This morning was starting to feel pretty good despite the 5.7% unemployment rate being the highest in over four years. But then there were comments out of Israel about Iran being suddenly closer to a major break-thru in its nuclear program. You can guess what that did for oil prices, although they didn't go much over $125.00 on the news. Today's action and this week's high volatility show the markets are still fighting over for the pole position.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

DJIA 11,328.27 -49.75 -.44%
S&P500 1,260.80 -6.58 -.52%
NASDAQ 2,310.96 -14.59 -.63%
10YR T-NOTE 3.95%
52-WEEK LOWS
TOP ANALYST UPGRADES
TOP ANALYST DOWNGRADES

Here is a preview for next week's top earnings (CSCO, PG, FRE, S, TWC, SIRI)

General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) posted dismal numbers. The loss after non-cash items was more than $15 Billion, worse than expected. Showing auto sales of -32% for July only added sugar in the gas tank. Shares were down in today's final minutes.

NYSE Euronext, Inc. (NYSE: NYX) missed earnings at $0.75 EPS vs. $0.78 estimates on a 14% revenue rise and 17% trading volume rise. The good news is that this is a 21% rise, but the exchange is having a hard time meeting investor expectations over and over with shares now 50% down from highs and shares being lower today.

Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) has been a hard stock to find good news in for longer than memory can serve. The company's raised earnings guidance from last week wasn't enough to fool earnings traders today. Shares were gapping up over 3% pre-market, but shares were down a sharp before the close.

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Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) beat Q2 expectations but offered a weak outlook.
• Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE: CCU) higher Q1 profits failed to beat expectations.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) just missed EPS estimates but raised its full-year guidance.
• CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) strong Q1 results only met Wall Street expectations.
• eResearch Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: ERES) beat Q1 expectations and offered Q2 and full-year guidance.
• Foster Wheeler Ltd. (NASDAQ: FWLT) beat estimates due to a boost in its power plant segment.
• Internet Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: INET) reported strong Q1 results on ongoing M&A.
• Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) widened its loss in Q1 but beat expectations.
• News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) Q3 earnings jumped on a one-time transaction with Liberty Media.
• NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) missed Q1 estimates but was upgraded by analysts anyway.
• NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) reported a first-quarter profit above analysts' estimates.
• Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) Q3 profits surged but fell short of analysts' expectations.
• World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: WWE) posted strong results but couldn't cover its dividend.

Upcoming results to watch for include Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR), Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL), Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), JC Penney (NYSE: JCP), Macy's (NYSE: M), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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MOST NOTEWORTHY: Comcast, Time Warner Cable, YRC Worldwide and Syniverse were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Soleil upgraded shares of Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) to Buy from Hold on improving fundamentals, as they believe the economic stimulus package should drive consumer demand in 2H08.
  
• Stephens upgraded shares of YRC Worldwide (NASDAQ: YRCW) to Overweight from Underweight as they believe management is making meaningful changes.
  
• Syniverse (NYSE: SVR) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan. The firm upgraded shares based on accelerating organic growth from consumer wireless data usage.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) to Buy from Hold.
  
• VASCO Data Security (NASDAQ: VDSI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
  
• Goldman upgraded Lukoil (OTC: LUKOY) to Buy from Neutral.

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CME Group (NYSE: CME) shares are falling after competitor NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) reported a first-quarter profit above analysts' estimates. CME's earnings that disappointed investors two weeks ago look even worse in light of NYX's good results this morning. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on CME.

After hitting a one-year high of $714.48 in December, the stock hit a one-year low of $399.01 in March. This morning, CME opened at $487.00. So far today the stock has hit a low of $476.27 and a high of $487.65. As of 12:40, CME is trading at $481.03, down $8.32 (-1.7%). The chart for CME looks neutral but improving, while S&P gives the stock a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy rating.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a June bear-call credit spread above the $550 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 9.9% return in six and a half weeks as long as CME is below $550 at June expiration. CME would have to rise by more than 14% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

CME hasn't been above $535 since early February and has shown resistance around $523 recently. This trade could be risky if the stock has found a floor recently in the mid-$400s and starts to recover, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by resistance CME might find around $530, where it has topped out twice over the past 3 months.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in CME.

