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

• AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) beat Q4 estimates on demand for unmanned aircraft.
• Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) beat Q3 expectations on increased enrollment and tuition collection.
• Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) predicted earnings at the high end of the previously announced range.
• Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings, sending shares up.
• Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), in an effort to calm investors, said that it expects a Q2 profit.
• Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) beat Q3 expectations and raised its Q4 guidance.
• H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) posted solid Q4 and full-year results and boosted its dividend.
• Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) posted record Q1 EPS and in-line guidance, and its share buybacks continue.
• Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) warned of lower Q2 earnings due to slowing demand and lower prices.
• Robbins & Myers Inc. (NYSE: RBN) beat Q3 expectations and raised its Q4 and full-year outlook.
• Thornburg Mortgage Inc. (NYSE: TMA) 2007 results are being investigated by the SEC.
• UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) cut its full-year outlook due to changing business trends.

More highlights from this past week: BP, Discover, Corel, Citigroup, WD-40, MSCI and others

Also, Peter Cohan points out that a bear market means low earnings expectations, and also that negative surprises are likely to outweigh positive ones in the second half of the year. Aaron Katsman, on the other hand, predicts a rebound for earnings in the second half. And BusinessWeek reminds us that cheap stocks -- even with big names such as Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) -- are no bargain if they have no earnings.

Upcoming results to watch for include Alcoa (NYSE: AA), Pepsi Bottling Group (NYSE: PBG), Marriott International (NYSE: MAR), and General Electric (NYSE: GE).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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

• Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) first-quarter profit soared and it offered an encouraging outlook.
• AgFeed Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: FEED) full-year results were in line with expectations.
• Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) warned that it expects a first-quarter loss due to write-downs.
• Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) first-quarter profit plunged on the unloading of Goldfish
• FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) posted lower-that-expected third-quarter earnings on rising fuel prices.
• 4Kids Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: KDE) posted dismal fourth-quarter and full-year results.
• GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) posted strong fourth-quarter earnings on Guitar Hero and other games.
• General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) third-quarter profit surged on increased demand for Cheerios, yogurt, etc.
• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings.
• Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LEH) posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings.
• Lumber Liquidators Inc. (NYSE: LL) beat estimates on infrastructure investments and merchandise variety.
• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings.
• Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) third-quarter profits soared on strong international demand.
• Shuffle Master Inc. (NASDAQ: SHFL) missed expectations for the first quarter.
• Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) lowered its earnings outlook on delays and order cancellations.

Also, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is recession proof? Ted Allrich wonders if there are any safe stocks. Jim Cramer doesn't expect much from tech stocks. And Aaron Katzman looks at the effect of rising grain prices.

Upcoming results to watch for include Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG), Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF), Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL), ConAgra (NYSE: CAG), and KB Home (NYSE: KBH).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Investors frequently like to chase "hot stocks." While not based on fundamentals, momentum investing does sometimes work as stocks that are "working today" frequently "work tomorrow" as well.

So, as 2008 is 1/6th done, it's time to look back at the highfliers from 2007 and see where they're trading today. As usual, the analysts at Bespoke Investment Group have some good data and charts for us.

In a post, titled "How the Best Have Done," Bespoke analyzes the best performing U.S. stocks of 2007 and tracks them into 2008. The results:

• First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), 2007's best performer, is down 21.86% year to date. See BloggingStock's Aaron Katsman's article on why he shorted this stock into the New Year.
  
• The second best, Onyx Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX), is down 49.51%.

While some solar stocks are down big in 2008 after a huge run-up in 2007, the big winners are heavily concentrated in materials, agriculture, and energy. BPZ Resources Inc. (AMEX: BZP) is the stock on the list that has done the best in 2008 -- rising another 44% so far this year.

Zack Miller is the managing editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund.

Last week Forbes released its annual list of the fastest growing tech stocks, and it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) topped the list, with nearly $15 billion in sales, representing five-year sales growth of 155%, and 30% EPS growth. To make the list, companies had to have significant sales growth over the past year and five years, as well as a good earnings forecast for the next three to five years. Companies with significant legal problems or corporate governance issues were excluded.

Rounding out the top five were Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Ceradyne Inc. (NASDAQ: CRDN), Euronet Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), and FalconStor Software Inc. (NASDAQ: FALC). Some other familiar names that made the list this year include Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), and Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH). Cognizant has been on Forbes list since its inauguration six years ago. For the full list, see the Forbes article.

Also of interest was the Forbes Fast 15, companies that didn't make the list mentioned above, but which Forbes thought were worth keeping an eye on for their potential. Engineering software maker Ansys Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSS), semiconductor maker Atheros Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), Brubaker BioSciences Corp. (NASDAQ: BRKR), and scoreboard maker Daktronics Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT) top that list. For the full list, see the Forbes article.

