In This Issue:
• Teaching the Dogs a New Trick- A popular income-oriented investment strategy gets a little boost from S&P research.
• In the Limelight
• STARS Status: Changes in S&P analysts' STARS rankings for March 27 through April 7.
• Favored Stocks You Can Buy Directly- Here are four stocks that we think are solid investments and that can all be purchased right from the companies.
• Consol Energy Has the Right Stuff- We think this major coal producer is poised for growth because supply of the fuel is tight and demand is rising.
• German Recovery Looks Solid- We believe the stocks of several large companies can help you tap into Europe's largest economy.
• Profiting from Four-Year Cycle Lows: Standard & Poor's chief investment strategist Sam Stovall explores the pattern of the four-year market cycle.
• 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. The Total Return Portfolio, highlighted this week, consists of stocks we like for income.
• Top Ten Portfolio- This focused list, launched in 2001, has had an annualized gain of 5.4% since inception vs. the S&P 500's 2.9% gain in the same period.

Some of the Companies Featured:
AES
Alcon
Aqua America
Ball
Biomet
Buckeye Technologies
Chubb
Citigroup
Cosi
Costco Wholesale
Hasbro
Merrill Lynch
Moody's
Pitney Bowes
Tootsie Roll Industries
Valeant Pharmaceuticals

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