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MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman upgraded the Brokers and Asset Management sector to Attractive from Neutral as they believe an inflection point has been reached for stocks with minimal credit exposure, or where exposure is marked to market. Goldman expects the problem to shift to regional banks and specialty finance from brokers. As such, Goldman upgraded American Express (NYSE: AXP), Metlife (NYSE: MET), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK), Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN), Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS) and NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) to Outperform from Market Perform based on valuation, merchandising improvements, operating efficiencies, favorable product mix, and reductions in underperforming categories.
  
• Rodman & Renshaw raised Metabasis (NASDAQ: MBRX) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation given the potential for MB07803.

• HSBC raised Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to Neutral from Underweight.
  
• UBS (NYSE: UBS) was upgraded at Morgan Stanley to Equal Weight from Underweight.

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MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Friedman Billings believes Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is well-positioned to take advantage of "Business 2.0" applications and to gain share in a slower economic environment. The firm initiated shares with an Outperform rating and $31 target.
  
• NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) and Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NDAQ) were assumed with a Neutral rating and $72 target and $44 target, respectively, at UBS. The firm cited increasing competition and moderating volumes.
  
• Deutsche Bank believes Cognicase (COGI) is one of the few carriers offering high-capacity commercial Internet access to enterprise customers at a discount to nearly all of its competitors. Shares were initiated with a Buy rating and $23 target.

• China Housing (OTCBB: CHLN) was initiated at Merriman with a Buy rating.
  
• Goldman started Juniper (NASDAQ: JNPR) with a Market Perform rating and $27 target.
  
• Suntrust initiated hhgregg (NYSE: HGG) with a Buy rating and $16 target.

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MAJOR PAPERS:

• Once thought to be extremely safe, action rate securities have proved difficult to sell in this credit crisis. Tech companies are big holders of them and are taking charges left and right, including MetroPCS Communications Inc (NYSE: PCS), Palm Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) and Earthlink Inc (NASDAQ: ELNK), according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) is again urging Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (NASDAQ: TTWO) to negotiate after it recommended that its stockholders not sell any of its shares to EA and help its $2B takeover bid, the Financial Times reported.

• NYSE Euronext Inc (NYSE: NYX) will look to increase its stakes in India's National Stock Exchange and the country's Multi Commodity Exchange, the Business Standard reported, once foreign ownership rules are eased. NYSE Euronext also intends to partner with the two Indian exchanges in order to help them develop their business.

• Business Week reported that Brian Marckx of Zacks Investment Research said Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) may be an attractive takeover candidate for a larger pharma such as Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) or France's Sanofi-Aventis SA (NYSE: SNY), both of which have been partners with Bristol on some of its products.

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• Wrigley (NYSE: WWY) was upgraded by JP Morgan to Overweight from Neutral due growing international business.
• Phillips (NYSE: PHG) was downgraded at Merrill from Overweight to Underweight due to softer macro environment. Lehman Brothers also downgraded the company from Overweight to Underweight.
• Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) and Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS) were upgraded by UBS from Neutral to Buy
• Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was upgraded by Oppenheimer from Perform to Outperform. Shares are up 3.75% in premarket trading.

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The exchange stocks have been hot issues in the past few quarters as investors have been betting on increased trading activity from hedge funds, higher volatility, and so on.

But just this week, exchange stocks have received a beating harder than the markets as a whole. I believe that if a snapback rally occurs next week, these stocks should bounce back harder than the overall market. Two particular exchange stocks have appealing charts: CME Group (NYSE: CME) and NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX). Both of these charts display similar characteristics, as you can see below:

Both of these charts have two very similar and appealing aspects: 1) Established support that was held in Friday's trading; and 2) an oversold condition as displayed by the stochastic indicator.

