King In Bad Times; Barron’s (SF)

“King in Bad Times” - This title is perfect for the St. Louis based brokerage firm Stifel Financial SF. It is a one of a kind firm in the financial services industry, whose stock price has increased 30% since the beginning of 2008, outperforming its industry group and the broader market. According to Barron’s, it has been the number one stock in the industry over the past three, five and ten years despite facing huge headwinds during the financial crisis. The last two years have been extremely difficult for the financial services industry with big firms like Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns & Merrill Lynch going under or being taken over.