Gene Marcial, Inside Wall Street Guru at Business Week, picked the following stocks for the 11/3 issue; his picks can be tracked at:

http://trackthepros.com/stocks/category/404

Restaurants aren’t appealing buys in these times of economic stress, but Yum! Brands (YUM) looks appetizing, nonetheless. The world’s largest stable of restaurants owns and operates such fast-food chains as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in over 100 countries. Yum is a standout because not only is it seeing higher sales and earnings but it’s also reinvigorating U.S. sales with healthier food, such as fish, veggies, and grilled chicken.

The key drivers of Yum’s growth and profitability, though, are China and other foreign markets, which account for 50% of sales, says Rick Carucci, Yum’s CFO. “Yum is a great way to gain exposure to China’s booming economy and the other fast-growing international markets, while investing in the only stable segment of the restaurant industry,”

A good balance sheet and a couple of of late-stage hormone therapy products underlie recently appointed CEO Dr. David Mazzo’s enthusiasm for the future prospects of the 16-year-old, Quebec-based biopharmaceutical firm Æterna Zentaris