Probably one of the craziest suppositions now is to project a 100% gain for U.S. stocks over the next few years. After all, everyone, and I mean everyone is suffering big losses in the market this year and nobody truly believes equities will start a bull market any time soon.

With the economy eroding at an alarming pace, it is no wonder investors are turning away from their former retail haunts filled with trendy, over-priced items.

Stores like Whole Foods (NASDAQ:WFMI) and Trader Joes are watching their customers head to low-cost competitors like Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Safeway (NYSE:SWY).

It is no surprise to see an ultra-cheap retailer like 99 Cents Only Stores (NYSE:NDN) climb its way to the sole spot on the list of companies reaching 52-week highs today. The global economic crisis has actually been the best thing to happen to the company’s share price in a long time.

The rationale behind the positive run is obvious. When the economy is in the gutter, consumers have less money to spend on the things…