What does this mean? Essentially, both of these stocks have above-average probabilities of bouncing next week. However, due to extreme downward momentum displayed by the market during this week I think that you should wait for confirmation of holding support and some strength. For example, if either stock is rallying off the support level on Monday and showing modest gains, it would be logical to assume the stock had "more bounce" left.

Whenever the market gets hit hard, opportunities arise. Although each of these ideas probably will fair poorly if negativity dominates the market place next week, if there is any optimism both of these stocks should bounce back quite nicely.

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This is the final review of the seven stocks I picked twelve months ago, and the time has passed quickly. This covers the period from December 28 2006 through December 27 2007. It has been a stock pickers year for sure given that the S&P 500 index moved up only modestly. Having come to this conclusion, I must admit my seven picks were all over the place. Three beat the indices, two performed sorely and two were basically break even except for the healthy dividends.

If the stock you happened to pick was Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), which I included as sort of a "stalking horse" because of its popularity, it beat all else as a portfolio of one. As a matter of fact GOOG beat my picks by a whopping 930% meaning it bested my returns with very little effort with a gain 9.3 times the average of my seven stock picks.

The average of my seven picks fell dramatically in the last two months and I have gone from wonderboy with about a 22% YTD return, to waterboy with about 5.5% return -- UGH! I rode the Chinese market up and down, among the macro events.

Luckily for me I did not stop picking stocks last December. My actual average of all recommendations in 2007 is notably higher, see: Chasing Value: My best and worst picks of 2007.

Highlighting the fact that this year was suited to the stock pickers, James Cramer's average based on his nine picks beat all the indices by a healthy margin. Cramer, as you might imagine, had the most volatile picks. The two best Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SVNT) did spectacularly well. Apple was appreciating most of the year while Savient saved Cramers tush by doubling in the last month due to approval of one of their drug therapies.

During November the Dow Jones Industrial Average was within striking distance of its all-time high of above 14,000, reached late last July. However, December proved treacherous and it was just not meant to be. One of my colleagues had predicted the DJIA would reach 15,000 this year -- but alas, that proved overly optimistic to say the least with oil, gold, and food going up drastically while the dollar, housing, and financials got smashed!

Summary of Results:

• Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), has been trading in a $50 dollar range over the last month or so, but ended on a strong note in December. It is still a favorite on Wall Street with few investors pausing to take a breath. GOOG closed at $707.74, for a solid +51.49% gain through the 12 months of the year for the top spot.
• Jim Cramer's average return on his nine picks was 19.44% over the 12 months, beating the Standard & Poor's index, the DJIA, and the NASDAQ. Adding the dividend portion of 0.66%, brings Cramer's gain to +20.1%. Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) was his best pick all year. The new products and software launches, combined with the current products assured that 2007 was another one for Apple's record books.
• None of the indices made a strong showing this year, with the NASDAQ having the best of it and S&P barely waking up. The overall average of the three indices was +6.95%. Adding the the dividend yield of 1.8% brings the total gain to +8.75%, a notable return on investment, beating out most fixed income securities.
• My picks went down considerably in December, and throughout the full year only made a paltry +2.74% gain. Adding the dividend portion of 2.89% brings the total return to +5.63%, narrowly beating the S&P but falling behind the indices average for the year. This thoroughly unimpressive showing would hardly make the effort worth while. Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) has been the leader most of the year and that is how it ended up. Time Warner, Inc. (NYSE: TWX) finished the year as one of my most disappointing holdings.

I have noted that dividends have been added to the results and that this is one of the criteria I use in my stock picks. This year, as always there were many lessons to be learned. To my amazement and irony the portion of my total gain attributable to the dividends was greater than the stock appreciation.

Two of my picks were often mentioned as buyout candidates, but the rhetoric has died down considerably until this month when The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) finally had some news: The Dow Chemical Company and Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait Announce Global Petrochemicals Joint Venture. Not exactly the buyout Wall Street may have been banking on and seems to have helped deflate the stock at least temporarily. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD) received the most negative sentiment all year, and the crushed housing market is keeping it from rebounding despite what many market watchers see as a deeply discounted turnaround play, and I would agree. I am even considering Home Depot again for next year.

