@Evangeline: I make it a point to never give out stock tips or specific financial advice because if people act upon them and lose money, it can get nasty. But, basically, I like companies with low to no debt, large cash positions, a certain price-to-earnings ratio, and decent dividends. I think that’s general enough without getting me into trouble.

I have my own theory about why so many companies performed dismally in the last year or so–and so far it’s been proven as company after company announce their financial results. There’s a reason why companies like XOM and Apple do well even in a downturn while their competitors flounder.

EDITED because of poor grammar.

FOC = fixed operating costs