In this Issue: The Wall of Worry- Most worries are minor, but some can turn out to be significant. In The Limelight STARS Status: Changes in S&P analysts' STARS rankings for January 16 through January 20. Dividend Aristocrats Poised for Increases- The companies profiled here have raised their dividends continuously for at least 25 years, and are likely to boost payments in the first half of this year. Some Mid-Caps We're Bullish On- The S&P MidCap 400 index rose 11.3% in 2005, well ahead of the S&P 500 and the Small-Cap 600. The table below lists some mid-cap stocks that we think will outperform in 2006. A Different Way to Play the "500"- An exchange-traded fund that equal-weights the S&P 500 outperformed the traditional market-cap-weighted version last year. Southwest Rises Above the Competition- We think this airline has strong fundamentals and will benefit from an improving industry environment. Three Recent Upgrades- S&P analysts now believe these stocks will outperform the market over the coming year. Some of the Companies Featured: Arris Group Bard Inc. Blackrock Inc. Freescale Semiconductor Google Inc. Intel JPMorgan Chase Linear Technology Maxtor Corp. Merrill Lynch Pfizer Inc. Pixar Six Flags South Financial Group Spanish Broadcasting System Inc. SunTrust Banks Target Corp. Union Pacific Viacom Inc. |