The following are the closing prices as of December 28, 2006 and 12 month returns for the seven stocks I recommended, plus the addition of Spectra Energy Corp. (NYSE: SE) that was spun out of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK). Among Cramer's picks, Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT), which was spun out of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO), is included in the calculations.

1. The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW): $40.02 is up to $40.27 (+0.6%) 3.54% yield
2. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK): $33.02 (incl. Spectra Energy Corp. (NYSE: SE)) is up. Dividend only $33.09 (0.0%) 4.31% yield
3. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD): $39.73 is down to $26.27 (-33.88%) 2.31% yield
4. Huaneng Power International ADS (NYSE: HNP): $36 is up to $41.43 (+15.08%) 3.62% yield
5. PetroChina Company Limited ADR (NYSE: PTR): $142.12 is up to $178.90 (+25.88%) 4.5% yield
6. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX): $22.00 is down to $16.67 (-24.23%) 1.1% yield
7. Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO): $51.61 is up to $70.05 (+35.73%) 0.84% yield

The following index comparisons are also from December 28, 2006:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 12,501.52 is up to 13,359.61 (+6.86%)
• NASDAQ Composite Index: 2,425.57 is up to 2,676.79 (+10.36%)
• Standard & Poor's 500 Index: 1,424.73 is up to 1,476.37 (+3.62%)

The Cramer Speculative Stocks for 2007:

1) Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT): $5.66 is down to $3.05 (-46.11%) No dividend
2) Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD): $5.49 is down to $2.86 (-47.91%) No dividend
3) Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SVNT): $12.01 is up to $22.93. (+90.92%) No dividend

The Cramer Growth Picks are:
1) New York Stock Exchange Group (NYSE: NYX): $97.51 down to $87.15 (-10.62%) No dividend
2) Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL): $80.87 up to $198.57 (+145.54%) No dividend
3) Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO): $27.42 up to $27.79 (+1.35%) No dividend

The Cramer Value Picks are:
1) Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO): $86.23 up to $76.23 (+Kraft at .692024 x $32.93 = $22.79) to $99.02 (+14.83%) 4.12%yield
2) Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS): $200.80 up to $211.95 (+5.55%) 0.72% yield
3) Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL): $31.26 up to $37.94 (+21.37%) .97% yield

The New Powerhouse: Google

Google had an amazing year -- again! After twelve months of tracking Google, it has grown into one of the largest capitalized companies in the world, now exceeding $200 billion, and remains of broad interest to the investing public and internet users alike. Google closed December 28, 2006 at $462.56, rose in January, then traded downward for a few months before rising again following the overall market. But in the last few months it has been hot until finally settling down for year at $707.74, for a solid gain of $238.18 per share for a championship gain of +51.49%. Google does not pay a dividend.

In Closing

It has been an interesting process, and tedious to track at times. For most of the year Apple has lead the way, with Google, and Valero shining brightly as well.

Many people including me at times have made fun of Cramer's television antics. I have read all kinds of stories about Cramer not having a very good over all record, not being consistent, and even outright contradicting himself in short order. Nevertheless, If you would have bought into his 9 picks in equal dollar amounts last December you would have done great. You just would have had a scary ride some of the way. This year, with these picks, which I have methodically tracked, he did better than most and better than I did.

My own biggest frustration and surprise out of the entire year long story is Time Warner our parent company. I can rationalize Home Depot not doing well in a market where housing has been slammed, but what can I say about TWX? During the year I said plenty: Time Warner: No catalyst or no leadership? Some comparisons. I did not know if TWX would have a fantastic year but Idid envision a scenario that put it a few dollars higher than it started. To finish the year down almost 25% is shocking!

