Keeping the world's capital markets well-oiled and running smoothly isn't an easy job, but it's definitely one that pays well. Under normal circumstances, Wall Street icons like Morgan Stanley seem to print their own money. Thanks to Stock #2, retail investors can sit on the same side of the table as the big boys.

As we all know, the financial sector was at the heart of 2008's meltdown. But the market rebounded sharply in 2009 -- and the data point resoundingly in favor of a sunnier economic climate in 2010. As if to reaffirm that outlook, barely a day goes by when a company doesn't hike its earnings guidance for the new year.

This backdrop should provide more fuel for the rally, and rising equity prices are the straw that stirs this powerful cocktail. When stocks are up, investors place more trades with their brokers and funnel more cash into their 401ks. When optimism is high, merger and acquisition activity heats up and IPOs come in bunches.

Stock #2 will ride at the crest of this wave. Its well-rounded portfolio offers investors a stake in two dozen of the world's premier investment banks, exchanges, broker/dealers and mutual fund managers.

You'll get a piece of dominant firms like NYSE Euronext, which is home to $30 trillion in market capitalization and collects bountiful fees for every stock listed and traded on its exchanges. The list also includes State Street, the nation's number one mutual fund custodian and pension plan servicer.

Then there's TD Ameritrade, which handled 431,000 trades a day in August (a sharp +71% increase from the previous year), and Eaton Vance, whose assets under management have swelled to $157 billion from $144 billion during the past couple months.

A buoyant market will only encourage heavier trading volume and mutual fund inflows in the months ahead. Meanwhile, a seismic shakeup in the investment banking business could also play a positive role, as the abrupt disappearance of venerable companies like Lehman Brothers has concentrated market share in the hands of the survivors.

Goldman Sachs -- Stock #2's top holding -- is raking in revenue by the bucketful -- $130 million a day last quarter. Profits more than tripled to reach $3.2 billion, or $5.25 per share. This was no fluke: Earnings from the prior quarter came in at $3.4 billion -- the most ever in the firm's storied 140-year history.

Goldman, Morgan Stanley and others are back to their winning ways. They have confounded the skeptics by churning out mountains of cash even after deleveraging their balance sheets and dialing down risk -- not to mention repaying huge chunks of borrowed TARP money.

Wall Street has cheered the dramatic reversal in the financial sector, but valuations are highly compelling. In fact, most of the fund's key holdings trade at cheap single-digit forward earnings multiples. We think those earnings targets are on the conservative side -- many firms have pared expenses to the bone, so any future revenue growth should fall straight to the bottom line.

Stock #2 already rebounded +100% in 2009, doubling the S&P and outrunning 92% of its category rivals. But there is still quite a bit of ground to make up, and the shares will need to double again from here to retake levels in the lower $70s, where they traded before the bottom fell out. And we think they are ticketed for a return trip in 2010.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

3. Stock #3 - "Consistency Counts"

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Category: Natural Resources Assets:$94M Expense Ratio:0.75% # of Holdings: 286 Recent Price: $33.07 Buy Under: $42 Catalysts: Whenever inflation heats up, there's no better place to park your cash than in tangible commodities -- these stocks posted gains of +400%-plus during the last serious bout. A crumbling dollar and renewed demand from emerging markets like China only strengthen the arguments for commodities producers. Top Five Holdings: Monsanto (5.5%), Exxon Mobil (5.0%), Potash (4.2%), Syngenta (3.4%), Archer Daniels Midland (2.8%)

In November's issue of Market Advisor, we spelled out a number of iron-clad reasons inflation is likely headed higher and the dollar is destined to move lower. These separate but related macroeconomic tidal forces can exert tremendous pull on the market -- and they are both tugging in the same direction.

The environment is starting to look conducive for Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), but history has shown conclusively that there is one asset class that thrives even more under these hostile conditions: commodities.

There are several reasons a depreciating dollar is a sure-fire recipe for rising commodity prices. The simplest is that goods denominated in dollars, like commodities, suddenly become cheaper for foreign buyers. And when inflation is on the rampage, investors like the reassurance of owning hard assets. Instead of watching prices for things like steel and gasoline rise all around you, why not convert your dollars into these commodities directly and enjoy the ride?

