6. Commodities Rising

Copper is up about 72% this year and rising prices boosted the shares of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX). The company has about 100 billion pounds of proved and probable reserves in copper, 40 million ounces of gold, and 2.5 billion pounds of molybdenum. Hardly exciting, but in this market, dull is good. The company’s stock is up about 107%.

7. Yuppies, Unite

• STOCKS
• RELATED ARTICLES
• ALSO BY...

SEARCH:

Quote, Unquote: Biased Credit Rating Agencies?
Airlines: People Won't Fly, So We'll Raise Fees
Trading Radar: GDP Highlights a Thin Week
California Oversteps with HDTV Regulations
Goldman, Beaten But Unbowed

Why HP Is the Anti-Dell
The Mother Goose Economy
Six Reasons We Need the Rich
Why the Sears Story Continues To Be a Sad One
Exxon: Oiling the Engine of Our Economy

Whole Foods Market (WFMI), purveyor of natural foods -- and (apparently) self-esteem to upscale buyers -- hasn’t been pounded by the recession. The company is shrewdly moving into less-snooty markets in an effort to broaden its base. Better than alfalfa sprouts, Whole Foods’ stock is up about 103%.

8. No Tech Sunshine

Sun Microsystems (JAVA) agreed to acquisition by enterprise software developer Oracle (ORCL) for about $7.4 billion. The deal will help Oracle to slug it out with International Business Machines (IBM) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) in the services market. Alas, most of the boost of Sun’s stock came from Oracle’s bid, not from panting investors tossing dollars at a suddenly revived tech sector. Sun Microsystems stock climbed about 136%.

9. Location, Location, Location

CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) is active in the commercial real estate market in about 30 countries. The company handles management, investment, and property development for major corporations. Diversification helps, but keep in mind that the stock recently traded below $10 a share although it’s up about 117%.

10. More Than Cars

AK Steel Holding (AKS) is perhaps best known for supplying automakers, but the company has diversified into steel for construction, distributors, and industrial machinery. It also makes steel for power transmission and distribution equipment plus carbon and stainless-steel tubular products. Back to basics, anyone? The company’s stock is up about 109%.