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.
"Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) is a 'swashbuckling Spaniard,'" jests Frida Ghitis, contributing editor for Global Investing.
In referring to her conservative favorite for 2008 she explains, "While the big ships of the financial industry struggled to weather a storm of their own creation in the credit markets, a solidly built craft sailed full speed ahead undeterred by the turbulence, proudly flying the Spanish flag into new and old markets.
"Banco Santander, which trades as an ADR in the US, apparently managed to tack clear of the siren call of easy subprime money in America. Instead, following in the tradition of the conquistadors, it went in search of new riches in the old world and the new.
"With branches in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, Grupo Santander has grown to become the largest bank in Europe by market capitalization, even as its competitors see their market cap wither during difficult times.