StreetAuthority's Tom Hutchison has dug up some illuminating stats on this. When the Consumer Price Index shot through the roof between May 1972 and December 1974, the S&P Commodities Index more than tripled. During the next decade, as stagflation made life miserable for equity and fixed income investors, commodities posted a whopping cumulative return of +479%.

Even if the Fed does manage to keep inflation in check, we believe that good old supply-and-demand fundamentals favor rising prices anyway. With the global economy getting back on track and emerging powers like China swallowing mountains of raw materials, the short-circuited commodities rally will have juice once again.

We're already seeing a taste of that. Oil is back near $80 per barrel, gold has pierced $1,100 an ounce and copper has surged more than +100% to touch a new 13-month peak of $3 a pound. Prices for staples like coal, natural gas, wheat and others could be headed skyward as well.

Investors have a dizzying array of options here, but our odds-on favorite is Stock #3 -- an ETF whose 300-stock portfolio provides one-stop shopping for six distinct commodity sub-sectors.

Top billing goes to the energy sector, where integrated oil & gas giants, offshore drillers and equipment/service providers soak up about 40% of the fund's assets. Elsewhere, shareholders will have a large stake in agricultural firms like Monsanto that supply bio-engineered seeds, fertilizer, irrigation equipment and everything else needed to maximize the yield of farmland.

The portfolio also provides ample exposure to gold and silver producers, along with well-positioned companies like Southern Copper that bring us aluminum, nickel, iron ore and other critical industrial metals. Rounding out the portfolio are holdings linked to coal, steel, uranium and even forest products.

Whether it's to protect purchasing power against the ominous threat of currency debasement or a simple bet on stronger economic expansion, both point to a continued run-up in commodity prices. And as we've said before, the companies that bring us these goods can deliver much "more reliable" gains than the futures pits.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

4. Stock #4 - "This Silver Stock is Set to Soar"

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Business: Silver Mining Enterprise Value:$4.8B Operating Margin:42% Proj. EPS Growth: +12% Recent Price: $16.00 Buy Under: $20 Catalysts: Spurred by inflation worries and increased industrial usage, silver demand is soaring (with silver prices following suit) New purchasing deals will give this company millions of ounces of silver at a rock-bottom cost of only $4 an ounce -- about 75% cheaper than what everyone else pays for silver This company's unique business model lets the firm reap all the benefits of appreciating silver but without the costs of digging and maintaining its own mines

You've probably heard a lot of talk about gold lately -- and for good reason. Gold is an indisputably reliable hedge against economic uncertainty. And given the unsteady dollar and ripe conditions for runaway inflation, it's no surprise that spot prices ascended about +34% in 2009 to hit record levels above $1,170 an ounce.

But you may be surprised to know that silver actually surged more than +60% -- climbing almost twice the rate of its yellow sibling. Yet, silver can still be had for just 1/60th the price of gold, a ratio well beyond historical norms.

My staff and I are confident that silver prices could easily rally another +50% from here. Aside from shielding investors from inflation, silver is also prized for its electrical and thermal conductivity and other unique properties. With commercial applications ranging from photography to medicine, industrial usage eats up approximately 60% of the world's supply each year.

Until recently, the industrial pool of demand has been playing tug-of-war with the inflation/dollar crowd. With economic growth back on track, these buyers will now work together to pull prices higher. Current estimates suggest there are only about 1 billion ounces above ground. Sovereign wealth funds from wealthy Gulf States like Dubai are buying up much of that.

None of this has gone unnoticed by retail investors. According to the U.S. Mint, the public scooped up 16.1 million American Eagle one-ounce silver coins in the first half of 2009 -- a sharp increase of +75% over the previous year. But you can do much better than bullion...

That's where Stock #4 comes in. As the world's largest silver streaming company, the firm buys future silver production from gold miners for relatively fixed prices, often below $4 an ounce. These deals are a win-win for both parties: The mine owners get upfront cash for what they consider to be a byproduct, while Stock #4 gets mounds of silver without having to shell out a penny for mine exploration or maintenance.

Management recently locked up an agreement that will hand over 25% of whatever silver is dug up from Goldcorp's Penasquito mine in Mexico. That deal alone is expected to yield 7.2 million ounces of silver annually for the next 22 years. The firm has 16 other agreements in place that will generate as much as 40 million ounces by 2013.

