid earners first. This is a reinforcing screen, not a starting point.

I would look for stocks that pay a dividend.  KEYCORP, which I don't own but might consider, comes up in the 5-star range pays a 6% dividend on the stock. That's better than they pay their CD holders, and offers some upside as the pressure on the financial system levels out and eases in the next 3 years.