mary kay ash



Abby Joseph Cohen, one of Wall Street's most respected analysts, has a demure appearance, accentuated by the inclusion of a strand of pearls in one Wall Street Journal hedcut—that testifies to the understated modesty of her financial power. Described as a "visionary" by one client, Cohen, a member of Goldman, Sachs, & Co., consistently predicted the market's strong performance in late 1990s. Her recommendations are so influential that when false reports spread in December 1996 that this "bull" had suddenly become "bearish," a selling frenzy erupted at the New York Stock Exchange until Cohen could publicly discount the rumor.

Cohen has managed to combine career and family. Her children's Silly Putty actually helped her develop an insight into the behavior of the economy in the early 1990s. While working at home one day, Cohen observed that the typical "S" curve of the market had been stretched out into a longer curve with less dramatic highs and lows, and dubbed the cycle the "Silly Putty economy." Cohen resists the label of "guru" and remains cautious about the implications of her success, explaining in one interview: "I've not sought this. I'm uncomfortable when my thoughts get boiled down into soundbites."