Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Coca-Cola (KO) to overweight from neutral due to valuation and expectations that developed market volume should improve. The firm raised its target price for shares to $66.
• BB&T upgraded Nordson (NDSN) to buy from hold and has an $82 price target on the stock. The firm believes certain drivers of Nordson's Advanced Tech unit are becoming more secular vs. cyclical and that the company's EBIT margins can go higher.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Embraer (ERJ) to outperform from underperform, citing the positive announcements from the Famborough Air Show. The firm raised its price target to $37 from $21.
• Universal Health (UHS) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Mead Johnson (MJN) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Coventry Health (CVH) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.

The stock market and words like "Dow" still strike fear into the hearts and minds of the many who lived throughthe stock market crashes of 2008 and 2009. But the market is on the mend and there are some promising stocks that could become breakout hits for 2010 if investors don't get overly trigger-shy.

Telecommunications and computing stocks are some of the safer bets, but credit and gaming stocks could potentially offer big rewards to the more aggressive investor. So what are my picks for 2010?

Today's economic data failed to rally the markets as it appears that some buying exhaustion is once again entering the fray. The good news is that the Fed's Beige Book turned almost positive. We also saw oil prices weak after a large build up in crude inventories.

Unfortunately, stocks tend to follow oil and act inversely against the US Dollar now. Still, today was one of those days that traders were unsure where the markets were going to close until right at the end of the day after the last big imbalance orders were seen.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,444.14 -27.44 (-0.26%)
S&P 500 1,109.23 +0.37 (0.03%)
Nasdaq 2,185.03 +9.22 (0.42%)

Top Day Trader Stocks
Top 10 Analyst Calls

Crop protection and seed company Syngenta Ag's (NYSE: SYT) stock has underperformed since the June 16, 2009 Buy recommendation at $47.82.

The stock did break through the psychologically-significant $50 level, but it failed at level and has since fallen back to the $45-range. In the process, a double-top -- a bearish sign -- has formed.

All it takes is some news to make you realize the risk involved in smallcap investing. That news came in the form of a horrific earnings report last night from Origin Agritech (NASDAQ: SEED), showing revenues and margins decreasing along with guidance that was more than 50% below the estimates of the one analyst that covers the company.

I often advise against trusting any company whatsoever, but it's rare that one lets investors down so greatly. I had no position in the stock, but along with Converted Organics (NASDAQ: COIN) and Titan Machinery (NASDAQ: TITN), I profiled Origin back in January as an up and coming agriculture stock. Since then, two of those three stocks have broken out to new highs in a similar fashion to this hot sector's leaders like Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT), Mosaic (NYSE: MOS), Monsanto (NYSE: MON) and Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU).

Performance aside, those billion dollar behemoths are established companies, with global investors and brands, while these new kids on the block are the exact opposite. Plagued by having few products, fund raising problems and debt issues, this 50% shortfall exemplifies just one of the many issues with which small-cap companies struggle. I mean they are really fighting for lives! And that's why they are priced the way they are and derided by Wall Street.