In This Issue:
• Today's Explanation - Much of the recent up-and-down action in stocks has been blamed on interpretations of Federal Reserve comments.
• In the Limelight
• STARS Status - Changes in S&P analysts' STARS rankings for April 11 through April 15.
• Elizabeth Arden Still Has Allure - We believe the beauty products company will post strong earnings gains as it benefits from a consumer shift to mass retailers.
• Drawing Down Retirement Accounts - To make the most of your savings, it's important to know which assets to withdraw first and when to rebalance your portfolio.
• Favored Stocks That You Can Buy Directly - Here are four stocks that we think are solid investments and that can all be purchased right from the companies.
• Master List Stocks Update - Our three supervised Master List groups of stocks, recommended as core holdings for long-term investors, are regularly featured on these two pages. Group 1, highlighted this week, consists mainly of large-cap stocks.
• A Closer Look at a Euro Region ETF - An exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P Europe 350 index is the newest component of our recommend asset allocation portfolio.

Some of the Companies Featured:
Abbott Laboratories
Ambac Financial Group
American International Group
Ameritrade Holding
Bard (C.R.) Inc.
Cisco Systems
CVS Corp.
Elizabeth Arden Inc.
Gannett Co.
Inamed
Medicis
Nike Inc.
Pepsico
Southwest Airlines Co.
St. Jude Medical
Yahoo Inc.

S&P Information Products

Browse S&P industry research products by category:

S&P Industry Surveys
S&P Industry Stock Reports
The Outlook
Search Engine Survey
Pocket Guides
Power Picks

About Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's is one of the world's preeminent providers of credit ratings, and for such globally recognized financial-market indices as the S&P 500®. S&P also provides a wide range of other products and services designed to help individuals and institutions around the world make better-informed financial decisions with greater confidence.