Author Description

This is the eleventh year of publication for this 'must-have' reference for Australian sharebuyers. Once again, popular finance author, Martin Roth, runs the Top 500 companies through his exhaustive selection criteria. This year due to a buoyant sharemarket and a record company reporting season, 115 companies have met the tough criteria for entry to the book?37 of them new from last year - the most ever. There are some noteworthy differences to Top Stocks 2005: * Nine resource stocks make an entry when, traditionally, so few are able to make a profit and pay a dividend for five consecutive years?among the conditions for inclusion in the book. * For the first time, there is a cluster of high-tech companies?only four of them, but in most editions of the book there have been none. * There is a listing of 'superior stocks'?those companies in the book that have achieved five-year records of an average return on equity figure of more than 15% and annual average growth in earnings per share of at least 15%.Top Stocks is written for investors who know that there are many excellent companies out there?companies that seem to prosper through good times and bad?but they are just not sure which ones they are, apart from some obvious names. In the past the author has successfully dropped stocks - notably Harris Scarfe, HIH Insurance and more recently Sons of Gwalia?which did not meet the selection criteria and shortly afterwards it has become apparent why.