The rest of the world is going to help U.S. consumer product manufacturers next year. Look for international growth to push the likes of Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Avon (AVP) and Clorox (CLX) higher in 2010, according to Fitch Ratings. In an interview with Reuters, a director gave the Fitch's outlook for consumer goods.

The household and personal care segments increased revenue every year from 2003 to 2008. So, 2009 was but a bump in the road. Even in a recession, you need toilet paper and shampoo, so expect the spending to come back.

Its sights set on the United States and Asia, South Korea's $30 billion sovereign wealth fund is hunting for equities. Korea Investment Corp. (KIC) doesn't see bonds outperforming stocks over the long term, which is what has prompted the move.

Once the reallocation is executed, equities will account for half of KIC's "traditional" investments. Today, it stands at 40%. High quality equities and fixed income securities comprise 90% of KIC's portfolio, with the rest, one would gather, consisting of "non-traditional" investments.

Have the G-8 nations lost their economic power? This is exactly what James G. Neuger feels may be happening. How can this be, you ask. Aren't the G-8 nations are the wealthiest nations on earth? Yes, that is true, but it is also true that the G-8 countries also hold the the most debt.

Bank bailouts and stimulus programs will explode the G-8 nations' debt to 114% of GDP in 2014. This debt load would be triple that of emerging countries. Even some G-8 members say that the group has lost its grip in this global recession, which left them wounded and unable to carry out the grandiose programs they previously envisioned like the reduction of greenhouse gasses.

The BRIC nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China -- basically the powerhouses of the developing world, recently met to discuss, among other things, the possibility of forming an effort to move away from the dollar as the world's reserve currency.

Among options for consideration: a) a shift to another hard currency, b) a shift to a basket of currencies, and c) the possibility of the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights unit of account serving as the new reserve currency.

Perhaps no other economic phenomenon better characterizes this initial decade of the twenty-first century than the development of -- and GDP growth in -- the developing world.

The economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China -- often referred to as the BRIC economies -- are major reasons why the developing world will grow 6.7% in 2008, far outpacing growth rates in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

New York Times columnist Roger Cohen argues that what we're seeing is not just the development of markets, not just 'the world is flat,' to use the term popularized by his Times colleague Thomas Friedman, but a reversal: the world is upside down. In Cohen's interpretation, the new economic tigers' accomplishments are large, ongoing, and system changing. Moreover, a power shift is occurring from the U.S and Europe to the new engines of growth.

For Cohen, Brazil is the economic model of the age: abundant minerals and crops, investment capital pouring in, a sugarcane-based energy policy, rising personal incomes, and an increasingly prosperous middle class, with plenty of land to mine, to plant, to expand. It is, in many ways, much of what the United States is not in 2008.

Most investors are probably aware that the stock markets of "emerging," or developing, nations have been the big winners so far this year.

Since January, the MSCI Emerging Markets index has outpaced the MSCI World index by a hefty 18.1%.

But even then, the divergence in performance between various regions has been striking, with some of these traditionally volatile markets doing far better than others.

For instance, the "BRICs" -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- have beaten the emerging markets benchmark by 7.7%, while its solely European-based counterpart has lagged by 13.65%, or nearly twice as much.

It just goes to show that when it comes to investing overseas, choosing the right stocks, sectors, and "themes" can really make a world of difference.

Michael Panzner is a 25-year veteran of the global stock, bond, and currency markets and the author of Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes and The New Laws of the Stock Market Jungle.

I've just returned from the World Money Show in Orlando where more than 10,000 investors gathered to learn about global investing. I had a chance to meet with many of the U.S. and foreign financial experts featured at the show, and over the next week I will share some of their top investment ideas. To view all of the stocks featured in this special global report, click here.

"In 2006, investing in BRIC countries -- Brazil, India, China -- was the rage," notes Carl Delfeld, a expert on exchange-traded funds. In his Chartwell Advisors he focuses on Brazil.

"While China and India received most of the attention last year, the iShares Brazil ETF (NYSE:EWZ) was up 45.4% -- not bad, not bad at all. But the lingering question is whether Brazil's economic recovery is sustainable or just another stage in the economic cycle.

"What is most interesting to me is that Brazil's stock market's performance during the past four years is not due to superior economic growth. It has had an annual average growth rate of only 2.6%, about half of world economic growth during the same period. My view is that Brazil has been primarily a balance sheet story supported somewhat by the commodity boom.

"Inflation is muted and was only 3% during 2006. Brazil is almost energy independent, and foreign exchange reserves are now almost $100 billion after paying off its nettlesome IMF debt. In 2006, it recorded a trade surplus of $46 billion, and while interest rates are high, they are beginning to fall.

Tonight on his CNBC show, "Mad Money," investment strategist Jim Cramer talked about why he likes companies that make money outside the U.S.

Wall Street used to focus primarily on what are known as "BRIC" countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China. Now investors should "ROW" he says. That's short for, "The Rest of the World."Stocks without international business should get a black mark, while cyclical American companies that do business overseas deserve a huge premium, he believes.

There are three ROW stocks that Cramer recommended tonight:

1. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT): Not only does it get half of its revenues from outside of the U.S., but it also has also has half of its plants outside the States.
2. E.I. DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD): It gets 65% of its revenues from outside the U.S. Plus, DuPont has a huge agricultural division. The unit is doing well, Cramer says. He also likes that DuPont is a part of the growth of the corn business.
3. United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX): This was Cramer's last of stocks he recommended that make money in The Rest of the World. It has 60% of its revenue from outside the U.S., he says.

Cramer also mentioned on the show that he likes QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM). He believes it is going to the mid $40s. And he said he wants to ring the register at NutriSystem Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRI), which reported fourth quarter earnings that tripled today.

Tonight on MAD MONEY, Cramer went to the past, the future, and predicted it all from the market tape. I know, I'm confused too. He's using the oldest trick in the book: past (market) performance might be, he says, indicative of future results. First up: Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT).

CAT was was $69 Thursday, noted Cramer, and went to $59 Friday; while Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) closed Thursday at $63 and then fell to $60. He wants to focus on the business cycle, he said, and this cycle is at its end.

For CAT, the hit wasn't just because the company missed earnings. He said that the end of the company's cycle may be here for a long time. He also said that the market knew about all the issues, but he said that this feels like the homebuilders did before a huge bottom (he reference TOL and LEN). He thought it was too negative and at this point in the cycle you have to look past the bad news; he likes it is a "BRIC" play (Brazil, Russia, India, China). He said he thinks if you hold it for six months you'll do fine.

On the oil cycle, Cramer went over Schlumberger. Cramer said the natural gas weakness issuer on the conference call became a feeding frenzy. He said the analysts want to rush to downgrade and the company doesn't have any worries. Cramer said you can sell SLB, and you can roll it over into Halliburton (HAL). He thought they posted a great quarter and is at a huge discount on share price and on valuation comparison. He also said you basically are getting the KBR unit of HAL for free.