* JM Smucker (NYSE:SJM) reported fiscal fourth quarter earnings of $1.02 per share, beating estimates by 39 cents, as revenue rose 81% to $1.1 billion

* Chrysler announced its plans to reopen seven assembly lines

* E*Trade (NASDAQ:ETFC) announced plans to raise $400 million in a common stock offering and exchange $1 billion outstanding debt

* AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) said its board authorized a $500 million share repurchase program

* Wachovia raised its quarterly earnings expectations for Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), while dropping same for JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

* A Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE:LGF) filing with the SEC revealed investor Carl Icahn raised his holdings in the company

* Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:WPI) agreed to buy privately-held Arrow Group in a $1.75 billion deal

Both President Obama’s and Senator Kennedy’s healthcare plans are estimated to cost $1 trillion over 10 years.  I’ll believe it when I see it. When was the last time the government completed any project on budget?

For example, Health Systems Innovations, a healthcare consultant that has worked with private health insurers and the McCain presidential campaign, estimates that Senator Kennedy’s bill would cost $4 trillion over 10 years.

Should a healthcare plan be passed that even resembles anything like the current proposals, $2 trillion in costs would be a minor miracle.

A trillion here, a trillion there. Pretty soon, you’re talking about real money.

In my column last week, I offered three biotech stocks that should perform well, regardless of any healthcare reform plan that may be passed. As those reforms gather momentum, I’m going to explore a few more investments that should thrive, even in the face of a healthcare system overhaul…

Make Money From

The markets closed at mixed positions today as the DJIA and S&P 500 ended down 0.09% to 8,497.18 and 0.14% to 910.71 respectively, while the NASDAQ  was up 0.66% to 1,808.06.  Commodities traded up as Gold inched up $3.80 to $936.00 on news of a financial overhaul.  Crude Oil bounced up to $71.03 and Natural Gas increased around 2.5% to $4.42/mmbtu.  Investors drove prices up and yields down on the 10-Year as yields decreased to 3.65%.

This afternoon, Obama released big news of a reconstruction of the financial regulatory system as the government plans to shift power and responsibility onto the Fed, hoping to stabilize the economy.  The Fed’s new power will allow a greater regulation in areas unseen before, such as hedge funds and credit default swaps.  The financial markets retracted today on news of this plan due to the massive uncertainty it brings to the table.

The Obama Administration

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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,”