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While the broader stock market has been alternating between hope and despair over the past couple of weeks, Tim Hortons Inc. has been on a quiet tear. The coffee-and-doughnut chain broke the $50 barrier for the first time ever on Tuesday, blasting as high as $51.25. The winning streak is equally impressive: The stock has risen for seven consecutive days, for total gains of 12 per cent.

Not bad at all in a zig-zagging market, and one that certainly raises a question: Why? Analysts have been pretty quiet on the stock recently, with Scotia Capital's Patricia Baker merely reiterating her "sector outperform" recommendation on Sept. 23.

But what's interesting is that similar stocks have also been seeing nice gains in recent action. Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. , which went public at the end of July, has risen in 11 of the past 12 trading sessions, with total gains of 17.7 per cent. Starbucks Corp. (the high-end coffee chain) and McDonald's Corp. (which has been pushing aggressively into the coffee market) have seen choppier trading sessions. However, both have gained 11 per cent since their recent lows on Aug. 8 – or nearly double the pace of the broader market.

With many investors betting that the global economy is heading into another recession – yes, despite a broad, upbeat rally among economically sensitive stocks on Monday and Tuesday – it seems that coffee shops are destined to be ideal havens.

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