"The credit crisis on Wall Street is headed for Main Street," says Mark Skousen, economist, professor, financial author and investment advisor.

In his The Hedge Fund Trader, he explains, "This means business is likely to jump at the nation's pawnbrokers." Here, he looks at EZCorp (NASDAQ: EZPW).

"Both the economy and the financial markets need consumer confidence for things to go smoothly. That is sorely lacking right now. As a result, I'm expecting a bumpy ride during the next few quarters.

"Predictably, low-income earners and middle-class individuals will be particularly hard hit by the downturn. That means business is likely to jump at the nation's pawnbrokers.

"So now is an excellent time to pick up a few shares of EZCorp. Based in Austin, Texas, EZCorp is a leader in the 'specialty consumer finance industry,' better known as pawn broking.

"With $37.2 billion in revenues in 2007, Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) is the largest food manufacturer in the U.S. and second-largest worldwide," notes leading turnaround stock expert George Putnam.

The editor of The Turnaround Letter explains, "New management has begun to shake things up and the turnaround program is well underway." Here's the advisor's review.

"The roots of some of Kraft's products reach all the way back to 1767, but it wasn't until 1903 that James L. Kraft started his wholesale cheese business from a horse drawn wagon in Chicago. Today, Kraft produces many of the best-known food brands in the world.

"In 1988, Philip Morris (renamed Altria) purchased Kraft, and in 2000 it integrated the purchase of Nabisco into Kraft. Altria sold a small stake to the public in 2001, but maintained majority control until 2007, when the company was completely spun off as an independent company once again.

"Under the Altria umbrella, Kraft stagnated, with declining revenues and little product innovation. As a result, the stock price today is within $1 of the price where it was when first sold to the public in mid-2001.

"New management has begun to shake things up at Kraft. In June 2006, veteran food executive Irene Rosenfeld became CEO, returning to Kraft from a stint at Pepsico running its Frito-Lay division.

"Skechers USA (NYSE: SKX), a trendy California-based retailer, is a new buy recommendation on our 'hot list'," says John Reese, who selects stocks based on the criteria used by several legendary stock pickers.

In his always-fascinating Validea newsletter, the advisor explains, "Skechers gets approval from two of my guru-based strategies, those that I base on the writings of Peter Lynch and Kenneth Fisher." Here is his review.

"My Lynch-based model considers the firm to be a 'fast-grower' because of its 23.08% long-term growth rate (based on the average of the three- and five-year earnings per share figures).

"Lynch was perhaps best known for using the P/E/Growth ratio, which divides a stock's price/earnings ratio by its growth rate to identify growth stocks that are still selling at a good price.

"P/E/Gs below 1.0 are acceptable to my Lynch-based model, with those under 0.5 the best case. With a P/E of 10.99 and that 23.08 percent growth rate, Skechers has a P/E/G of 0.48, passing this critical Lynch-based test with flying colors.

Earnings season is basically over, but there are still some reports out there. On Friday, Wimm-Bill-Dann (NYSE: WBD), a dairy and juice distributor based in Russia, divulged its Q1 earnings stats. Talk about growth across the board. Everything was double-digit appreciation (except for one metric, which I'll get to in just a minute).

Seriously, this is like a picture of perfection in many ways. Net revenues jumped 35%. Gross profit shot up 26%. Operating income soared 23%. Net income on a dollar basis rose 31%. Net income on a diluted basis increased 30% to $0.95 per share. Bravo, Wimm-Bill-Dann!

Now, there's one metric that the company didn't shine on. It can be found in the statement of cash flows. Net cash from operating activities actually declined 45%. Okay, cash flow is one of my favorite metrics, so yes, this decrease isn't a joyous event for me. But this is just the first quarter. The growth rates in the other areas nevertheless inspire confidence in this foreign company. Plus, according to Reuters, this quarterly performance beat expectations.

"Diageo (NYSE: DEO) is the world's biggest spirits company with operations in over 180 countries," notes Alexander Green. The contributing editor to The Money Map Report explains, "Diageo is a non-cyclical, recession-proof
stock we can count on to deliver solid results no matter which way the global economy heads."

The advisor explains, "The company's brands are some of the oldest and most successful: Smirnoff vodka, Guinness stout, Bailey's Original Irish Cream, J&B and Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskies, Jose Cuervo tequila, Captain Morgan rum and Tanqueray gin – among others.

"For the first six months of fiscal year 2008, the company beat expectations. Sales rose by 5.7%. Earnings advanced almost twice as fast, hitting $2 billion. And dissecting the results further reveals continued strength in international and emerging markets, with operating profits up 20%.

"With its CEO recently buying $10 million of shares, PepsiAmericas Inc. (NYSE: PAS) has to be considered one of the most credible Insider stories in quite some time," notes Jack Adamo.

Here, in his Insiders Plus newsletter, the advisor -- who specializes in assessing situations in which corporate insiders are purchasing stock -- he looks at the world's second-largest Pepsi bottler.

"When I was a kid, a Pepsi was a dime; today, it's about $1.50 for the same size bottle. So, forgive me if I laugh myself silly when analysts say Pepsi bottlers are in trouble due to cost inflation.

"The price of the product has gone up at a compound annual rate of 5.6% per year for 50 years. Is this year going to kill it? I think not. Nor does CEO, Rober Pohlad whose recent purchase was done through a family-owned holding company.

"It was not a huge buy in relation to his holdings -- it increased his stake in the company from 9.6% to 9.9% -- but $10 million is $10 million. Do that a few times, and pretty soon it starts adding up to real money. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

"The stock has fallen this year from $36 to $26, which is about where he made his recent buys. After a blowout 2007, the company guided down expectations for 2008, citing economic weakness. The stock quickly tanked.

Don't think of Avon (NYSE: AVP) as that traditional door-to-door cosmetics company. Avon has entered the globalization and digital age.

Avon is in the midst of a restructuring aimed at increasing efficiency and widening the company's sales venues, and so far, so good.

Direct selling (5.3 million representatives) continues to be Avon's base, but catalogs, mall kiosks, a day spa, and a web site create a diverse retail presence.

Avon has also reduced its costs by moving manufacturing to lower-cost regions in the world, and via sales force productivity increases. Meanwhile, the company has amped-up its product base (cosmetics, fragrances, toiletries, jewelry, apparel, and home furnishings) as part of it plan to attract younger customers and to expand its global operations footprint.

Further, analysts are keeping an eye on marketing costs, which always increase in any brand expansion plan. Provided that expenses don't get out of hand, margins should improve in 2008 - a major reason why the stock's appeal is increasing in Wall Street circles. The Reuters F2007/F2008 EPS consensus estimates for Avon are $1.50/$2.08.

The First Call mean rating for the stock is: Buy. [16 firms.] Mean 2008 target: $46.70. [high: $55, low: $39.]

Stock Analysis: Avon is a moderate-risk stock not suitable for low-risk investors. Investors with an investment horizon longer than 1 year should be rewarded by Avon's shares. Sell / Stop Loss if you were to purchase shares in this company: $26.