That increased production could send sales soaring +135% within the next four years without any increase in silver prices. Keep in mind, the company has minimal future capital expenditures, so any incremental sales growth will be converted into earnings.

In a recent quarter, sales of just 4.3 million ounces resulted in a record-shattering cash flow of $45 million, a +70% year-over-year increase. The combination of new deals and buoyant silver will send that total soaring over the next couple years.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

5. Stock #5 - This Stock Gained +151% Last Year and is Poised to Crush the S&P 500 Yet Again in 2010

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Business: Specialized semiconductors Enterprise Value:$1.8B Operating Margin:14% Proj. EPS Growth: +20% Recent Price: $12.26 Buy Under: $17 Catalysts: The convergence of mobile devices and wireless broadband is fueling heavy demand for sophisticated handset chips. The sale of every iPhone represents cash in Stock #5's pocket. The installation of over 150 million automated smart meters during the next five years will lead to $2 billion in annual chip sales that don't exist today. Stock #5 is an emerging leader in this nascent field.

Sometimes the best place for new money is a stock you already own. We remain highly bullish on the near and long-term growth prospects for Stock #5, one of the newest additions to our "Growth" Portfolio.

As a reminder to existing Market Advisor subscribers, this company benefits handsomely from the global migration to iPhones, Blackberries and other feature-rich smart phones. The firm's chips, which are used by all five of the major handset manufacturers to strengthen voice and data signals, have become nearly indispensable in today's 3G world.

With global Smartphone penetration forecast to triple to 60% from 20%, during the next five years orders will pile up even faster.

We just saw a sample of this last quarter. Third-quarter revenue climbed +19% from the prior period and came in several million dollars ahead of the upper end of internal targets. Meanwhile, operating income surged +50% to hit a new company record. Better still, order visibility is crystallizing and management has already upped its outlook for early 2010.

Diligent efforts to break into the wireless utility meter market are about to pay off in a big way now that the Obama administration just pledged $3.4 billion in grants to support smart grid development.

We think this company's CEO is being dead-level with shareholders when he says the firm is facing "powerful, multi-year growth waves" in mobile broadband and other areas. At just 12 times earnings, shares of this fast-growing company are trading at a sharp -40% discount to its +20%-plus projected growth rate.

That discrepancy won't last, and Stock #5 should ring up market-crushing gains in the next 12 months.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

6. Stock #6 - "Capitalize on Growth in China"

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Business: Metals/Minerals Enterprise Value:$209B Operating Margin:32% Recent Price: $74.69 Buy Under: $84 Catalysts: Stock #6 is a veritable commodities supermarket, with huge reserves of oil, coal, metals, diamonds and many other natural resources. The firm has low production costs, a diversified revenue stream, and tight relationships with nearby Asian customers.

While the recession toppled nearly all of the world's major economies, it wasn't much more than a speed bump for China. After a brief pause, the Asian juggernaut is once again driving global growth.

As you might expect, this raw horsepower requires plenty of fuel. So in that sense, the simplest argument is to invest in whatever China needs.

Stock #6 stands ready to fill up the shopping cart. The Australian mining conglomerate is the world's leading supplier of metallurgical coking coal used in steel mills, as well as a top producer of thermal coal needed to fire power plants. But coal is just the beginning.

The company is most noted for its huge cache of iron ore, a critical raw material for steel production. It's also the world's third largest supplier of important base metals like nickel and copper, as well as a top aluminum producer -- handling over 1.3 million tons annually. Other products include lead, zinc, uranium and an array of ores and alloys.

If all that weren't enough, the firm also has oil & gas exploration activities from Algeria to the Gulf of Mexico. All of this is supported by a vertically-integrated network of rail lines, processing plants, ship-loaders and other assets. Every hour, the company can transfer 10,000 tons of ore onto giant vessels for transport to customers around the globe.

Stock #6 is swimming in natural resources -- and the world's hungriest consumer is right in its backyard. Last year China imported over 514 million tons of iron ore, a +37% increase over last year. Meanwhile, it has swallowed 2.6 million tons of refined copper, a surge of +165%.

Some of that stockpiling is speculative, but demand is clearly on the rise, thanks in part to China's massive $586 billion stimulus package.

Australia is arguably the strongest developed market in the world. The country added 40,000 new jobs last month, and it was the first G-20 state with the stability to raise interest rates. This flagship Australian powerhouse has rewarded investors with a gain of +145% during the past 12 months.

