Top Stocks

By Philip van Doorn, TheStreet

After decent performance in July, when the great majority of stocks among the 50 largest public U.S. bank and thrift holding companies (by total assets) showed gains, August was a return to misery for the banking sector, with 49 out of 50 declining.

Here are the five best stock performers among the group during August:

5. Hudson City Bancorp

Company Profile: Headquartered in Paramus, N.J., Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK) operates more than 130 branches in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Shares declined 6% during August to close-out the month at $11.53.

By Jim Cramer, TheStreet

The afterglow of yesterday's rally is a good time to talk about what I see the Obama administration cooking up against business. The Obama camp loves to cultivate the media. They do a fabulous job of it. And one thing the media despises is companies with richly paid CEOs, stockpiling money rather than hiring.

We now know that, despite Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's assurances to the contrary, the administration will let the capital gains and dividend taxes go all the way back up. The tax rate on dividends for the middle class and upper-middle class, as well as the upper class, is going to ordinary income levels, as this administration thinks the stock market is the plaything of the rich. We know that capital gains are viewed as the scourge of the hard left -- as the only people with capital gains are wealthy -- in this administration's heavily left-leaning orientation.

But the levy that is missing is the tax on companies that don't hire. I am predicting right now, right here, that we will see a tax on those earnings not being put to work hiring. It's too juicy.

It's taken a while, but the joint venture announced in February between Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.B) and Brazilian sugar and ethanol giant Cosan (CZZ) has finally moved to the signing of binding agreements.  

The deal, when completed, would create the third largest ethanol producer in the world, with annual production of 440 million gallons and a sales network of 4,500 stations. Estimated annual sales revenue would come to $21 billion.

The deal seems a natural: Combine Brazil's largest processor of sugar cane (Cosan will contribute its 23 sugar cane mills; all of its co-generation plants; 1,730 retail outlets, and other ethanol assets to the deal) with 2,740 retail stations operated by Europe's largest oil company.

It's been a dismal couple of months for the stock market. There's been fear over the European debt crisis, and we've seen uncertainty over the health of the economic recovery and, of course, fresh concerns over the state of the housing market. The result was the worst August for equities in nine years, with shares down more than 14% from their April highs.

But that's all changing now. Stocks are blasting higher today off of strong support near 1,040 on the S&P 500 -- it was tested back in February, in May, in June and again over the past week. Other technical indicators, such as market breadth and volume trends, are also supportive of higher prices.

Yet the most compelling reason to buy stocks right now is valuation.

By Jake Lynch, TheStreet

U.S. stocks slid last month, with the S&P 500 ($INX) falling 4.7% as investors loaded up on fixed-income securities.

Here are some stocks that are struggling despite exceptionally low price-to-earnings ratios. When stocks rebound, these shares could  fare best.

The companies are ordered from cheap to cheapest.

By Adam Feuerstein, TheStreet

If it were up to the hedge funds, the acquisition of Genzyme (GENZ) by Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) would already be well on its way toward completion at a price in the range of $74 to $77 a share.

That's the headline from a survey of 129 health care investors taken Monday and released Tuesday by ISI Group biotech analyst Mark Schoenebaum.

Eighty percent of respondents to Schoenebaum's survey believe Sanofi will acquire Genzyme before the end of the year. The average minimum price: $74 a share. The average maximum price: $77 a share.

By Jim Cramer, TheStreet

Maybe the best analogy for this market is that it's a losing team. It's the Washington Nationals, way behind, with no chance of ever catching up, stuck in a bad season in which even the bright light -- Stephen Strasburg -- gets hurt and is knocked out for the year.

As a former sports writer, I know what it is like to write about losing teams. Every play is second-guessed. Every win is considered an insane gift that makes no sense. Every loss is a given, a natural. You don't expect to win, and you lose in a million different ways.

The press coverage for this team that is our stock market? Uniformly horrible. The excuses the team gives? Hapless.

Oddly enough, on a day when investors are again feeling nervous about growth, machinery stocks are showing relative strength. 

Among the standouts Tuesday: Caterpillar (CAT), Joy Global (JOYG), Bucyrus (BUCY), and Deere (DE).

This group went through a day much like this not so long ago. On Aug. 12, the same stocks were up -- except for Caterpillar, which was down slightly, even though it was the catalyst for the sector's strong showing that day.

Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Apple's (AAPL) annual fall event is Wednesday, and the Web is buzzing with predictions about what will be announced.

As usual, Apple has kept details about the affair top secret. And as usual, Apple shares are starting to climb higher as speculation mounts.

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The iPod line is a focus of the chatter, as many expect to see a refresh of the device that turned Apple from a runner-up into a rock star. Could we also see a new iPad or an improved Apple TV? Here's a roundup of the Apple rumors flying around:

By Peter Morici, TheStreet

With thousands of young college graduates moving in with parents and returning Iraq War veterans facing long-term unemployment, President Barack Obama is scrambling for cover.

Irresponsible spending, largess for big banks and subsidies for a broken health care system have busted the budget and failed to create jobs.

Economists expect the Labor Department to report on Friday that the economy lost 80,000 jobs in August after shedding 131,000 jobs in July.

By Jeff Kleintop, TheStreet

The stock market posted solid gains Friday but still closed lower for the third week in a row. Economic data have been generally disappointing, especially in housing.

This week brings the most important data of the month, including the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) gauge of conditions in the manufacturing sector and the employment report.

A late-year story rally could fulfill our long-held outlook for modest single-digit gains for the S&P 500 Index ($INX) this year. However, over the next month or two, the risk of further declines is significant.