Sin Stocks in Purgatory: Our gaming picks went bust and tobacco makers got smoked. But Bud proved to be a wiser choice

摘要

OUR FEBRUARY 2008 STORY on "The Virtues of Vice Stocks" was based on solid reasoning: People continue to drink, smoke and gamble no matter what the economy does. Companies that aid and abet two of those three sins have held their own during the present unpleasantness. As a result, our eight picks tied the market, on average: Over the past year through December 5, the stocks lost 41% as a group, matching the decline of Standard & Poor's 500-stock index (not including dividends).