2012 Stock Picks

In 2012, the major U.S. stock market indices were all up. The Dow Jones gained about 5 percent, the S&P 500 about 11 percent, and the NASDAQ about 15 percent. The real winners, at least of those invested in S&P 1,500 stocks, were those who bought Headwaters Inc., up 273 percent for the year. And 3D Systems Corp. investors had their pockets bulge with a 260 percent return.