Barron's has a recent money manager poll that shows bullishness among many money managers, despite their forecast of a recession and small profits through 2009. Managers also select some stocks the think will do well in the difficult environment, here are some highlights. A Sunnier Season

IT MUST REALLY TAKE A LOT TO SCARE AMERICA'S money managers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down by 30%. Credit is near-impossible to get. A global recession looms, and the cost to clean up Wall Street's mess is climbing into the trillions. And yet, against these odds, 50% of the investment pros responding to our latest Big Money poll say they're bullish or very bullish about the stock market's prospects through the middle of next year.

John Fox, a portfolio manager at Fenimore Asset Management in Cobleskill, N.Y., which manages $1.5 billion. "We're seeing a lot of forced liquidation," he says. "For a lot of people, just being able to stand pat gives them an advantage."

Fox sees bargains in several debt-free companies, including Vernon Hills, Ill.-based Zebra Technologies (ZBRA), a maker of specialty printers, which trades around $20 a share. The company has $4 a share of cash, and is expected to earn $1.73 a share this year. Phoenix-based trucking outfit Knight Transportation (KNX) is another favorite; it trades for $15, and is expected to earn 64 cents in '08.

Tim Call, a portfolio manager with Capital Management in Richmond, Va., sees promise in various financial groups, including insurance. He also likes Principal Financial Group (PFG), a Des Moines-based leader in servicing small and mid-range 401K retirement plans. The company trades for only four times 2009 expected earnings. "Don't look for banks," he says, noting insurers are "in better shape and just as oversold."

WHEN IT COMES TO INDIVIDUAL stocks, the managers gave their biggest votes of confidence to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) and General Electric (GE), to which the Great One recently gave a $3 billion helping hand. The managers also cast their votes for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM), whose shares have been decimated this year, and Wells Fargo (WFC), a much-admired survivor among the nation's biggest banks.

Disclosure: The Div Guy owns shares of GE at the time of this post.