Let's go around one more time with American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), the retailer with the pristine balance sheet that designs and manufactures its own clothing line targeted at the 15 to 25 year old age group.

It was one of my successful picks for 2009, rising from $9.13 to a closing price of $16.98, with a 52 week high of $19.86. Today it is trading near its 52 week low of $11.35, opening at $11.61 and trading up at mid-day.

I think this eagle will soar again and surpass it's previous high.

One of my 2010 stock picks seems to be adrift closer to its 52-week low ($11.52 July 8, 2009) on a long slow downtrend. On June 2, 2010 E-Trade (ETFC) did a reverse 10 for 1 stock split and is now trading back in the teens, having closed last Friday at $14.06. For the time being, it is trading under the symbol ETFCD.

This allows many pension funds and other institutions to hold positions in the stock that they could not before when it was under $5.00 per share (significantly) due to restrictive investment guidelines.

E-Trade management may have been counting on this to inject some life in the stock or at a minimum some additional support. This has not been the case as the stock continues to erode with the other financial stocks.

One of our regular readers, Dan B., asked me Monday morning if I thought British Petroleum p.l.c. ADS (BP) was a buy, given how much it has collapsed in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill resulting from an explosion on a Transocean (RIG) deep water drilling vessel that killed 11 people, who have yet to be found.

The oil spill is certainly a black swan as it was only a short while ago I recommended Transocean and RIG has been clobbered along with BP.

Dan, no doubt, is aware that the stock market pendulum often over-swings the mark and is wondering if now is the time of opportunity, or will it come later? To buy, or not to buy, that is the question.

Another day another dollar, and more, everywhere you look, as EZCORP (EZPW) beats consensus estimates once again. But what is the value proposition?

EZCORP was an easy pick for me in late December 2009 when it was trading at $14.46. It is one of my two repeat picks for 2010, trading at the time of that writing at $17.35 after a 20% gain. Friday's close of $23.31 adds another 34.35%, and I do not see anything getting in the way of further growth for the next ten years.

Here are the glowing words of Chief Executive Officer, Joe Rotunda, stated, "This was another outstanding quarter for EZCORP, our 31st consecutive quarter of year over year earnings growth, and clearly demonstrates our ability to consistently enhance earnings and shareholder value. Coupled with this strong financial performance is our expanding worldwide presence, as seen through our continued store growth in Mexico and Canada, as well as our strategic affiliations with Albemarle & Bond in the United Kingdom and Cash Converters in Australia."

About five weeks ago, I posted Chasing Value: Berkshire Eating Up Apple -- Can It Continue? Today I thought I would take another peek to see how Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Apple Inc.(AAPL) compare now.

Both companies are led by much-admired iconic figures who standout for their extreme success and business leadership. Both Warren Buffett and Steve Jobs are practically worshiped by their shareholders, and for good reason -- both companies have added value during the past ten years, a time when most companies have not, and some are just not -- they're gone.

Although many stocks are at or near 52-week highs and the bargains are getting harder to come by, they still can be found with only a modest amount of effort. One such opportunity may be Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP).

The closing price for the stock on Tuesday April 6 was $42.89. The 52-week high of $51.33 was reached mid October 2009 -- six months ago. At a time when many stocks are at or near their 52-weeks highs, TAP is trading at a 20% discount.

The first quarter of 2010 is closed and the results are in. My picks surpassed the primary indices by a large margin. The original story, Chasing Value: 10 Stock Picks for 2010 , was the culmination of a process presented to our readers and finally narrowed down to the select group using final prices from Monday, December 28, 2009.

For comparison I tracked the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ. Each of these produced positive results for the quarter.

It's nice to report good news: Defense contractor Raytheon (RTN) announced Thursday it is increasing its annual dividend by 21% and planning to buy back as much as $2 billion of stock.

"The Board's decision to substantially increase our dividend and to authorize additional share repurchases reflects our company's strong financial position, our continued confidence in our future and our ongoing commitment to our shareholders," William H. Swanson, Raytheon's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. Not surprisingly, RTN reached a new 52-week high of $58.30 Thursday, finishing the day at $57.26.

It has been a long time since I have suggested investors dabble in tech stocks, unless, like me, you consider Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) a tech stock. Today, that changes as I direct your attention to the rapidly growing small cap stock Ebix (EBIX), a software company that specializes in the needs of the insurance industry.

This Atlanta, GA-based company is up 113.30% in the last year, 450.72% over three years, and an incredible 1,092.74% in five years through March 2010.

If you are looking for high yielding stocks you will find the telecommunications industry is quite obliging. AT&T, Inc. (T) is currently paying a 6.4% yield and Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is offering 6.25%. Given that these are such low beta stocks, I have a hard time rationalizing keeping much money in Certificates of Deposits or Treasuries for the peanuts they are doling out.

While these yields are very generous there is a stock that might have you extending your investment world "down under" to Telecom Corp New Zealand (NZT), as they will reward your journey with a 10.99% yield. This is an outstanding return and allows you to diversify your portfolio outside the U.S. but still trade on the NYSE.

In about three weeks I will be reporting the results of my 2010 picks through the first quarter. One of those picks and the leader of the pack Grubb & Ellis (GBE), a real estate brokerage and investment company, reached a new 52 week high yesterday of $2.20, topping the previous high of $2.17 set last October.

At the time I initially wrote about the stock, in December, it was trading at $1.33 a share, the lowest priced stock I have ever included for consideration. The 65.41% gain, to date, will most assuredly help my annual batting average. Grubb & Ellis is besting the 2.93% YTD gain of the Standard & Poors 500 by more than 60%. Absent some unforeseen black swan, I expect it to finish the year higher still.

It's time to get serious about home builders again, and today I started building a position in KB Home (KBH) using options. Since the collapse of the residential real estate market three years ago prognosticators have been debating when the home builders might be worthy of investing your precious coin of the realm.

As is to be expected in these volatile times most were either too optimistic or pessimistic and few got it right. Like many stocks the home builders appear to have bottomed last March. In the case of KB Home shares were available at $10. Today they have been trading between $17.64 and $18.00 per share, up 80%, although it has been a rocky road.

That is a very healthy return, but there is much more upside to come. How would you like to make 43% quick? Yeah me too!

Insurance companies are seeing more promise lately and one that showed up on my value screen was Willis Group Holdings (WSH) -- headquartered in London but listed on the NYSE. For starters, it is paying a higher than average yield of 3.31%; has a low PEG ratio of 0.99; and has a high ROE of 21.76.

This company often deals in very high risk propositions. You, however, will not be taking one because Willis, as a leading global insurance broker, not underwriter, specializes in reducing risk for entities in such fields as aerospace, construction, energy, health care, marine, mergers and acquisitions, and niche areas like fine art, jewelry, armored cars, racehorse breeding, and sabotage.

Yes it can. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B) can outperform Apple Inc. (AAPL) in 2010. That was my thesis in December (see Buffett's Berkshire vs Jobs' Apple for 2010?) and I still believe all the Apple hype in the world will still succumb to a solid value proposition in the long run.

While Apple was reaching new all time highs Berkshire was treading water through 2009. However, after a monster run-up Apple is taking a breather.

This morning one of my colleagues, Joseph Lazzaro, who heavily uses technical analysis, posted an article titled General Cable Corp.: Stopped-Out.

I have never used technical analysis to make investment decisions, but I have used charts for general long-term trends examining a stock from a historical perspective. I think in the case of General Cable Corp. (BGC), it may prove untimely to bail out now based on just technical analysis.