Every day, the sun rises on Wall Street, and a plethora of professional analysts wake to issue new opinions on stocks. Here at the Fool, we use our "This Just In" column to examine some of these picks -- and the track records of the firms behind them -- so individuals can make better investing decisions.

In addition to following professional banks, anyone can use Motley Fool CAPS to monitor the collective opinions of more than 130,000 members, many of whom demonstrate better investing insight than published analysts do.

Lately, more top-performing CAPS members have turned bullish on AK Steel (NYSE:AKS) -- enough, in fact, to upgrade the stock from the two- and three-star ranks it has held over the last several months to a more formidable four stars. A total of 777 members have weighed in on AK Steel, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.

The decline in global steel demand has put a little lead in the saddle of producers such as AK Steel, Nucor (NYSE:NUE), and US Steel (NYSE:X). They've responded with major cutbacks in production. But AK Steel is insulated somewhat from the current prices of some inputs. It's running lean on raw materials and likes its inventory position at this time, since management expects pricing on materials such as iron ore pellets to work in its favor in the future. But the price of another input -- coking coal -- is under upward pressure: BHP Billiton's (NYSE:BHP) recent agreements with Japanese steelmakers have coking coal prices at historic levels, which could benefit met-coal producers such as Teck Cominco (NYSE:TCK) and Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF).

Fanning a little more optimism, the finance director of miner Rio Tinto (NYSE:RTP) recently said that the crash in metals prices may have nearly run its course, meaning that prices of AK Steel's output could rise. Many investors also expect to see positive effects from Chinese and U.S. government infrastructure spending. In the meantime, some Wall Street analysts and many CAPS members take comfort in AK Steel's strong balance sheet, relative to its peers. While some predict continued steel-price pressure, the current price of AK Steel has not been seen in years, which has many CAPS members disagreeing with Jim Cramer and sounding a bullish tone. Overall, 93% of the 777 CAPS members rating AK Steel expect it to outperform the market.

To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about AK Steel -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS and have a look.

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