What do individual investors, money managers, analysts, brokers, and financial writers and editors have in common? All turn to Standard & Poor's, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, for securities information that is second to none. S&P's Guides, totally updated for the year 2000, deliver the same data and analyses used by today's top investment professionals. Each book puts these unique features at the reader's fingertips: Vital data on earnings, dividends, and share prices Key income and balance sheet statistics Exclusive S&P buy, sell, or hold recommendations for each stock Exclusive S&P outlook for every stock's price Computer-generated screens showing superior stock picks in different categories Company addresses, numbers, and names of top officers With an average market apitalization exceeding 20 billion, the companies listed in the Standard & Poor's 500 index are the most watched in America. The S&P 500 - including Microsoft, IBM, Ford, McDonald's AT&T, Boeing, Exxon, and General Electric - are the bluest of blue-chip stocks, stocks that grow and generate increasing dividends year after year. Whether you're an investor seeking to make a smart stock purchase, an executive researching corporate competitors, or a job seeker looking for succinct overviews of potential employers, you'll find critical, often hard-to-find information in Stadard & Poor's 500 Guide, 2001 Edition. Easy-to-use and packed with market intelligence on all 500 of the companies listed in the S&P 500 indes, this handy reference includes: *Buy, sell, or hold recommendations for every stock *A summary of each company's business activity, recent developments, and sales history *Company addresses, telephone numbers, and the names of key corporate officers *Earnings, dividends, and 3-year price charts *Key income and balance sheet statistics *Exclusive Standard & Poor's rankings (from A+ to D) In addition, unique at-a-glance charts highlight: *Stocks with A+ or A earnings and dividend rankings *Companies with five consecutive years of earnings increases *Rapid growth stocks *Companies with fast-rising dividends *Companies with higher dividends in each of the past 10 years With the authoritative analyses and comprehensive data included in this convenient guide, you'll have the expertise of the nation's premier securities information firm right at your fingertips.