Then, smaller investors, many of whom had been hanging onto battered stocks, started running for the exits.

The company's badly battered stock rose 2.3 percent in Amsterdam trading to close at 5.35 euros ($6.08) a share.

That, of course, sent the battered stocks down further.

But for the first time in four trading sessions, these battered stocks did not dominate the Dow.

Neither the company nor its battered stock showed much reaction.

Still, analysts see long-term promise and an opportunity to buy low in some of these battered stocks.

The battered stocks include some very strong companies tarred with the same brush as weaker concerns.

But the struggling company performed better than the low expectations of analysts, causing a rally in its battered stock.

Even with its battered stock, Merck has a market value of $61 billion, a figure that dwarfs the potential payments.

The company's battered stock rose by 11.4 percent.