http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/27/recession-proof-stocks-johnson-johnson.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 27, 2008

Looking for more juicy dividend stocks to weather a recession? Check out our special series on recession-proof stocks.

Given the recession-resistant reputation of companies operating in the health care industry, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) may seem an unlikely candidate to bounce back from a downturn in the business cycle. But the fact remains that, for a number of reasons, this industry titan’s stock is beaten down and should recover quite nicely when headwinds stop working against it and start to shift toward its back.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/27/charlie-mungers-advice-for-striking-it-rich.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 27, 2008

It’s been well documented that Warren Buffett spends most of his time reading, and he attributes the secret of his success to spending most of his day hunkered down in the details of company annual reports, business periodicals, and numerous other books. The same can be said for Charlie Munger, best known as Buffett’s right-hand man and co-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B).

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http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2008/06/26/stick-with-fast-food.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 26, 2008

It’s no secret that sky-high energy prices and food inflation are putting a hurt on consumer pocketbooks these days. Given the financial pinch, many families are eating out less and trading down to more affordable fare. That trend has favored the fast-food operators over the casual-dining crowd.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2008/06/25/how-to-earn-emerging-market-returns-safely.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 25, 2008

A horse cannot gain weight if not fed with extra fodder during the night; a man cannot become wealthy without earnings apart from his regular salaries.
– Chinese proverb

That Chinese proverb makes a strong case for investing period, but there’s more to it.

If you can’t become wealthy without earnings apart from your regular salaries, I’d posit that in today’s world, an American investor can’t earn mind-blowing returns without extra fodder from some of the world’s fast-growing economies.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/20/circuit-city-goes-haywire.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 20, 2008

While Circuit City (NYSE: CC) and Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) try to rekindle the magic of their respective retailing heydays, archrival Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) continues to make it look easy by consolidating market share into its own hands. Given the dire first-quarter trends that came out of Circuit City yesterday, combining with Blockbuster may be its best shot at survival.

On Monday, Best Buy announced a respectable quarter that saw sales, earnings, and same-store sales all increase. As fellow Fool Anders Bylund pointed out, Best Buy has mastered the ways of successful customer service and stocking plenty of hot-selling consumer electronics, including Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) store-in-store displays to supplement its impressive array of flat-panel televisions, video games, and laptops.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/20/carnival-treads-water.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 20, 2008

Thanks to a recent downward trend, share price gains for Carnival (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK) are now running on empty over the past five-year period. Too bad its cruise ships can’t also sail the seven seas on empty, because sky-high gasoline prices have wiped out strong continued trends in Carnival’s cruise line business.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/20/a-caffeine-boost-for-smucker.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 20, 2008

J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM) has a long-standing history as an independent food producer and recently decided it’s much better to eat than be eaten in the industry. Its fourth-quarter results reflected the purchase of a milk business that made up the bulk of sales growth. And given a recently announced acquisition, it looks like Smucker is only getting warmed up on that front.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/12/krispy-kreme-slightly-more-tasty.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 12, 2008

It’s been a slow-baked process, but Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE: KKD) continues to awaken from its sugar coma. Its malady stemmed largely from its own overindulgences in store expansion, along with its troublesome relations with franchisees. But judging from the first-quarter results it released yesterday, the latest management team has a firm grasp on how to get Krispy Kreme back on the path toward consistently positive financial performance.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2008/06/12/customers-still-rolling-in-to-caseys.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 12, 2008

Consumers may be finding ways to dodge the gas pump these days, but they aren’t quite ready to give up their convenience-store purchases, as seen in fourth-quarter results from Casey’s General Stores (Nasdaq: CASY). The company posted earnings per share of $0.28, beating analyst estimates and sending the shares up 12% today.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2008/06/06/little-rr-for-vail-resorts.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 6, 2008

Perk up your ears, snow bunnies. Motley Fool Hidden Gems pick Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) has come to own some of the choicest ski resorts in the United States, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/05/shoe-salesman-gets-scuffed.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 5, 2008

Collective Brands (NYSE: PSS) is putting a good foot forward in integrating a major acquisition of Stride Rite, but it took a few steps back this quarter thanks to the weak economy and a hefty litigation charge. Total sales managed a 28% improvement with the help of Stride Rite’s results, but same-store sales fell 6.5% on a tougher retailing environment.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2008/06/05/taxing-results-from-jackson-hewitt.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 5, 2008

It has been more than a year since a Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) franchisee was found to be filing fraudulent tax forms, but it appears that investors are hewing to one of Warren Buffett’s most notorious quotes and ruthlessly punishing Jackson for losing even a shred of its reputation.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/04/three-electrifying-retailers.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 4, 2008

One. Two. Three. That’s how many lucrative plays investors can make on the consumer electronics industry. The first one is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) — literally a no-brainer at current levels — which has grown to dominate the space and has pushed many rivals, such as Circuit City (NYSE: CC), to the brink of extinction. However, two regional players have managed to compete very effectively in this cutthroat market as well.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/06/03/meet-best-buys-mini-me.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 3, 2008

The electronics-retailing road is littered with companies that have fallen flat while trying to take on almighty Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Circuit City (NYSE: CC) has fallen so far that embattled video-rental firm Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) is trying to pick it up on the cheap, while Tweeter vanished from the public realm more than a year ago. But by sticking to retailing basics, small-cap rival hhgregg (NYSE: HGG) has found a way to succeed in the cutthroat business of hawking flat-panel televisions, home appliances, and other electronic accessories.

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http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2008/06/03/an-emerging-market-not-to-overlook.aspx

Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
June 3, 2008

Indonesia is a vast nation, consisting of 17,000 islands that stretch for more than 3,000 miles. It has 235 million citizens — the fourth-largest population in the world — and those citizens speak more than 500 languages.

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