If you are looking for value in the stock market there are never a lot of choices in relation to the number of public companies available. While there should be more opportunities in a down market than in an up market, from my perspective that is not always true. In any market you are going to find, by definition, that half of the public companies are above the mean in terms of value and half are below. Among those below the mean, further analysis usually indicates that most of these stocks deserve to be there.

The following is a 10-year chart for Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC):

I have been following the stock of this company, that I do banking with (as well as others) for several years. Among the many reasons to have an interest in the stock is that one of its major shareholders is Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A and BRK.B). If Warren Buffett is buying a stock, one must take a look even if only for educational purposes. So I have been watching and not buying. As anyone can plainly see, WFC would have been worth buying at almost any point in the last ten years. Some points better than others, but all leading upward in the long run.