So if, like Aaron Katsman, Georges Yared, and Jim Cramer, you are bullish on tech stocks, then there's plenty on the Forbes lists worth taking a look at.

The earnings crunch is in full swing, and here are a few of the highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) only met earnings expectations despite strong holiday iPhone sales.
• Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) earnings plunged 95% due to mortgage-related write-downs.
• Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) narrowed its fourth quarter loss and beat expectations.
• eBay Inc. (NADSAQ: EBAY) beat low expectations, but the CEO is to step down in March.
• EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD) beat earnings expectations even thought profits fell 37%.
• E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC), posted a bigger-than-estimated fourth quarter loss.
• Fifth Third Bancorp. (NASDAQ: FITB) missed estimates on acquistion costs and a one-time charge.
• Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) missed low expectations, prompting further domestic cost reductions.
• Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) profit declined on weak domestic sales.
• Hershey Co. (NYSE: HSY) profit sank due to rising costs, competition, and management shakeups.
• Honeywell Internationl Inc. (NYSE: HON) only met estimates, despite growth in all business segments.
• Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) profit slipped bet met expectations, due to increased paper costs.
• Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) reported a record quarterly loss due to the housing slump.
• Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) profit plunged due to loss of market share, and it forcasts a first quarter loss.
• National City Corp. (NYSE: NCC) posted a bigger-than-expected loss, but shares rose anyway.
• Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) profit plunged, but beat estimates, due to increased competition for generics.
• UAL Corp. (NASDAQ: UAUA) narrowed its loss despite rising fuel prices and holiday cancellations.
• Wachovia Corp. (NYSE: WB) earnings plunged 98% due to home loan write-downs.
• WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) met earnings expectations and reaffirmed its 2008 outlook.

The earnings crunch is in full swing, and here are a few of the highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) swung to a profit on the strength of drug sales.
• AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) swung to a fourth-quarter profit and easily beat estimates.
• Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALDN) posted solid results and raised its forecast.
• Amdocs Ltd. (NYSE: DOX) reported a record quarter and reaffirmed its guidance.
• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) beat exectations, but concerns remain about FDA scrutiny.
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) easily beat expectations and offered revised guidance (see live blog, transcript).
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) posted a solid quarter on strong international growth.
• Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) beat estimates on strong direct-to-customer and same-store sales.
• ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) posted a strong fourth quarter due to rising oil prices.
• CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) beat expectations as increased productivity offset increased fuel costs.
• Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) posted solid fourth quarter results due to growth overseas.
• Equity LifeStyle Properties Inc. (NYSE: ELS) beat expectations in the fourth quarter and offered guidance.
• Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) reported solid results and increased its quarterly dividend.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) posted a solid fourth quarter and affirmed its 2008 guidance.
• Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) posted strong results due in part to demand for Vista.
• Nintendo Co. (OTC: NTDOY) profit soared on demand for the Wii, and the company raised is sales outlook.
• Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) reported a strong fourth quarter and increased market share in handset sales.

It's been a tough slog for professionals and individual investors during 2007 and the start of 2008. Those who did well either

• took a big swing on commodities,
• owned and sold tech into the 4th quarter,
• prayed hard and were answered, or
• were so-called Tiger Cubs.

Bloomberg reports on the 2007 returns of the Tiger Cubs, named because they all trained/worked under famed hedge fund guru, Julian Robertson of Tiger Asset Management.

When fellow BloggingStocks blogger Aaron "Buy Everything" Katsman and I recently looked into Robertson's portfolio over the years, it appears that he takes a very concentrated approach to investing. He picks a limited number of names he believes in and holds steady. The bulk of his holdings return average market returns, a couple are down big, but a couple see incredible outsized gains. Its these few holdings that Robertson lets run that contribute significantly to his success as a manager.

Here are a few highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI) missed estimates due to restructuring after the spin-off of Zep Inc.
• Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) easily beat earnings estimates, due to the impeding sale of some businesses.
• American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) warned that it would take a charge against fourth quarter earnings.
• Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL) posted a solid quarter on student enrollment and retention.
• AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) beat earnings expectations and offered revised guidance.
• Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) lowered its fourth quarter and full year earnings forecast.
• Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) third quarter profit rose on growth in the domestic wine business.
• EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD) lifted its outlook on strength in agriculture and nutrition business.
• Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) earnings were in line with estimates, despite lower same-store sales.
• Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (NYSE: GAP) posted a strong quarter, helped by the sale of Metro Inc.