Merrill Corp.

Financial printing experiences its highs and lows as does the stock market. A bullish stock market makes for a bullish financial printing climate. For 1999, fingers are crossed the bulls will be running. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO In 1997, the financial printing market was considered by some financial printers to be the hottest bull market in the history of mankind. Some financial printers dubbed 1997 the finest year ever for financial printing, with mergers and acquisitions in abundance and mutual funds robust. Life was good. Then came 1998—a year in which the bears took over and the stock market treated financial printers with a

With 1999 in sight, the top movers and shakers at the helm of most major publicly held printing companies continue to rank prominently on Printing Impressions' ninth annual executive compensation report, which features 20 of the industry's highest paid executives. Topping the list for the second consecutive year is one of the Top 20's youngsters, 45-year-old David A. Brandon, president, CEO and director of Valassis Communications in Livonia, MI. Brandon's salary and bonus is $2,012,024, plus other compensation of $3,512,568—which places him at the top of the list with a total of $5,524,592 in annual pay for services rendered. Brandon's previous year total compensation