Looks like Ole St. Nick helped to rally the market on Christmas Eve bringing presents of light volume, small gains and sparkly new 52 week highs. Gotta love the big guy.

As we enter another short trading week, hopefully folks will stay jolly and finish out 2009 on a high note.

If you are like me and looking beyond to 2010, take a look at these great primers from our panel of experts to get your portfolio ready for the new year.

Today's Top Stories: Monday- December 28, 2009

ZACKS RANK BUY STOCKS

• Aggressive Growth - OPNET Technologies (OPNT) Zacks Consensus Estimate has been pegged at 23 cents for fiscal 2010 and 41 cents for 2011. This shows a slight dip in EPS this year, but 76% growth next year. Shares of OPNET are trading at 52-week highs. Read More...
   
• Growth & Income - DeVry Inc. (DV) recently reported higher fall enrollment with total student enrollment jumping 22.7% to a record 64,003 students. The company is also seeing a higher Zacks Consensus Estimate since DeVry was last featured as a Growth and Income earlier this month. Read More...
   
• Momentum - RINO International Corp (RINO) third-quarter sales were up 41% from last year to $63.3 million. Earnings also came in strong at 78 cents, 31 cents ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company has beat in each of the last three quarters by an average of 33%. Read More...
   
• Value - Zhongpin Inc. (HOGS) is still cheap, with a forward P/E of just 9.6 and a price-to-book ratio of only 1.87. Zhongpin also sports a 1-year return on equity of 21.03%, which is much higher than the industry average of 11.08%. Read More...
   

Learn how to profit from our exclusive Zacks Rank stock-ranking system with free resources. Read More...

• Best of Funds: Top Balanced Asset Allocation Funds
  Balance your portfolio with Value Line Asset Allocation Fund A (VLAAX), Fidelity Asset Manager 70% (FASGX) and Van Kampen Asset Allocation Growth A (VKAAX). Read More...
  

See all the great mutual fund resources.

• Bull Of The Day: DeVry, Inc. (DV)
  Full Zacks research report: Read More...
  
  
• Bear Of The Day: The Andersons (ANDE)
  Full Zacks research report: Read More...
  
  
• ZACKS INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: Non-US Banks Stock Review - Dec. '09
  Although non-U.S. banks are still dealing with liquidity and confidence challenges, governments have taken several steps to alleviate the sector, as banks are the lifeblood of the economy. We recommend (SAN), (CS), (DB), (HBC) and (BCH). Read More...
  
  
• Finish Line (FINL) Posts Q3 Profit
• Wells Fargo (WFC) Exits TARP
• M&I (MI) Extends Foreclosure Suspension

• Tax Breaks for Winterizing Your Home
• 10 Holiday Money Mistakes

EDUCATION: Aggressive Growth

Strong Growth Rates and Upward Stock Prices Read More...

PeopleAndPicks.com:

VIP "EyePhone" stays on the mark with SELL calls on (CGA), (EZCH), (FCX) and (GFA). Read More...

• Zacks Recommendation vs. Zacks Rank
• Aggressive Growth Stock Picks--Dec. 22, 2009
• Strangle: How to Position Yourself for an Expected Breakout in Either Direction

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Best,

Steve Reitmeister
Executive VP, Zacks Investment Research

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