Monster shares have almost tripled from their 2009 low; they are about where they traded a year ago. A pullback would offer a buying opportunity in the stock which looks like a good long-term bet.

Nike (NKE) has gone nowhere fast the past four months, but its Sept. 29 earnings report could help it catch up. Analysts expect revenue to slip as retailers keep inventory tight, but hesitant investors are eagerly awaiting signs that margin pressures have peaked. Nike owns half the sneaker market, but still managed to enlarge its footprint in the recessionary tumult. It has almost no debt, has $3.5 billion -- or 12% of its market cap -- in cash, and reaps 60% of its sales from the faster-growing overseas market. While analysts see profits for the rest of the market rebounding heftily, they've penciled in just $3.51 a share for Nike in 2010, versus $3.81 in 2009. That could prove conservative. And traders eventually turn back to quality after they tire of the mad chase of riskier beta. Barclays analyst Robert Drbul thinks this quarter could mark the bottom in gross margins: "Historically, this is a rewarding time to own the shares of Nike."

A rough but suitable proxy for high-quality blue chips is the PowerShares Dividend Achievers exchange-traded fund (PFM). Although trailing the S&P 500 by 14 percentage points this year, it has kept pace with the broad market the past two weeks.

And tape watchers have begun to note better action in the shares of such rookie-broker standbys as International Business Machines (IBM), Caterpillar (CAT) and FedEx (FDX).

And tape watchers have begun to note better action in the shares of such rookie-broker standbys as International Business Machines (IBM), Caterpillar (CAT) and FedEx (FDX).

And tape watchers have begun to note better action in the shares of such rookie-broker standbys as International Business Machines (IBM), Caterpillar (CAT) and FedEx (FDX).

Among the favored stock picks are Charles Schwab (SCHW) and TD Ameritrade Holding (AMTD). Jim Tierney, portfolio manager of the W.P. Stewart Growth Fund (WPSGX), is a fan of Schwab, citing its competitive costs and ability to cause disruption in the brokerage community. Schwab is forecasting 8%-10% organic growth in assets, and Tierney sees the stock "easily" getting to the mid-20s from 17.61 last week. Brian Angerame, a portfolio manager at ClearBridge Advisors, is also a fan of Schwab and TD, on the thesis that investor behavior is changing. "It will be generational. Have I started changing? Everyone has."

As the recent rally demonstrates, there will be opportunities within the stock market to play this new theme. One group that may benefit is online brokerages catering to independent advisors and individual investors. These advisors could see an inflow of cash because they offer such a wide variety of investments at low fees. Among the favored stock picks are Charles Schwab (SCHW) and TD Ameritrade Holding (AMTD).