increased by 6 percent to 17 cents per share, payable on July 31, 2009 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 20, 2009.

7:30

C.R' Bard, which makes medical, surgical, diagnostic and patient-care products from catheters to IV systems, also looks solid. "They have more than 10,000 products, but there is no single product they will either live or die by," says Willey, who describes the company's products as "mid-tech." "These aren't heart-replacement or cardiac implants," he says. "The vast majority of what they sell is not part of the hospital's capital budget; [it's] part of the operating budget, and that's a good thing in this environment." Bard earned $1.09 a share in the third quarter, versus 96 cents a share 12 months earlier, on net sales of nearly $617 million -- up 13%. Its international business, currently about 32% of sales, is growing. And two of its largest sales categories, vascular and oncology, each posted 20% growth in net sales. Offerings include stents and catheters as well as biopsy products. The shares trade at about 15 times the $5.06 analysts expect Bard to earn next year, below its median forward price/earnings ratio of 21.5.

But for those who think that the decline in commodities is signaling total collapse of the economies, then these will work. Schering-Plough (SGP)? I don't know ... I like Gilead (GILD), which is on fire. Abbott (ABT) had a great quarter. Bard (BCR) and Becton (BDX)? The latter, thought of as a resin play, seems particularly good for the moment.

You can do one of two things: You can attempt to have a longer-term view on the stocks that are doubling and halving, or you can steer clear of all of the nonsense and find the General Mills (GIS) and the C.R. Bards (BCR), the Celgenes (CELG) and the Becton Dickinsons (BDX).

7%

Good medical company

On Thursday we've got C.R. Bard (BCR), the bard, a Cramer fave that could end the winter of our discontent, as well as Becton (BDX). They're two medical device stocks. I like 'em both, and want to buy on any weakness.

C.R. Bard Inc. said Wednesday it authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of its common stock.

The medical technologies developer trades for 14x cash flow.

CR Bard (BCR) was downgraded from Outperform to Peer Perform, Bear Stearns said. Challenges in the surgical division are likely to linger into 2008.