We all invest in stocks for the same reason, to make money. However, investment styles can be as unique as fingerprints. Amazingly, investor surveys show that most of us do have one thing in common…we love small cap stocks.

Typically, the higher potential returns is what draws us to these smaller companies even though they carry higher risk. Research clearly shows that small caps outperform the rest of the market by a wide margin. Most investors would agree its worth bearing that extra risk.

Why do small caps outperform? And why should you consider putting even more of your money into these stocks? Read on for the answers.

Who Doesn't Want to Beat the Market?

As I said earlier, we are all in the market to make money, so why not be in stocks that outperform the S&P 500 by 20%? Yes, 20%. In a study conducted over the 80 years prior to

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 6, 2009 – Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry’s leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value.

The four highlighted picks are: Odyssey HealthCare, Inc. (ODSY), Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS), HealthSouth Corp. (HLS) and Steve Madden Limited (SHOO).      Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Four daily picks are offered free at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5607

Zacks #1 Rank Stocks have nearly tripled the S&P 500 since 1988, producing an average annual return of +26%. Performance has been notable even during volatile and down times. For example, during the last bear market, 2000-2002, the market tumbled -37.6% – but Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained +43.8%.

Here is a

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Schwab’s new ETFs solve one critical problem in the ETF market, but they won’t take over the world. At least not for a while.

I’ve been thinking about the Schwab ETF launch all week, trying to figure out if it’s a game-changing event or an overblown bit of marketing. I think it’s a bit of both.

The big news, of course, is that Schwab is entering the ETF market and breaking new ground on fees. It has launched four ETFs that offer the lowest expense ratios in the world: As low as 0.08 percent for U.S. broad market exposure. The new Schwab Total Market ETF (NYSEArca: SCHB) and Schwab Large Cap Equity ETF (NYSEArca: SCHX) are now the lowest-cost mutual funds available to retail investors.

What’s more, Schwab is offering zero commissions for Schwab customers who buy or sell the ETFs.

That’s a big deal. Commissions are a huge hurdle

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A drop in the number of newly laid-off workers and upbeat remarks from bellwether Cisco Systems injected confidence about an economic recovery ahead of this morning’s highly expected October jobs report, propelling the Dow average to its first close above 10,000 in two weeks. 

Cisco Systems’ (NASDAQ:CSCO) CEO John Chambers said he now sees a global economic recovery, fueling a rebound in the company’s sales this quarter.  The Dow average jumped 203 points, or 2%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ, riding high on Cisco’s forecast, bolted up 50 points or about 2.4%. 

All ten S&P 500 industry groups ended in the green, with banking shares advancing 2.6% as analyst Dick Bove of Rochdale Securities noted the group will double by the end of 2010.  Technology shares advanced 2.2%.  Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) jumped 5.4% to $43.85 and Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MCHP) gained 3.9% to $25.37 after it was raised to “buy"

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Dendreon’s Reached Orbit… Now Who’s Next?

by Robert Williams, Publisher

When the opening bell rang on Tuesday morning, as the broader market sagged, shares of Dendreon Corp. (Nasdaq: DNDN) sprinted out of the gates, rising by 5.7%.

Unless you live in a cave, you should know about this biotech stock.

Back in April, shares went “parabolic,” blasting 454% higher during the month.

(That’s not a typo. The stock increased almost five-fold over the course of a single month, rendering the S&P 500’s 10% gain over the same period completely insignificant.)

With an impressive move like that, you might think the run is over. But shares will likely head higher still…

You see, Dendreon is blazing a brand new path in biotech. Its prostate cancer drug, Provenge, which it just submitted to the FDA for approval, is the first

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 5, 2009 – Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry’s leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value.

The four highlighted picks are: TeleTech Holdings, Inc. (TTEC), Perrigo Company (PRGO), DeVry, Inc. (DV) and Harbin Electric, Inc. (HRBN).      Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Four daily picks are offered free at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5607

Zacks #1 Rank Stocks have nearly tripled the S&P 500 since 1988, producing an average annual return of +26%. Performance has been notable even during volatile and down times. For example, during the last bear market, 2000-2002, the market tumbled -37.6% – but Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained +43.8%.

Here is a summary

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U.S. stocks ended mixed Wednesday after a late-session profit taking almost wiped off a 156-point rally in the Dow average that was fueled by the Fed’s encouraging assessment of the economy and its decision to keep interest rates low for an extended period.  The optimism was short-lived as investors appeared jittery ahead of the October jobs report on Friday. Fresh concerns over bank earnings resurfaced after the House of Representatives passed a bill curbing credit card rate increases.

After the house vote, financials slumped 1.5% and led the decliners among the S&P 500 industry groups.  Analyst Meredith Whitney noted the biggest U.S. banks may face declining values on home-loan bonds with government backing as the Fed moves towards ending its $1.25 trillion purchase program.  Whitney said bank earnings are far from approaching "normalcy," and will reflect regulatory changes for an extended period.  JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) fell 1.2% to $42.21 and

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Today’s market action provided us with a fantastic cue in the formation of the candlestick charts.

Take a look at the picture to the left which describes the Falling Three Methods candlestick chart pattern.

The requirement of bearish falling three methods candlestick formation include,

* The pattern should be formed in a downtrend. * On first day there should be a long bearish candlestick. * First day candlestick should be followed by small-bodied candlesticks of following day whose real-body and/or shadow do not cross the range of first day candlestick. * On last day there should be a long bearish candlestick which should be closed well below the first candlestick’s range.

Now take a look at the s&p 500 over the past 4

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We have upgraded Plexus Corp. (PLXS) to Outperform from our previous Neutral rating.  Year to date, Plexus’ shares are up 43.5%, outperforming the S&P 500 and the peer group.   Plexus’ fourth-quarter results and the guidance for the next quarter were above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. While year-over-year results were weak, hurt by recession, the company posted impressive sequential growth due to new customer wins and product mix.   Earnings per share fell 20.8% from the year-earlier profit of 48 cents but rose 65.2% from 23 cents reported in the previous quarter. Earnings benefited from a lower tax rate in the quarter. Revenues for the quarter came in at $393 million, a decrease of 17.4% from $476 million reported in the year-ago quarter but up 4% from $379 million reported in the previous quarter. The company witnessed the first sequential increase in revenue in the current quarter since

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Exciting News: Our friends over at Elliott Wave International are offering Robert Prechter’s latest monthly market letter, The Elliott Wave Theorist, for free along with the firm’s most popular U.S. analysis and forecasting publications. You can now download, print and read dozens of chart-filled pages of current analysis for U.S. stocks, the economy, precious metals, bonds, U.S. dollar and more — and it’s all free for one week only. This opportunity ends Nov. 11. Learn more about FreeWeek, and get your free reports here.

Eight months ago, the stock market began a very large rally — the gains exceeded 60% in the S&P 500. Everyone knows this. But here’s a fact that has gone virtually unreported: The vast majority of those gains (about 90%) were from March through August. By comparison, September and …