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The remarkable thing about the week just ended is how little things changed, despite all the noise we all heard.

The major averages ended Friday largely unchanged. The Dow Jones industrials ($INDU) gained a whopping 9 points, after two days of losses. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) and the Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPX) fell less than a point each.

For the week, the indexes fell -- but not a lot. It was just the sixth weekly loss of the year for the Dow and fifth for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. In other words, the 2013 rally is very much alive. In spite of all the worries that streaked across the markets: Japan, Europe, rising interest rates and the like.

So here's where things stand, and what next week looks like.  

By Simone Foxman

 

Tudor Investment Corporation's Paul Tudor Jones found himself in the middle of a firestorm of his own making  on Thursday -- when the Washington Post published a video of a speech he gave last month.

 

During that speech, the hedge fund billionaire told the audience that there are not as many great women investors or traders as men. He went on to explain the effect divorce has on managers. "You can automatically subtract 10% to 20% from any manager if he is going through divorce," he said.

 

Jones then described two women who started at E.F. Hutton with him. The women got married.

 

By Standard & Poor's The Outlook

Six S&P Capital IQ equity analysts ranked as "Best on the Street" in seven categories in the Wall Street Journal's annual survey of recommendation-perfo​rmance scores for stock pickers in 2012.

S&P Capital IQ Equity Analyst Jim Corridore is a seven-time recipient, while Efraim Levy has won five times and Joe Agnese four times. Three-time winners include Stuart Benway and Jim Moorman, who was the top-ranked analyst in both the telecom and telecom equipment sectors.

Below are the S&P winners, their sector specialties and their current stock recommendations. (Click on the stock names to read each analyst's full recommendation.) 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Joseph Agnese, S&P Capital IQ, The Outlook
Sector:  Food & Drug Retailers

CVS Caremark (CVS) operates one of the largest drug store chains and pharmacy benefit managers in the U.S. As of December 2012, the company had stores in 92 of the top-100 U.S. drug store markets and held the largest or second- largest share in 74 of these markets.

It filled more than 718 million prescriptions in 2012, accounting for about 21% of the U.S. retail pharmacy market. Pharmacy operations are critical to CVS's success, in our view, accounting for 69% of retail store sales in 2012. 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Jim Corridore, S&P Capital IQ, The Outlook
Sector: Airlines

Our positive outlook for U.S. Airways (LCC) reflects improving air travel demand as well as our view that it has adequate cash to fund operations and pay debt obligations during the next 18 months. We believe industry capacity cuts in the past two years will support rising fares.

We think strong demand will drive additional attempts to raise fares over the next year. We also expect yields to benefit from increased corporate travel and less fare sales activity than usual. 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Jim Moorman, S&P Capital IQ, The Outlook
Sector: Telecommunications Equipment

Qualcomm (QCOM) designs chips and writes software for wireless handsets and infrastructure. The company uses a fabless business model, employing several independent semiconductor foundries to manufacture its products.

It also licenses its technology to other manufacturers. The equipment and services unit, which accounted for about 64% of total sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2013 (September), provides integrated circuits and system software. 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Jim Moorman, S&P Capital IQ, The Outlook

Sector: Telecommunications

Crown Castle International (CCI) owns and operates towers and transmission networks used by wireless communications and broadcasting companies. As of March 30, 2013, it owned, leased, or managed 31,576 towers and rooftop systems, including 29,836 sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 1,740 sites in Australia.

In 2012, 72% of total revenues were derived from its top- four customers -- AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile. These accounted for 24%, 20%, 17% and 11% of revenue, respectively.

 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Stuart Benway, S&P Capital IQ, The Outlook

Sector: Heavy Machinery & Materials

(LPX) is one of North America's largest producers of oriented strand board (OSB) and also manufactures wood siding and engineered wood products. It serves many of the same uses as unsanded plywood, including roof decking, sidewall sheathing, and floor underlayment, but can be produced at a significantly lower cost.

The OSB segment (47% of 2012 sales) produced 3.7 million square feet of board in 2012, up from 3.3 million square feet in 2011.

 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Efraim Levy, Capital IQ, The Outlook

Sector: Autos & Auto Parts

TRW Automotive (TRW) is among the world's largest suppliers of automotive systems and components to global vehicle manufacturers and related aftermarkets. The company is primarily a Tier-1 supplier, with approximately 86% of 2012 sales made directly to vehicle manufacturers.

TRW has four operating segments: chassis systems, occupant safety systems, automotive components and electronics. Chassis systems (63% of 2012 sales) sells products relating to steering, foundation brakes, brake control, and suspension.

 

(This post is part of a special report featuring 7 Top Picks from S&P Capital IQ.)

By Christopher Muir, S&P Capital IQ, The Outlook
Sector: Utilities

ITC (ITC) is the first independently owned and operated electricity transmission company in the U.S. As of December 31, 2012, ITC owned 15,190 circuit miles of transmission lines in Michigan, Iowa and other states.

Unlike most regulated electric utilities, ITC owns the high-voltage power line networks that transmit electricity from generating stations to low-voltage, local distribution networks, but not the generators or distribution systems. 

By Michael Fowlkes, InvestorsObserver

Costco reports earnings Thursday

What's happening: Mega retailer Costco (COST) will report its fiscal third quarter results before the market opens on May 30. Headed into its quarterly report analysts have forecast earnings of $1.03 per share, up from $0.88 a share during the same period last year. The stock has been a strong performer thus far in 2013, gaining 15.7% so far year to date.

Technical analysis: COST was recently trading at $113.38, down $1.34 from its 12-month high and $31.12 above its 12-month low. Technical indicators for COST are bullish and the stock is in a strong upward trend. The stock has support above $110.00. Of the 20 analysts who cover the stock 11 rate it a "strong buy," seven rate it a "hold," and two rate it a "strong sell." The stock receives Standard & Poor's 3 STARS "Hold" ranking.

 

 

Theflyonthewall.com 

By Matt Egan

 

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) disclosed a deeper-than-feared first-quarter loss and a 15% plunge in same-store sales on Friday, triggering an almost 9% retreat in the apparel maker's shares.

 

Management blamed the gloomy results on "significant inventory shortage issues," but also forecasted full-year earnings that would trail consensus estimates.

 

A&F said it lost $7.2 million, or 9 cents a share, last quarter, compared with a deeper loss of $21.3 million, or 25 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts had called for a loss of 5 cents a share.