Investing

We've seen a lot of sunny solar reports this season. SunPower (Nasdaq: SPWRA) (Nasdaq: SPWRB) set a positive tone, which has been carried on by the likes of JA Solar (Nasdaq: JASO), Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ), and Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE). Strong results, all, but Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) truly stands out from the crowd this quarter.

At times like this, it's hard to count on anything. Banks are still too big to fail, and although Ford (NYSE: F) earned a profit during the most recent quarter, GM is still losing huge amounts of money. People even think the recent rally is on its last legs.

You remember how this story began: Over the years, AIG (NYSE: AIG) sold billions of dollars worth of credit default swaps
-- derivative insurance on pieces of debt -- to banks and investors
around the globe. When that underlying debt turned into confetti, AIG
was on the hook for more money than it could ever dream of having.
Taxpayers jumped in, making the banks and investors whole, to the tune
of about $62 billion.

There are many reasons to love cash-rich retailers, and Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq: URBN)
is sitting on a mound of well-earned dough. The company recently
revealed that it might use that filthy lucre to acquire new brands for
future growth -- a strategy that could either prove profitable or
disastrous.

Never before have foreign exchange concerns been more at the forefront of public awareness than they are right now. If you're not terribly familiar with how currencies work,
however, the conflicting rhetoric you're hearing might make you feel
more confused than a diehard baseball fan watching an international
cricket match for the first time.

Hey there, Fools. I've summoned our Motley Fool CAPS community once again to highlight a few of Wednesday's biggest winners among the stocks with top ratings of four or five stars:

Not every online gaming company is created equal. Just two days after Perfect World (Nasdaq: PWRD) posted breathtaking third-quarter results -- showing off a 55% top-line spurt and a 45% earnings surge -- NetEase.com (Nasdaq: NTES) reported earnings in slow motion.

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 140,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, office REIT Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) has received the dreaded one-star ranking.

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 140,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, fast-food giant McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

It's true. I probably would have shied away from writing a follow-up column if I had screwed up ... but I didn't.