Google, Inc. (GOOG) may not be scaring Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) to the bone just yet, and many pundits continue to believe that PCs -- the way they've always been -- will largely remain in Microsoft's grasp.

But how wrong that perspective is.

If you haven't already and you can tolerate moderate risk, now's the time to purchase shares of The TJX Companies (TJX) and I'm reiterating my buy rating, first recommended on June 22, 2009 at a price of $21.48. If you bought TJX in June, you're up about an impressive 80%.

Off-price family apparel and home fashion retailer TJX (operator of the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods chains) is in the discount retail sweet spot: it's poised to gain market share in the era of the 'frugal consumer.'

Dell, Inc. (DELL) has been beaten up verbally recently, and its stock price has plummeted as well. The company's latest quarter was nothing to write home about, and there is talk that Dell's edge has long since been dulled and the company is a lumbering giant unable to do anything more than sell and service commodity products. The recent Perot Systems acquisition is more a defensive move than an offensive one, for example. So, is Dell floundering? In many ways, definitely yes.

H.J. Heinz Co. (HNZ), one of the world's largest food companies, is scheduled to discuss its fiscal second-quarter 2010 financial results in a conference call Tuesday, November 24, at 8:30 AM ET, hosted by CEO William R. Johnson. You can see the accompanying slides on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in October, Heinz partnered with the World Food Program and also declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the Pittsburgh-based company to report that earnings for the period fell 19.5% from a year ago to $0.70 per share. But revenue for the quarter is expected to total $2.6 billion, about the same as last year.

Is a continued weakening in the dollar in the first half of 2010 a fait accompli? Not so fast.

The median prediction in Bloomberg's survey of as many as 43 strategists shows the dollar gaining against the euro, British pound, yen, Swiss franc, and Swedish krona by September 30, 2010, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

Today started out strong and stayed positive all day, even if some commented that the highs were not held. The weak dollar helped commodities and helped stocks. A 10.1% October sales rise by the National Association of Realtors by those trying to get the home buyer tax credit didn't hurt either. Ditto for a reiteration that the recession is over.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,450.04 +131.88 (1.28%)
S&P 500 1,106.13 +14.75 (1.35%)
Nasdaq 2,175.96 +29.92 (1.39%)

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Unlike France, the United States did not build nearly enough nuclear power plants in the last two decades of the 20th century to accommodate its power needs, and it will spend the next two decades playing catch-up, which is why I'm reiterating my buy rating for Entergy Corp. (ETR), first recommended on May 12, 2009, at a price of $74.31.

Entergy, the second largest nuclear power generator in the U.S. (30,000 megawatts) will be a part of that mix, with its regulated utilities likely to register average earnings per share growth of 5% to 7% over the next three years. Meanwhile, the planned spin-off of its non-utility-regulated nuclear business, called Enexus, holds the promise of even stronger revenue and earnings growth. The First Call FY2009/FY2010 EPS estimates for ETR are $6.37 to $6.70.

We all got used to hearing about peak oil, especially after a whistleblower recently alleged that the International Energy Agency has downplayed a looming oil shortage to appease the U.S. and prevent panic buying. What we haven't heard much about is the looming uranium shortage. Last week, Michael Dittmar, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, said that the world is running out of uranium and nobody seems to have noticed.

The International Atomic Energy Agency forecast last year said that power generated from nuclear plants could double by 2030 as governments look to alternative energy sources. So while there is great investment in nuclear power, uranium is not plentiful.

Medtronic Inc. (MDT), a leading maker of implantable biomedical devices, is scheduled to release its fiscal second-quarter financial results Tuesday, November 24, before the market open, and then to discuss those results in a webcast at 8:00 AM ET. You can catch the live webcast at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in October, Medtronic was once again named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, settled a patent lawsuit, and announced management changes. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this Minneapolis-based company to report that earnings for the period rose 9.5% from a year ago to $0.74 per share. And revenue for the quarter is expected to be 5.0% higher to $3.8 billion.

So remember when a bunch of banks got into trouble because they were overly-reliant on short-term debt and when they couldn't refinance it quickly, they had to either file for bankruptcy protection or get bailed out?

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that "Moody's Investors Service research shows that the average maturity of U.S. banks' wholesale debt has fallen to 3.8 years, from 5.8 years in 2006 and 7.8 years in 2002. These banks face $2 trillion of wholesale debt maturities through 2015, but about three-quarters of this amount comes due by the end of 2012."

Once a dominant global tech company, Nortel is now in the grueling process of liquidating its assets. For example, over the weekend the company conducted an auction to unload its Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) division.

The winner? It was Ciena (CIEN), which has agreed to shell out $769 million for the asset. The other bidder was Nokia Siemens.

It was a heated auction, as Ciena's original bid was at $521 million.

After meandering for most of the summer, Nike Inc.'s (NKE) stock has accelerated above its 50-day moving average, and that's one reason I'm Reiterating my Buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on May 12, 2009 at a price of $50.98. If you bought NKE in May, you're up about 27%.

Look for Nike to record a roughly 7-9% earnings gain in 2010, aided by emerging market sales gains. What's more, the major source of institutional investors's (IIs') concern this summer – U.S. sales – appears to be fading: 2010 U.S. sales will likely drop 2-3%, due to the continued 'frugal consumer' trend – a down year but certainly not a disaster, for NKE, which does about 60% of its business outside the U.S. The First Call FY2010/FY2011 EPS estimates for NKE are $3.65 to $4.01.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX - option chain) stock is trading lower today after an article in Barron's (subscription required) over the weekend said the company could see trouble ahead if its experimental epilepsy drug, which is undergoing the regulatory review process, is not profitable enough to offset declining royalties from its hepatitis C treatment. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on VRX.

This morning, VRX opened at $32.15. So far today the stock has hit a high of $32.95 and a low of $31.88. As of 11:30, VRX is trading at $32.07, down $1.21 (-3.6%). The chart for VRX looks bullish.

The march toward year end continues as three more stocks are reviewed in a search for the eventual 2010 stock picks. This year there will be nine stocks with a new wrinkle, I will add one naked put.

These options have contributed to a mind-boggling return on my 2009 portfolio, exceeding 200% to date. This has been a very unusual year, and I bet against the rampant fear in the market. I will not pretend for a moment that this is repeatable. What I will do is share my opinions and investing adventure, hoping to stimulate investor interest and dialog.

Just about a year ago, the shares of Diedrich Coffee (DDRX) were trading around 30 cents. Since then, it's been an incredible ride as the shares have reached $33.

Over the past month, Diedrich Coffee has actually been the target of a heated buyout battle from Peet's Coffee & Tea (PEET) and Green Mountain Coffee Roaster (GMCR). In fact, Monday Peet's upped its bid to $32 or $265 million. Investors think the bidding is not over, though.