By Roberto Pedone
Posted on Nov. 9, 2009

Financial-Services Bull: Barron’s talks with Anton Schutz, portfolio manager at the Burnham Financial Industries Fund (BURFX), a large-cap financial-services mutual fund he launched in April 2004. Schutz thinks a number of financial-services companies are worth buying, despite the challenges that lay ahead. Among the stocks in his portfolio are JPMorgan Chase (JPM), People’s United Financial (PBCT) and Ameriprise Financial (AMP).

Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Barron’s publishes bullish and bearish stories on a variety of stocks. We present summaries of those stories in this portfolio. This week, there are bullish stories on Altria Group (MO) and JDS Uniphase (JDSU), plus a bearish piece on Apollo Group (APOL).

Research Reports: The latest analyst research reports highlighted by Barron’s, including reports this week on A123 Systems (AONE), Marathon Oil (MRO) and Comstock Resources (CRK).

’Speaking of Dividends’: This Barron’s column highlights the latest dividend increases, initiations and cutbacks. This week there’s information on Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) and Steris (STE).

Latest Activist Purchases: Which companies are the top hedge funds chasing? This week’s list includes names like China Agritech (CAGC), Forest Oil (FST) and FBR Capital Markets (FBCM).