“Here's three stocks making nice moves that seem to have bottomed: Fortune Brands (FO), Masco (MAS) and Black & Decker (BDK). These unlikely three, all early-cycle stocks, have been moving up with the HGX and are really starting to break out, particularly Masco. These are all fine firms that have been clubbed relentlessly because of their exposure to housing, but, alas, might be generating some performance for a bit. I owned Black & Decker for Action Alerts Plus but got in it too soon before the huge downturn in housing that occurred before the July 15 bottom. You can see that it got to the mid $50s and then was able to top relentlessly lowered earnings estimates, which led to a nice move. It's just had a little retracement, but acts well now. In fact it acts a bit like Sears (SHLD). Masco bottomed right on July 15th--boy was that day bad--and it has had a monster move, the only one of these that seems to have come too far too fast, considering it's just really a glorified cabinet and bathroom appliance maker. But it is a well run one. The stock that might be most intriguing but has been a big disappointment is Fortune Brands, a company addicted to buying back stock that has a liquor division that should be helping it more, as you can see from looking at a chart of Brown Forman (BF). This one, if you can handle some earnings shade down that some bull might have to give you on the sell side, is probably the most attractive of the three. I wish it didn't have that golf division. Golf without Tiger is sinking fast. But that's probably not enough to cause a further decline in the numbers. I think this group is still another one that people want to rotate back to because the multiples are so cheap and the downside seemingly quantified by what might be a 2009 housing bottom. If we have 300 days left of housing pain--my stick the neck out call--I think it is too early to load the boat up. But this group seems to be a good one to go to on the next big bank failure. One by one, the bottoms get put in even after the action overall remains one step forward and another step back. And don't think the shorts that hate this market have gone away for a minute. You get one more round of whacks at a Lehman (LEH) or a Citigroup (C) or a Goldman (GS). Remember, all but one analyst has to cut numbers severely, plus a rumor that the FDIC is broke coupled with a Barron's article that says Fannie Mae (FNM) common gets wiped out--remember that?--and you get a chance at lower prices.

From a recent Mad Money show: "This is a fertilizer company and I'm concerned. I don't like that sector right here, I'd trim your position."

From a recent Mad Money show: "I don't know why this stock is so low. The market is wrong. It's got a lot of divisions that are doing well, I like it."

From a recent Mad Money show: "I have a good call of this one. Their financials are opaque. I think they'll need more capital, but I don't trust them."

From a recent Mad Money show: "I bought some for my charitable trust. They've got growth and a buyback. I like it."

From a recent Mad Money show: "I like it. People are throwing this one away, but it's just fallen too low."

From a recent Mad Money show: "I think this is one of those moments where we have to wait and see. I think you buy some and wait. I want to bank with Verizon."

From a recent Mad Money show: "No, no, no. I don't want to be there. Ever since they got spun off, I've felt like there's just not enough there."