In 2008 I will be outlining another group of stocks that hopefully are more consistent. It seems that was something that this year the market was not. I will also post an abbreviated version of this story after the first quarter. I tend to buy and hold and these stocks may prove better in 2008 than 2007 -- thank for reading my rants!

Have a peaceful, healthy and prosperous new year!

Disclosure: I own shares of DOW, DUK, HNP, PTR, SE, TWX, and VLO.

To find more potential opportunities and verify my track record read Chasing Value or Serious Money.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the design and research principal for an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.

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For the most part, this year has portrayed itself as a stock picker's market. If the stock you happened to pick was Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), which I included for fun because of its popularity, it beat all else as a portfolio of one.

The average of my seven picks fell as dramatically in November as it rose in October, reflecting the ebb and flow of the Chinese market. James Cramer's average based on his nine picks sank as well, but not as much. While Cramer managed to stay ahead of all the indices, and I beat the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 and marginally beat the Dow Jones Industrial Average, I lost out to the NASDAQ and the average of the three.

Last month, after reporting spectacular gains, I remained realistic when posting "Of course, this could easily change given recent market volatility. A sharp downturn in the market could reverse our fortunes. A lot can happen in the remaining two months -- I take nothing for granted."

Yes, Google has done well, but Cramer's best, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has done much better. It seems to be priced for perfection, as they say, but it also seems to be achieving it so far on the wings of the iPhone, iPod, and growing Mac sales. Warren Buffett voiced his opinion that the Chinese market has gotten bloated, and PetroChina ADR (NYSE: PTR), while still up significantly, dropped back off its all-time highs after becoming the second-largest capitalized company in the world.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is within striking price of its all-time high above 14,000, reached late last July.

November was somber, taking financials, housing, and construction down and deflating the Chinese markets. December is already retracing some of November's give-backs. Consumer spending still seems to be tepid, so it must be the holiday spirit of the federal government that has the market bulls in high spirits. Earnings reports have been mixed, and will not begin again in "earnest" until next month. Year-end planning has made me tardy in completing this post. I like to get it done in the first few days of the month.

Summary of Results:

• Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), like most everything, was down in November but started climb back. It is still a favorite on Wall Street. Few investors have even paused to take a breath in October. GOOG closed at $707, for a solid +52.85% gain through the first 10 months of the year, holding the top spot again, and by a widening margin.
• Jim Cramer's average return on his nine picks was 12.45% over the 11 months, beating the Standard & Poor's index, the DJIA and the NASDAQ, and changing positions with me this month. Adding the dividend portion of 0.6% (0.66% x 0.916), brings Cramer's gain to +13.05%. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) was his best pick again. All the new products and software launches, plus the continuation of current products and programs, almost assure that 2007 will another one for Apple's record books.
• All of the indices lost ground in November, with the DJIA, NASDAQ and S&P all dropping. The Nasdaq returns for the YTD are making a respectable showing, with an overall average of +6.9% year-to-date. Adding the portion of the dividend yield of 1.65% (1.8% x 0.916) brings the total gain to +8.55%, a notable return on investment, beating out most fixed income securities. This is a reminder that just by being in the market, the most conservative of investors would do well.
• My picks went down considerably in November, falling from +18.14% to a +4.65% gain year-to-date. Adding the dividend portion of 2.65% (2.89% x 0.916) brings the total return to +7.3%, beating the S&P but falling behind the indices average for the first time this year with only a month to go. Very unimpressive. PetroChina ADR (NYSE: PTR) was the leader for the second month, but it's down about $50 a share this month, followed by Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) which has been strong all year. Huaneng Power International ADS (NYSE: HNP), has been up and down but always deep in the black. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), continues to be a huge disappointment.

Note that portional dividends have been added to the results. This is one of the criteria I use in my stock picks, and it is having an impact on the results thus far. Only three of Cramer's picks pay dividends, averaging about 0.66%. The indices pay a higher average of 1.8%, and my picks average still higher at about 2.89%. Google does not pay a dividend. The flatter the market is, the more dividends are a factor in overall returns.

