Leaders Emerging as the U.S. Economy Shakes Off Its Stupor
September 20, 2010 at 06:00 AM EDT
The past five days added more color to the emerging picture of U.S. economic growth that is slow and unsteady -- but still in gear. Investors decided that was good enough, and bid up risky assets. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 1.4%, emerging markets rose 1.8%, gold rose 2.2% and bonds fell. Underlying breadth modestly weakened, as the market is primarily being propelled now by a withdrawal of sellers -- not an increase in buyers. News late in the week typified the entire span, as it mostly favored bulls. Indeed, the U.S. economy faces an uphill climb but some companies are emerging as market leaders. To find out which companies are dragging the economy forward read on...