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By Don Dion, TheStreet 

 

After an October for the record books, the markets kicked off November on a choppy note. Approaching the end of the year, investor fears have been rekindled by the European debt crisis.

 

While the sour start to the month may be enough to drive some investors back toward havens, I encourage them to avoid shunning the markets entirely.

 

By Lindsey Bell, TheStreet

 

The back-to-school season was a success for most retailers, a sign finicky teens are still spending. But which clothing and accessories retailers are worth investing in?

 

Despite teenage unemployment at a staggering 24% (compared with the national average of 9.1%) and rising prices, young people are willing to spend on new, must-have things like denim jeans and phones.

 

By Barry Cohen, InvestorPlace.com

 

Dendreon (DNDN) was getting ripped apart Thursday with a 35% loss in intraday trading. The reason for the biotech company's woes is a report that sales of its potential blockbuster cancer drug may top out at $500 million -- a fraction of what many people had hoped for – and may see even more disappointing numbers if its direct-to-consumer advertising campaign falls short.

 

So what's the score? Does this cancer cure have more potential than critics are claiming, and does it have a future with patients who are simply desperate for alternative treatments?

 

Updated: 5:54 p.m. ET

 

A new treatment for prostate cancer was so effective that its clinical trial was halted early, and shares of the developer rocketed Thursday as a result.

Medivation (MDVN) shares saw their biggest intraday percentage spike since December 2004, Bloomberg reports. The stock soared 140.5% to $39.75. Shares closed Wednesday at $16.53.

 

Surprise? Or no surprise? I am talking about the rate cut Thursday morning in Europe, which signaled to many investors that the new chief central banker, Mario Draghi, is going to try to put out the economic fire while governments deal with the debt issues at hand.

 

I think it's obvious that we rallied Wednesday because some people knew this was going to happen, so the euphoria quickly died down and we are left with, alas, the ISM report on services in this country, which was disappointing; retail, which was really disappointing; and some earnings reports that were exceptional, like Qualcomm's (QCOM).

 

By Tom Aspray, MoneyShow.com

A sharp jump in debit card use helped MasterCard (MA) report a 38% increase in third-quarter earnings Wednesday. The stock closed up 7.3%. Debit card use was up 23%, and company earnings at $5.63 per share were well above the average analyst estimate of $4.81 per share.

MasterCard has outperformed Visa (V) so far this year, but will this continue? Let's take a look at the weekly and daily charts.

 

By Jeff Reeves, InvestorPlace.com

 

The consumer front hasn't seen many encouraging signs in the past year or so. The big issues remain unresolved: Unemployment is persistently high, housing markets remain battered, and there's a general fear of more hard times to come.

 

Most investors have become immune to a lot of these major trends, adjusting their expectations to a "new normal" in which the benchmark is significantly less impressive than in previous years. However, just because you've set the bar lower doesn't mean consumers will easily jump over it. A host of disturbing headlines about consumers have cropped up recently, and they could foretell that a rather bleak holiday shopping season.

 

By Joseph Woelfel, TheStreet 

 

Updated at 8:30 a.m. ET

 

Social network LinkedIn (LNKD) is expected to post its second quarterly earnings report as a public company. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect a loss of 4 cents a share in quarter ended in September on revenue of $127.6 million.

 

American International Group (AIG) is expected by analysts to post a quarterly loss of 27 cents a share on revenue of $13.6 billion. On Tuesday, AIG paid back the Treasury Department $972 million of the billions it received in a rescue package from the U.S. government in 2008.

 

By Jeff Reeves, InvestorPlace.com

Tim Hortons (THI) is an up-and-coming coffee stock focused mainly on the Midwest and Canada. For 15 straight quarters, sales have beaten totals from the previous year. Shares are up almost 20% in 2011 despite the summer volatility in the stock market. Things are looking up.

 

With an eye at continuing this kind of growth, Tim Hortons announced this week it will branch out from traditional coffee and pastries into lattes and mochas to appeal to more American tastes.

 

Look out, Starbucks (SBUX) and Dunkin' Brands (DNKN).

 

By Jonathan Chen, Benzinga Staff Writer

Boston Beer (SAM) hopped past analyst expectations with its quarterly earnings and raised full-year guidance significantly, sending shares soaring Wednesday.

The Boston brewer, which makes more than 25 styles of beer, reported third-quarter profit of $1.19 per share on $134.8 million in revenue.

 

By Jonathan Chen, Benzinga Staff Writer

Fox Sports, a division of News Corp. (NWSA), may be considering a bid for the L.A. Dodgers.

Fox Sports may participate in an auction for the bankrupt team, according to Bloomberg. But CNBC reports that the division has not explored a bid.

 

China is Apple's (AAPL) fastest-growing region by far.

The company clocked record sales of $4.5 billion there, or 16% of the global total, in its most recent quarter. Revenue in China grew to $13 billion in fiscal 2011, up from about $3 billion, or 2% of total sales, in 2009.

 

Two consumer-based Internet IPOs are coming -- and their reception could pave the way for other technology companies watching the market.

Groupon, the one-time Internet darling, is expected to price its initial public offering Thursday and get listed on Nasdaq Friday under the symbol GRPN. 

By Dan Freed, TheStreet

 

Bank of America (BAC) may have backed down from its bid to charge users of its debit cards $5 per month, but if you think that's the end of the bank's attempts to gouge its customers, you are living in a fantasy land.

 

"Eventually they've got to get that money back," Jefferson Harralson, an analyst at Keefe Bruyette & Woods, told the New York Post for an article published Wednesday. "I think you're going to see other types of fees come up."

 

By Stan Luxenberg, TheStreet 

 

During the volatile markets of recent months, many target-date funds delivered disappointing results.

 

When the S&P 500 ($INX) dropped 13.9% in the third quarter, Goldman Sachs Retirement Strategy 2040 (GRNAX) lost 17.7%, while DWS LifeCompass 2040 (TGTAX) declined 17%, according to Morningstar. The showing was especially painful because target-date funds are supposed to protect assets in downturns by holding diversified mixes of stocks and bonds. But not all target-date funds trailed the S&P 500. During the quarter, Invesco Balanced-Risk Retirement 2040 (TNDAX) returned 2.3%, while PIMCO RealRetirement 2040 (POFAX) lost 9.7%.