Tobacco stocks, especially in the US, are among the few assets that Hugh Hendry, chief investment officer at hedge fund Eclectica, said he likes Tuesday, but he added investors should be prudent as world economies are still in the middle of a deleveraging trend.

Altria Group posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit Wednesday, as price increases helped offset a drop in cigarette shipments related to a rise in the federal tax on cigarettes.

The federal government would for the first time have regulatory powers over the tobacco industry under a bill the House approved Thursday after years of campaigning by anti-smoking forces.

Last week's attempt of a counter-trend rally in the stock market was thwarted by central banks lowering interest rates further and incorporating quantitative easing into their monetary policies, making investments in Gilts and Treasurys more appealing, Robin Griffiths, technical strategist at Cazenove Capital said.

There are good buying opportunities in the equity markets right now, Daniel Stillhart, technical analyst at LB Swiss, told CNBC Monday.

Love em or hate em, for centuries cigars have been the choice tobacco product for millions of smokers and like fine wine, has been universally recognized as a sophisticated vice of the well-heeled connoisseur.  The US spends more than $1 billion a year on the often sneered at stogie and its impact on popular culture has grown with celebrities such as James Gandolfini's character Tony Soprano who was rarely seen without one protruding from his face. Whether you favor the lighter claro wrappers or the darker maduro, a giant-sized churchill or a less assuming panatela, click ahead to see what Cigar Aficionado's Senior Editor selects as his choice sticks for this season.

“Bear markets go from denial to panic to despair," says one strategist. "And we’re at the despair point, which I’m hoping is the last of the stages.”

Wall Street's earnings season continued to reveal a mixed picture Thursday, with a handful of big-name companies either issuing gloomy outlooks or missing projections altogether. But there were some bright spots on the corporate earnings front.

Earnings season continued to be a rough ride for Wall Street, with a handful of big-name companies either issuing gloomy outlooks or missing projections altogether.