For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 5, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Wal-Mart (WMT), Target (TGT), Claymore China Small Cap ETF (HAO), Coca-Cola (KO) and Aflac (AFL).

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Here are highlights from Wednesday’s AnalystBlog:

China Booming Again

The long-term key for China is to generate more consumer demand at home so it is not forever dependent on exports to fuel its growth. This is the mirror image of what the U.S. needs. We cannot forever run trade deficits, consuming more from the rest of the

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The World Bank now estimates that China will grow 8.4% in 2009, up from its June forecast of 7.2% growth. Like the U.S., China embarked on a large fiscal stimulus program, one that relative to the size of its economy is more than three times as large as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was. Well, surprise, surprise -- a bigger package has been more effective than a smaller one at lifting economic growth. China, of course, is in a better fiscal position to invest in its economy than the U.S. That is a legacy of the years of fiscal mismanagement in the U.S. going into the crisis, and the fact that China perpetually runs large trade surpluses while the U.S. runs chronic trade deficits. For 2010, as some of the stimulus in China wears off -- but as the private economy there regains its footing -- ...

Two Investments to Add to Your “Green” Portfolio

by Louise Harris, Investment U Research

Green investing can be tricky.

That was evidenced after oil prices dropped last year and alternative energy companies saw their profits fall just as quickly.

Naturally, investor enthusiasm followed, as green ETFs like Claymore/Mac Global Solar Energy Index (NYSE: TAN) and Market Vectors Solar Energy (NYSE: KWT) have tumbled 45% over the past 12 months.

Similarly, the broad alternative energy portfolio PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (NYSE: PBW), has declined by an average of 13.5% annually for the last three years.

But despite those woes, the alternative energy sector still has a few things going for it…

Popularity: The more scientists talk about climate change and how to prevent greenhouse emissions, the more popular alternative energies become. This is especially true in Europe, ...

After months of painstaking negotiations, GM has scrapped the Opel sale on the basis that it was 'no longer in the best interests of GM, now that the environment for car sales has started to improve', reports the Independent.  The decision comes just after Opel's labor force had agreed to contribute $390 million in annual savings.  'Management had planned a release saying that they will proceed with Magna, so there must have been a fundamental change of view within the board', the FT quotes an insider as saying.  The Russian government is planning to raise $1.87 billion to bail out ailing carmaker Avtovaz, most of which will be apparently allotted to bad debts, and some of which will be allocated to modernization and on job creation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has reportedly announced.  Daimler Trucks will proceed ...

A new World Bank report says that Russia is likely to bear the brunt of changes to regional climate brought on by global warming.  Gazprom, currently feuding with Rosneft over blocked access to energy infrastructure, may rework its 'tough line' of fining European customers that do not buy the minimum-stated amount of gas each month.  Rosneft has outlined plans for $6 billion worth of offshore investment for the next few years.  The question of Iranian nuclear capability continues to be debated in the press.  '[U.S.] administration officials claim to have won Moscow's agreement to join in sanctions should Iran refuse to make a deal,' says the Washington Post, but the paper is also running this Reuters story: 'the Kremlin said that sanctions against Iran are highly unlikely in the near future.' Naftogaz October gas bill from Russia is to be ...

Let China’s Middle Class Lead You Into Luxury

Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research

According to the World Bank, the global middle class could grow to 1.15 billion in 2030 – a huge jump from the 430 million middle class folks in 2000.

Driving the extraordinary growth is… you guessed it, the emerging “BRIC” nations. In 2000, developing countries like China, Brazil and India accounted for 56% of that number. But by 2030, analysts expect it to climb as high as 93%… with China alone accounting for 52% of the expected increase.

This represents a tremendous amount of wealth. A Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) executive compared it to adding a city the size of New York to the world… every three months.

Needless to say, that opens up amazing opportunities. But in order to succeed, companies who want to profit from this

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eDoorways Corp. today announced that it has been scheduled to present at ISTEC’s (Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Center) 17th annual General Assembly, held the week of October 26 – 30, 2009, on the Campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, NM — USA. The theme for this year’s General Assembly is, “Using Technology to enable Collaboration, and Collaboration to Advance Science and Technology.”

Gary Kimmons, Chairman & CEO of eDoorways Corporation, stated, “This is one of those rare opportunities. Where a growing company like eDoorways has the chance to get on the ‘big stage’ in front of groups like Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, National Instruments, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Charles Darwin Research Station and the World Bank, all members of ISTEC, mainly because we’ve been recognized for the possibilities we bring to society through our

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Corporate truce: Norway's Telenor and Russian partner Alfa have settled their long-standing legal wranglings and decided to pool their Russian and Ukrainian assets into a New-York listed mobile operator.  The Moscow Times reports that Prime Minister Putin has asked Renault to throw a financial bone to struggling partner AvtoVAZ, 'or we will have to discuss our relative stakes'.  Russia may borrow between $2 and $4 million in 2010 from the World Bank.  Retail giant X5 is looking to buy local supermarket chain Paterson.  Nokia will not be fined for violating Russian competition laws; it remain unsure if the same can be said for Ikea.  Rumors that Opel may move its van production from England to Russia have English workers in an uproar; Magna has denied the reports.  Digital Sky Technologies is buying more shares ...

This post provides links to a number of thought-provoking articles I have read over the past few days that you may also find interesting.

• John Authers (Financial Times): Triumph of common sense over benchmarks, October 3, 2009. Rather than watch everyone herd towards benchmarks, while charging fees for active management, in future perhaps a lot of money will be managed passively and the rest will be allocated to investors who can show they have skill, and who have the freedom to go wherever they believe they can profit.

• Randall Forsyth (Barron’s): Is this a real bull or “Red Bull” market? October 2, 2009. After the caffeine rush of the third quarter, stocks and Treasuries give way to less stimulating market action.

• Paul Krugman (The New York Times): Mission not accomplished, October 2, 2009. Stocks are up. Ben

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According to Bloomberg, Russia intends to pay off the last of its Soviet-era $1.2 billion debt this year to ease the fears of potential investors.  Ria-Novosti reports that the World Bank has suggested that Russia's GDP will reach pre-crisis levels in the third quarter of 2012.  In September manufacturing grew for the first time in 14 months.  Rusal head Oleg Deripaska has said that oversupply has put the aluminum market under 'huge stress' and he will be 'very cautious' on investing outside of Russia.  Russia's Central Bank will continue intervening in the foreign currency market because of the country's vulnerability to oil price fluctuations.  Alfa Bank head Pyotr Aven, who has apparently developed a reputation for gloom-mongering, is uncharacteristically optimistic that there will be no second wave of crisis.  The European Bank for Reconstruction and ...