NEW YORK (Fortune) -- How about the Dogs of the Dow theory? Wow! Stocks like Merck (Charts) and especially GM (Charts) are barn-burners this year after sucking wind in '05. Lesson? Companies with real businesses often come back.

WAL-MART: Beast of Bentonville is accelerating and expanding its discount drug program. The discount started just in Tampa, now will be in all of Florida. Company added more drugs. Saw traffic increase 19% at pharmacies in Tampa. I betcha the company expands the program all over. I think this is a real positive for the company. Stock hasn't moved in many moons, (except down). WMT (Charts) is getting cheaper. At some point it moves. Is that now?

GOODYEAR: Big honking strike going on. Some 12,000 union employees walked out at 16 plants across North America. United Steelworkers says company is asking for too much. Goodyear (Charts) is going to try to keep on keepin' on. Has some non-union plants. This company recovered from a near death experience in the 1990s, and again this decade. The last time it came back from low single digits to the mid-teens. I think the money has been made here. Where the rubber meets the road. Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

HARRIS: This company's been around forever. Founded by brothers Charles and Alfred in 1895, the company now is in Melbourne, Fla., and is in the business of communications and info technology. Reader Deep Blue points out that HRS (Charts) is a bit of defense play, secret radio frequency communications being a key biz. Stock's had a huge run since 2003 and it ain't cheap. But sadly, I don't see our defense needs ending any times soon.

BORG WARNER: Want to add to what Fortune's Corey Hajim has on this BWA (Charts). It's a big auto parts maker, based in Auburn Hills, Mich. Of course, this business has been beat up and battered, but the stock has certainly held its own. That's in part because the company "develops strategies and products to manage engines for fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and enhanced performance." Get it? In other words they make cars better! (Went to school with Johnny Borg. Wonder what he's up to now??) Now this stock is cheap!

LOOSE CHANGE: OK! All is well with the world, Hot Tuna's playing at the Beacon here in NYC. Truth be told, I liked 'em better after Papa John Creech left. "Up in the Morning, Watch the North Wind Rise..."... What if the Tigers BEAT the Yankees? Carol Costello will be happy...

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E-mail Andy Serwer at serwer@fortunemail.com and see him on CNN's "In the Money" and "American Morning."

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