Hershey Co. (HSY) and Italian chocolate maker Ferrero SpA said they're reviewing their options about making a joint bid for Cadbury Plc. (CBY) after it was approached by Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT). For their potential offer to succeed, it would have to be higher than Kraft's unsolicited offer of 10.3 billion pounds ($17 billion).

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) said it is launching a $500 million small-business assistance program that includes an advisory panel with billionaire investor Warren Buffett. On Tuesday, Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein apologized for his firm's role in the credit crisis.

At first blush you'd think Kimberly-Clark (KMB) couldn't loose. In both good times and bad, people need Kleenex tissues, Huggies diapers and Scott paper towels.

Of course there's plenty of competition from powerhouse Procter & Gamble (PG) (Charmin, Pampers, Bounty), not to mention store brands. And rising commodity costs are a concern (the super-absorbent polymers that make diapers so effective are synthesized, ultimately, from oil.)

The world's largest publicly traded oil company says third-quarter profit tumbled with crude prices, but like other big energy companies, production is bouncing back.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) reported Thursday that profits from July to September dropped 68 percent to $4.73 billion, or 98 cents per share.

Exxon depends on oil and gas production for more than two-thirds of its earnings. The company's petroleum production increased by 3 percent from the same period last year, though crude fetched an average of $50 less per barrel.

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Procter & Gamble (PG) is probably the strongest consumer-staples stalwart on a U.S. exchange. Long considered one of the best-managed companies in the country (making everything from Tide detergent to Crest toothpaste to Pampers diapers), this component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) has made great strides in shedding lower-margin businesses while buying or building out more profitable ones. (Olay beauty products for $130, anyone?)

As Jefferies & Co. analyst Douglas Lane told clients when he initiated coverage with a buy in September: "[The company's decision] to make fiscal 2010 an investment year provides a powerful catalyst for share outperformance over the next 12 to 36 months. Additionally, the stock has been trading at a market discount recently for the first time since we exited the last recession."