While today's index levels closed up in positive territory, that is only part of the story. The major equity index levels were far higher after the open today. Retail sales rose more than expected but the sell-off we saw earlier in oil did not hold and oil prices took the gas away from us. Fed governor Plosser's comments about "rates need to rise" didn't help matters. Below are today's unofficial closing levels:

• DJIA 12141.58 (+57.81)
• S&P500 1339.87 (+4.38)
• NASDAQ 2404.35 (+10.34)
• 10YR T-NOTE 4.205% (+0.132%)
• Major list of 52-Week Lows
• Top 10 Analyst Calls
• 2008 IPO's up 50% or more

Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. (NYSE: BUD) shares were up almost 5% by the final minutes of trading at $61.29 after InBev confirmed a $65.00 initial buyout offer for the beer giant last night. Interestingly enough, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) will have pocketed several hundred million dollars on this if you see his current holdings.

Buying only stocks announcing splits, Neil Macneale has developed a leading long-term track record. His latest buy in his 2-for-1 newsletter is biotechnology research products firm Invitrogen (NASDAQ: IVGN).

"Wow, investing today is like riding a ping-pong ball; last month I was feeling quite glum about the market and cautioned that we were in for an extended period of below normal portfolio growth.

"That may still be true, but now, as we go to press, the portfolio is at its all-time high and there is reason to believe most stocks we have picked are going to do much better than the overall market.

"Meanwhile, with splits so few and far between these days, one thing is certain; companies that do announce splits deserve a very close look. Our latest selection is Invitrogen. Its primary business is assembling and selling kits used in biotech research.

"I view this as selling the shovels and tents to the gold miners. During the California gold rush, it was the storekeepers that got rich while most of the miners went broke.

"IVGN is not ideal in that it pays no dividend and carries a moderate amount of debt. However, this is a strong business with a history of good earnings and good growth. The healthcare sector has been on the outs for a while now and it's probably a good time to get a biotech company into the portfolio."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"Our favorite speculative pick for 2008 is (NASDAQ: IVGN)," says Daniel Frishberg, editor of The MoneyMan Report and host of BizRadio.

"Invitrogen is a $4.5 billion company that markets tools in kit form and provides other research products and services to corporate, academic, and government entities. The company has over 25,000 products.

"The company is also involved in stem cells, which are cells in an early stage human embryo that have the potential to turn into any other type of cells, e.g., heart, nerve, kidney, pancreas, etc.

"There has been much debate about stem cell research due to the killing of an embryo. However, a major breakthrough suggests that stem cells can be created from your own skin cells.