But as long as China and other trading partners need fuel to expand, there will be more where that came from.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

7. Stock #7 - "Monopoly Profits"

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Business: Advertising Enterprise Value:$1.4B Operating Margin:45% Proj. EPS Growth: +27% Recent Price: $14.81 Buy Under: $19 Catalysts: After steep cutbacks to advertising budgets, companies of all shapes and sizes will soon spend heavily on marketing to attract new customers. Because theatre advertising is far more effective than other mediums, Stock #7 commands premium rates and is attracting new clients.

Big changes are on the horizon for the healthcare industry -- on that we can all agree. Unfortunately, nobody knows exactly what game-changing developments are in store. At this point, investors need a crystal ball to predict how Washington's inscrutable debate will play out.

But there are a few no-brainers that require no guesswork at all.

I honestly don't know the extent that sweeping regulatory overhauls will alter the playing field. But I can tell you one thing for sure: When you assimilate most of the nation's 47 million uninsured into the system, you get a much bigger system.

Millions of new patients (regardless of who's picking up the check) means a dramatically expanded marketplace for diagnostic tests, surgical procedures and, of course, prescription drugs. Stock #8 will be right in the middle of the action.

The company supplies more than 300,000 doctors' offices and hospitals with vaccines, medical supplies and surgical equipment. It's also the nation's leading drug wholesaler, distributing over $1 billion worth of medicine to pharmacies like Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) each week. About one-third of North America's entire drug supply passes through the company's hands.

Stock #8 has also developed a wide range of software and products to support electronic health records and other digital initiatives -- one of the few reforms that both sides of the political aisle can agree on.

The firm's RelayHealth network is a connective portal that gives doctors, patients, pharmacies and insurance companies secure online access to shared patient information. Among many other uses, this next-generation product can facilitate e-prescriptions and support Internet-based physician consultations.

Only about 1-in-10 hospitals have entered the 21st century and upgraded to electronic record-keeping. President Obama's stimulus package included nearly $20 billion to speed up the transition. Thanks to incentive payments of up to $5 million for those that comply (and costly Medicare reimbursement penalties for those that don't), penetration rates for healthcare IT could soar to 55% for hospitals and 85% for doctors' offices within the next five years.

A "public option" might have insurers nervous, but it won't change things much for Stock #8.

The company already brings in over $100 billion in annual sales. Economies of scale have driven earnings up +65% over the past three years. Once the dust from the healthcare fray has settled, sales volume is headed nowhere but up -- and the stock will likely follow.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

9. Stock #9 - "Undervalued Gem"

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Business: Title Insurance Enterprise Value:$3.5B Proj. EPS Growth: +12% Recent Price: $13.67 Buy Under: $17 Catalysts: Record low mortgage rates, rising home values and an expansion of the homebuyer tax credit will all spur the housing market next year -- and every sale will involve title insurance. After buying several title insurance groups from a bankrupt rival last year for just pennies on the dollar, Stock #9 now controls a commanding 50% share of the market.

As we pointed out earlier, companies around the globe are stepping up marketing efforts to push their products. Stock #9 probably won't be one of them; it has little need to advertise. After all, customers don't choose to buy the firm's title insurance -- they are obligated to.

If you've ever bought a home, then you probably understand the beauty behind Stock #9's business. Banks and other lenders won't hand out a dime without title insurance, which essentially guarantees that a property is unencumbered and the current owners have legal right to transfer the title to a buyer.

In most cases, there is nothing amiss, so the requirement is nothing more than a formality. That's why title insurance companies collect billions in premiums, pay out next to nothing in claims, and typically pocket about 95 cents from every dollar earned.

Of course, this is a transaction-based business. When the real estate market suffers, Stock #9 takes it on the chin. Fortunately, the firm didn't just weather last year's storm; it aggressively bought out a bankrupt rival for around $250 million. Management has already wrung out over a quarter-billion dollars in operational cost savings synergies from the merger.

Not only has the acquisition paid for itself, but it has given Stock #9 control of nearly 50% of the market. And with millions of residential and commercial properties changing hands each year, it's a big market.

The timing of this deal couldn't have been any better. Conditions have already begun to improve. At this point last year, the firm's title volume was running about 136,000 new orders per month. Now, that level is back up to 196,000 and rising.

