Jim Woods
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Exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer Global X Funds representatives were granted the honor of ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on the morning of Friday, Aug. 27. The event was a celebration of sorts for the company's latest bevy of recently released ETFs. One of those new ETFs has more than proven itself worthy of a celebration, and that's the Global X Lithium ETF (LIT).

The fund has been a Wall Street sensation since it began trading on Aug. 4, when it opened up at $17.29 per share. The fund closed at $19.88 on Oct. 20, representing a total return of over +15% in just 11 weeks.

Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) was a darling of investors during the economic downturn as the warehouse discounter offered cash-strapped consumers a deal and saw strong profits as a result. But with the worst of the global recession in the rear-view mirror, investors are wondering what's in store for Costco stock.

Now that economic conditions are improving, will shoppers keep ringing Costco's register? Chances are they will, if strong sales numbers recently are any indication. That means investors could still see some upside in COST shares.

If you're on the fence about Costco, here are three reasons you should hold your shares or buy in.

Several years ago, no investor needed convincing that General Electric (GE) was a stock to sell. In fact, for most of this century GE stock shares were dead money. After General Electric peaked at around $60 a share in late 2000, the stock moved steadily downward before finding a comfortable range between $25 and $35 for the most of the decade.

But after the financial crisis, things got even worse. During the height of the global economic meltdown, the stock was one of the biggest dogs in the park -- with a severe flea infestation. In March 2009, GE stock hit a historic intraday low of just $5.73. With shares cruising up around $20 now, some bulls are saying General Electric is a buy because it has bottomed out and will move back up to its old $30 range. There's even speculation of takeover aspirations at General Electric, with some likely GE buyout candidates among top-performing small-cap stocks in related industries.

The banking industry is in the hot seat these days, with fraud allegations surrounding Goldman Sachs (GS) sparking a wave of financial stock downgrades recently. The negative headlines couldn't come at a worse time for banks, since there is increasingly more data showing commercial lending is still a problem, adding to the already obvious trouble with home loans and consumer debt.

But negative news isn't always a bad thing for investors, because it creates huge buying opportunities if you know where to look. And if you're in the mood for bargain hunting in the financial sector, you may want to consider buying Bank of America (BAC) sooner rather than later. This financial stock looks to be doing just fine – and here are the top five reasons why.

When you need to buy North Face and Columbia Sportswear, where do you go? One hot retailer that sells both is Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS). In November, the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings on rising same-store sales.

Dick's attributed the rise in same-store sales to strong performance of both the North Face and Columbia Sportswear brands. The company also said the increased sales for these brands were likely due to fears of a harsh winter.

Much like VF Corp. and its North Face brand, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) is a leading cold-weather apparel maker. In October, the company raised its full-year revenue outlook after posting better-than-expected third-quarter results.

The clothing maker said it expects sales to fall 8% to 9% for the full year, which is much better than previous estimates for sales to fall in the low double digits

Eventually, you have to venture outside no matter how cold it is. To stay warm, you'll need to bundle up, and what better brand to bundle up with than the North Face?

This leading cold-weather gear brand is made by VF Corp. (VFC), which also makes well-known clothing brands like Wrangler jeans, Vans shoes and JanSport luggage. The stock's been on a tear of late, climbing 33% over the past six months.

What do you do when it's too cold to venture outside? You stay in and watch movies, and these days, most people get their movies from Netflix (NFLX).

The DVD rental pioneers were darlings of Wall Street last year, with the stock nearly doubling in 2009. But fears of an inability to meet growth expectations going forward, along with several downgrades of the stock in recent weeks, have knocked NFLX shares well off their highs.

Our first cold-weather stock isn't actually a stock; it's an exchange-traded fund (ETF). It is United States Natural Gas (UNG), an ETF designed to replicate the performance, net of expenses, of natural gas

The logic for UNG is simple. The colder it is outside, the more we need to heat our homes and offices, and most of us do this via natural gas. The increased demand for natural gas should translate into higher natural gas prices. Of course, sometimes this simple logic isn't quite that simple.

If you live practically anywhere east of the San Andreas Fault, you know about the deep freeze biting the nation. Temperatures in many areas of the country have been way below normal this winter, especially in the Midwest and East Coast, and unfortunately, many meteorologists think the 2010 cold front will bring plenty of chilly nights before it makes its welcome departure.

According to the 2010 Farmers' Almanac, this winter will likely see many more days with below-normal average temperatures. Not just in the Midwest and East Coast, but for about three-quarters of the nation. The fallout from these cold temps is a constriction of outdoor activity, more time indoors, increased use of heaters, and when you have to go outside, the need to bundle up.