Perhaps the European Union was doomed from the start and it just took a decade for the more productive member states to realize it.

If you went into a business with a bad partner is there any way for it to work? Inevitably there will be a split and that might be the case for the EU members and the battered euro.

Regardless of the end result shrewd investors should be on the lookout for stock bargains in large successful European companies undermined by the failure of the monetary system. The following three stocks are examples worth considering.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Psychiatric Solutions (PSYS) to neutral from underweight on expectations the company's merger with Universal Health (UHS) will close.
• Jefferies upgraded Intuit (INTU) to buy from neutral and has a $45 price target on the stock. The firm expects Intuit's 2011 tax season to be at least as good as 2010's and sees improvement in the SMB exposed businesses.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Unica (UNCA) to outperform from market perform. The firm upgraded the stock due to what it sees as improving trends in marketing spending, upcoming enhancements in the company's products and long-term opportunity for marketing software to exceed expectations.
• Textron (TXT) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• RightNow (RNOW) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Beazer Homes (BZH) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

"Now that health care reform has become law, what will it mean for investors in health care-related companies? One company that is likely to be among the biggest beneficiaries is Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA)," says Stephen Leeb.

The editor of The Complete Investor explains, "With 32 million Americans gaining health insurance coverage , the reform package is certain to accelerate the growing use of generic drugs, a trend rooted both in demographics and in the push to cut costs.

"Generic drugs already benefit from our aging population, who take more drugs by the year. The additional numbers of insured Americans will mean a surge in people able to afford medications (and to see the doctors that prescribe them).

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded Halliburton (HAL) to outperform from market perform as it sees less headline risk from the Gulf of Mexico spill following Wednesday's House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. The firm upped its target for shares to $44 from $35.
• FBR Capital also upgraded Morgan Stanley (MS) to outperform from market perform as it views the valuation as attractive following the recent pullback in shares. The firm maintains a $35 price target for shares.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Avnet (AVT) to buy from hold on valuation; it views the recent pullback as a buying opportunity. The firm raised its target for shares to $39 from $36.
• U.S. Steel (X) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• News Corp. (NWS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.
• Sprint (S) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.

What European stocks make sense to buy amidst an EU financial nightmare? Let's look at BP p.l.c.ADS(BP), Novartis(NVS) and RWG AE(RWEOY).

There are demonstrations and strikes throughout Greece protesting European Union and International Monetary Fund pressure to drastically cut government spending in order to stabilize the economy. The airport has been shut down by air traffic controllers, shop keepers have closed their businesses and government services are slowing to a crawl as the public protests plans to increase taxes, cuts wages and freeze pensions.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded T. Rowe Price (TROW) to overweight from neutral while downgrading Janus Capital (JNS) to underweight from neutral to reflect valuations and fundamentals. The firm has a $67 price target for T. Rowe Price shares.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Lincoln Electric (LECO) to overweight from neutral as it believes the rebound in global manufacturing is accelerating. The firm has a $70 price target on the stock.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Highwoods Properties (HIW) to market perform from underperform, citing valuation and a strong balance sheet.
• Corning (GLW) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Allergan (AGN) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Mohawk (MHK) was upgraded to buy from neutral at SunTrust.

U.S. stock futures were mixed Thursday morning ahead of several key readings on employment and inflation due out this morning. However, renewed concerns over the European nations' support for Greece in its debt crisis weighed on markets.

Stocks closed higher on Wednesday, continuing the steady climb of the past few weeks. But if world markets are any indication, Thursday might open lower as Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou said his country needs a firmer eurozone bailout plan. He warned his country would not be able to make planned deficit cuts unless it can borrow money cheaply. If it cannot get the euronations help, Greece may have to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund.

The U.S. Justice Department has charged giant pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) with paying tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks to Omnicare Inc. (OCR) to boost sales of its drugs to nursing-home patients, as reported by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required). Prosecutors allege that Omnicare's annual purchases of Johnson & Johnson medicines nearly tripled under this scheme to more than $280 million.

According to prosecutors, the alleged kickbacks occurred between 1999 and 2004 and included payments for physician prescriber data that was never furnished. Johnson & Johnson also paid quarterly rebates based on Omnicare's success in switching patients from competitors' drugs in what both companies called an "intervention program."

Micron (MU) is scheduled to report Q1 EPS today. Micron is hosting a 2010 Winter Analyst conference on February 11. January option implied volatility is at 57; April is at 58; below its 26-week average of 64, according to Track Data, indicating decreasing price movement.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) at 20.49; 10-day moving average is 21.81.

Three stocks with IV rise on December 21; Teva (TEVA) +2%, Amgen (AMGN) +2%, Yellow Roadway (YRCW) +5%, according to IVolatility.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

It's official: the holiday season is here, marking the beginning of the race to the end of the year. It's also time for another FOMC interest rate decision, as well as for another look at the employment situation, perhaps the most dreaded measure of the economic recovery in the U.S. This week will bring the Challenger job cut announcements for October on Wednesday, initial jobless claims for last week and the Monster Employment Index for October on Thursday, and the employment numbers for October on Friday.

The earnings season rolls on this week as well, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are expecting good showings from the reports of Boston Beer Company Inc. (NYSE: SAM), DirecTV Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV), Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE), Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX), and Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI).

"The health care picks in our growth portfolio should prosper whatever the outcome of the raging health care debate," suggests growth stock specialist Stephen Leeb.

In The Complete Investor, he explains, "That's because they're leveraged to demographic realities, and in particular to the tide of aging baby boomers," Here, he reviews on portfolio holding -- Teva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TEVA).

Leeb says, "Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical is the world's largest manufacturer of generic drugs. Capitalized at $49 billion, Teva pulled in some $11 billion in revenues in 2008, with generic drugs contributing more than two-thirds of those sales.

The Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter focuses on stocks that meet the strict value criteria of the legendary investor. Here, J. Royden Ward looks to Teva Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: TEVA), noting, "Teva is based in Israel and develops, makes and sells generic and proprietary-branded (store brand) drugs."

The advisor explains, "The company is one of the largest generic drug-producing companies in the world and, in addition, sells active ingredients to other pharmaceutical companies.

"Teva's aggressive acquisition and product development programs are driving strong sales growth. The company recently purchased U.S.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals for $7.5 billion. Barr will increase Teva's generic drug sales significantly in the U.S. and parts of Europe.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) engages in the development, production, and sale of a range of generic and branded pharmaceuticals, biogenerics, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) worldwide.

The long-term chart shows a stock that has never been in a bear market.

The recent resistance line is merely a pause in its long-term upward march, and it was broken by heavy buying in April. Teva ran to a new all-time high above $55, and then pulled back on profit-taking.

If you're looking for the most accurate way to predict the direction a stock or the market is headed, technical analysis is it.

Of course, no chart pattern is accurate all of the time (which is why technical analysis is more of an art than a science), but it's the closest you're going to get to a sure thing in the stock market.

So I'm offering up six technical trades today. Each of these stocks' charts are giving off extremely bullish signals and look ready to run higher.

One of the complaints we often hear is that the private insurance companies are gouging customers, second guessing doctors, and cutting corners at every turn to increase profit margins. A great deal of this is true and I would not debate that this dilutes the quality of health care in the United States.

Is the corollary that the government intends to run a health care program that does not make a profit?

That is a very probable outcome. If that is the case then how is it possible that the government will be able to fund something that is a money loser from the get go?