Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Stocks: Playing the 2008 Election

From BusinessWeek:

The fates of various industries depend on who becomes the next President. Who benefits? Who suffers? Here, insights from a slew of top investors

As the U.S. Presidential campaign kicks off, Wall Street is watching every primary and caucus result closely, hoping to make money no matter who Americans choose as their next leader.

Investment houses are digging deep into each candidate's policy statements, trying to predict his or her Presidency's effect not just on the economy and market as a whole, but on specific stocks and sectors such as health care, defense, and energy.

Might a push to fight global warming—most likely by a Democrat—hurt utility stocks but help solar companies? Does a Republican victory help the health-care sector, where investors are already worried about lower profits under a Democratic universal health-care plan?>>>MORE