Two of my picks continue to be mentioned as buyout candidates, but the rhetoric has died down considerably: The Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) and The Home Depot (NYSE: HD). Home Depot continues to receive the most negative sentiment, and the crushed housing market is keeping it from rebounding despite what many market watchers see as a deeply discounted turnaround play, and I would agree. I am even considering Home Depot again for next year.

The following are the closing prices as of December 28, 2006 and 11 month returns for the seven stocks I recommended, plus the addition of Spectra Energy Corp. (NYSE: SE) that was spun out of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK). Among Cramer's picks, Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT), which was spun out of Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO), is included in the calculations.

1. The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW): $40.02 is Up to $41.94 (+4.8%) 3.54% yield
2. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK): $33.02 (incl. Spectra Energy (NYSE: SE)) is Down to $32.11 (-2.76%) 4.31% yield
3. The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD): $39.73 is Down to $28.56 (-28.11%) 2.31% yield
4. Huaneng Power International ADS (NYSE: HNP): $36 is Up to $42.90 (+19.17%) 3.62% yield
5. PetroChina ADR (NYSE: PTR): $142.12 is Up to $191.74 (+34.91%) 4.5% yield
6. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX): $22.00 is Down to $17.26 (-21.55%) 1.1% yield
7. Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO): $51.61 is Up to $65.07 (+26.08%) 0.84% yield 2.89x.916=2.65 6.87%

The following index comparisons are also from December 28, 2006:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 12,501.52 is Up to 13,371.72 (+6.96%)
• NASDAQ Composite Index: 2,425.57 is Up to 2,660.96 (+9.78%)
• Standard & Poor's 500 Index: 1,424.73 is Up to 1,481.14 (+3.96%)

The Cramer Speculative Stocks for 2007: 12.45

1) Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT): $5.66 is Down to $3.36 (-40.64%) No dividend
2) Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD): $5.49 is Down to $3.72 (-32.24%) No dividend
3) Savient Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SVNT): $12.01 is Up to $14.06. (+17.07%) No dividend

The Cramer Growth Picks are:
1) New York Stock Exchange Group (NYSE: NYX): $97.51 Down to $86.60 (-11.19%) No dividend
2) Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL): $80.87 Up to $182.22 (+125.32%) No dividend
3) Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO): $27.42 Up to $28.82 (+5.12%) No dividend

The Cramer Value Picks are:
1) Altria Group (NYSE: MO): $86.23 Up to $77.56 (+Kraft at .692024 x $34.55 = $23.91) to $101.47 (+18.65%) 4.12% yield
2) Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS): $200.80 Up to $226.64 (+12.87%) 0.72% yield
3) Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL): $31.26 Up to $36.61 (+17.11%) .97% yield

The New Powerhouse Google

Google had an amazing month in October, reaching towering heights, only to see lows off about $100 in November, but it finished strong in a volatile market. After eleven months of tracking Google, it has grown to be one of the largest capitalized companies in the world, now exceeding $200 billion, and remains of broad interest to the investing public and internet users alike. Google closed December 28, 2006 at $462.56, rose in January, then traded downward for a few months before rising again following the overall market. But in the last few months it has been hot. Google ended November at $693.00, for a solid YTD gain of $230.44 per share (+49.82%), slightly off last month's YTD gain. Google does not pay a dividend.

In Closing

What can I say about BloggingStocks' parent company, which has faltered all year long: Time Warner (TWX): No catalyst or no leadership? Some comparisons. No invitation has yet arrived to a board meeting to share my thoughts, and I guess I should not expect one. Cramer is thinking the same thoughts about Rite Aid, and Level Three, no doubt. I will continue to report during the week following the closing stock prices each month. Only one month to go!

Disclosure: I own shares of BRK.B, DOW, DUK, HNP, PTR, SE, TWX, and VLO.

To find more potential opportunities and verify my track record read Chasing Value or Serious Money.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the design and research principal for an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.

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