The company had already generated $4.4 billion in sales through September 2009 -- more than it took in during all of 2008. More important, operating cash flow had totaled nearly $370 million, compared with a loss of $55 million at that point last year.

The future looks even brighter. Existing home sales surged +10.1% in October 2009 to their highest levels since February 2007. Median home values recently rose for the fifth straight month, which will help coax potential buyers off the fence and into realtors' offices.

Sub-5% mortgage rates and an expansion of the homebuyer's tax credit (which now includes a $6,500 incentive for current owners to upgrade) will also remain powerful catalysts.

The market isn't looking too far ahead at this point, and the shares are trading below book value -- meaning the firm's future profits can be had for free. In the meantime, one out of every two "sold" signs in the country means cash in Stock #9's pocket, enabling the firm to pay a generous 4.4% yield.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .

10. Stock #10 - The Agribusiness Sector Is Booming -- But Is Your Portfolio Going Along For The Ride?

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StreetAuthority Catalyst Rating: Category: Agriculture Assets:$1.5B Expense Ratio:0.59% # of Holdings: 46 Recent Price: $42.56 Buy Under: $50 Catalysts: We are on the threshold of a secular boom in agricultural commodities as demand swamps existing supplies, a fertile environment for companies in this sector. Deep-pocketed G8 nations have pledged billions to help developing countries modernize agriculture techniques and optimize farmland. Top Five Holdings: Potash (9.2%), Syngenta (8.0%), Mosaic (8.0%), Monsanto (7.4%), Wilmar (7.3%)

Last August, I told my Market Advisor readers a number of reasons why savvy investors see tremendous upside in agriculture stocks like Monsanto (NYSE: MON).

There are simple demographics: Rising global populations mean millions of new mouths to feed each year. At the same time, demand for biofuels is putting further strain on supplies -- ethanol production ate up more than one-fourth of the nation's corn harvest last year. Finally, rising incomes have led to a profound change in dietary habits from starch to protein.

China's annual per-capita meat annual consumption has nearly tripled to 110 pounds, from 40 pounds in 1980. Of course, chickens and cows must also be fed. In fact, it takes seven pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat. Increased meat consumption has whetted the hearty global appetite for livestock feed, too.

Food, fuel and feed -- three different groups all hungry for the same crops.

Unfortunately, the amount of arable land is shrinking. According to my colleague Amy Calistri, the amount of farmland per person has been cut in half, dropping from 1.1 acres in 1960 to 0.6 acres today.

That means farmers around the world will be challenged to grow more from each acre of soil, and they will need the help of companies like Monsanto to do so.

But the genetically-enhanced seed maker will have plenty of company. To enhance crop yields, farmers will need to spend heavily on fertilizer, tractors, irrigation equipment and other specialized products. You'll find nearly all of the industry's biggest players in Stock #10's holdings.

The portfolio includes well-known names like Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT), whose crop nutrients are becoming vital to India and China. One-third of the world's population lives there, but each acre of farmland spits out less than half that in the United States.

Shareholders will also have a stake in food producers like Tyson, heavy equipment manufacturers such as Japan's Kubota (NYSE: KUB), and processing specialists like China Agri-Industries. Overall, the fund tracks the performance of nearly 50 companies representing over a dozen countries.

With impressive annualized gains of +27%, the agriculture group has been one of the market's top three sectors during the past five years. These stocks were hit hard by the recent downturn and haven't yet gotten back on their feet -- Monsanto, for example, is trading at less than half its former peak near $150 a share.

That has opened up a golden window of opportunity. A rebounding global economy and looser credit will help unlock pent-up demand for fertilizer, seeds and equipment. And a tumbling dollar should only sweeten profits for domestic companies operating in foreign markets.

Let's not forget, the G-8 nations have also pledged up to $20 billion in aid to help struggling emerging markets expand their agricultural output to put more food on the table. And there are several other wild cards that could generate enthusiasm from the investment community -- like a dry monsoon season in India and other supply disruptions.

In any case, demand for food is unwavering, so cash will continue sprouting in the agriculture sector in 2010 -- and we think Stock #10 is the best way to profit.

You'll find complete details on this company -- including its name and ticker symbol -- in our newest in-depth research report, Market Advisor's Top Ten Stocks for 2010 . . .