Urgent Evoke - A crash course in changing the world. Moda Entertainment welcomes you to the Official Website of Jazz Legend Duke Ellington. The only 7 investments you need - A blue-chip U.S.-stock fund (1) - CNNMoney.com. First choice: Fidelity Spartan 500 Index (FSMKX) Not so long ago, the idea that U.S. stocks should be at the core of any investment strategy would have been deemed too obvious to discuss. This decade, in which the brutal 2000-02 bear market and the current downturn have left the S&P 500 stuck where it started, may have changed that. Let's review: Since 1967 there have been seven bear markets, with losses ranging from 19% to 49%. Even so, the annual gain for blue-chip U.S. stocks is 10.8% - far outpacing bonds. Those painful but temporary losses are the price you pay for higher potential returns.
And those gains are the best defense against the corrosive effects of inflation. Although U.S. firms no longer dominate the world, their stocks still account for more than 40% of the world's equity value. The best way to own them is through the Fidelity Spartan 500 Index fund. Alternatives: iShares S&P 500 Index (IVV) and Selected American Shares (SLASX ) NEXT: A blue-chip foreign-stock fund. Bloomberg.com financial markets commodities news.