Like many fund managers, Chuck Akre, of FBR Focus (FBRVX), is investing on the assumption of a diminished American consumer. "The consumer is strained, but he won't go away," says Akre, who works in Middleburg, Va., far from the nation's financial centers.
So Akre holds stocks such as CarMax, the leading retailer of used cars, and O'Reilly Auto Parts, which helps auto owners repair their aging vehicles. And then there's California-based 99 Only Stores, which sells only merchandise that costs less than a buck. "Almost everything is diminution in this economy," says Akre.
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