The following companies constitute TheStreet.com 21, an index designed to be a leading indicator of the economy in the second half of 2003 and beyond
|
| Company |
Sector |
Reason for Inclusion |
| A.H. Belo (BLC) |
Media |
Dallas-based owner of large and small newspapers, TV stations and Internet sites. A good barometer for advertising outlook and media business. |
| Bank of New York (BK) |
Financial services |
Diversified bank serves as sector gauge. Also, its big securities-servicing business offers insight on market activity. |
| BestBuy (BBY) |
Discretionary consumer |
The proxy for big-ticket consumer electronics spending. A consumer-PC upgrade cycle would be felt here. |
| Caterpillar (CAT) |
Industrials |
Giant worldwide equipment supplier for agribusiness, construction, mining and more. Broad industrials and farming barometer. |
| Cisco (CSCO) |
Information technology |
The bellwether of technology. |
| Comerica (CMA) |
Financial services |
Midwestern bank with a big commercial-lending business. A leading indicator of regional activity. |
| Continental Air (CAL) |
Airlines |
The new beacon for a battered group. Also, a gauge for consumer and business travel. |
| Devon Energy (DVN) |
Energy |
Acquisitive independent oil and gas producer is yardstick for energy. A read on natural gas -- prices and supply levels. |
| Equity Office Properties (EOP) |
Real estate |
Sam Zell's REIT offers glimpse of commercial real estate activity in major metropolitan areas. |
| E*Trade (ET) |
Financial services |
Online broker provides indication of individual investors' market activity. |
| Expeditors Int'l of Washington (EXPD) |
Transportation |
'Freight forwarding' company gives reading of shipping activity, especially in the vital Pacific Rim. |
| General Electric (GE) |
Conglomerate |
A proxy for corporate America and the No. 1 S&P 500 component. As America goes, so goes GE -- and vice versa. |
| Ingersoll-Rand (IR) |
Materials |
Machinery and tool giant offers good way to judge the strength of a cyclical recovery. |
| Kohl's (KSS) |
Retailer |
The proxy for the consumer. Can high-growth retailer keep growing? |
| Level 3 (LVLT) |
Telco |
A barometer for the depressed, heavily leveraged telecom sector. |
| Manpower (MAN) |
Services |
Employment gauge. Outlook for staffing firms hinges on economy's recovery. |
| Maytag (MYG) |
Appliances |
No. 3 home-appliance maker offers gauge on big-ticket-item consumer spending and corporate efforts to turn around messy, debt-laden balance sheet. |
| Smurfit Stone Container (SSCC) |
Materials |
Container-board and box maker signals economic activity. If businesses and consumers are buying stuff, Smurfit will have to box it. |
| Solectron (SLR) |
Information technology |
A tech-outsourcing company that gets business from IBM, Cisco and other tech titans. Solectron is leveraged to tech recovery and will provide early indicator on capex spending. |
| Tiffany (TIF) |
Luxury-goods retailer |
The proxy for the rich consumer and the trickle-down effect of the big dividend-tax cut. |
| Yahoo! (YHOO) |
Information technology |
A representative of the Internet's frothy Big Three. Also, a gauge on e-commerce and Net advertising. |
