In This Issue:
• Tying the Record: S&P 500 operating earnings growth remains strong. We expect good profit gains to persist.
• In the Limelight
• STARS Status: Changes in S&P analysts' STARS rankings for August 1 through August 5.
• Funds with Consistently Good Performance: A new scorecard from Standard & Poor's highlights mutual funds with peer-beating performance over the past five years.
• Funds With Strong Returns Over Time
• Chip Stocks Show a Strong Pattern: Our chief technical strategist thinks the semiconductor group is out of the doldrums and showing healthy momentum.
• Favored Semiconductor Stocks
• Some Consumer Discretionary Stocks We Like: S&P now recommends overweighting consumer discretionary stocks. Here are four stocks from the sector that are highly ranked by our analysts.
• Portfolio for Steady Dividend Stream: If you're looking for income, we believe you can use the stocks listed in the table below to create a reliable and consistent dividend stream.
• Dividend Payments Twice A Month (Chart)
• ExxonMobil for Sweet Returns: We think this major oil company's scope and resources provide significant competitive advantages.
• S&P Sector Scorecard

Some of the Companies Featured:
Affiliated Computer
Aqua America
Beazer Homes Usa Inc.
Covance Inc.
Cree Inc.
International Rectifier
Ivax Corp.
Meredith Corp.
Microchip Technology
Nike Inc.
NIVIDIA Corp.
Oracle Corp.
Playtex Products
RF Micro Devices
Sherwin-Williams Co.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

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Search Engine Survey
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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.