8 Stock Picks For 2012

The holiday mood permeates the air and the new year is just around the corner. It's the time when many stock analysts and financial writers begin to present their stock picks, and so do I. As I expect the turbulent market to continue into 2012, at least the first half of it, portfolio volatility remains a concern. The market whipsawing up and down almost daily just from the European headlines has investors shell shocked. Many analysts have sounded the alarms about huge risks from the eurozone crisis. What if France's AAA sovereign credit rating is cut? On Dec. 16 Fitch Ratings lowered its outlook on the rating to negative. The consequences of a cut would reverberate throughout the world financial markets.

Many have drawn a scary picture of worst case scenarios. But how much of this doom and gloom has already been baked into the investors' psyche? How much of it has already been reflected in stock prices? Some investors won't touch any stocks until the market calms down. The trouble is by then most easy gains have been reaped and disappeared..... read more.

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