If you do not own Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) already, you were not listening last year when I was ranting and raving every month why this was a must-own stock. It was one of my favorites last year, remains one of my favorites now and looks to have an open road ahead of it in 2008.

Valero's profit margins were squeezed in the second half of 2007 by high crude prices rising while pump prices were stable, but that is likely to change, and I think the stock can continue to appreciate significantly. It may not change fast , as the economy is going through some rough spots. Also, VLO, which is reporting earnings on January 29, may still have some lingering margin issues.

Last year this was one of my top picks and jumped 36%. I rarely make specific predictions as analysts tend to do, but I feel comfortable stating VLO can beat all the major indices. Everything I liked about Valero last year is still in play now, so I'm letting this winner ride.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"Pool Corp. (NASDAQ: POOL) is my favorite speculative idea for 2008," says Nathan Slaughter, editor of Half-Priced Stocks. "Pool Corp. is the world's largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies -- selling more than 100,000 different products from a nationwide network of 285 customer service centers.

'Sales have advanced 21% annually over the past decade, and earnings have more than kept pace -- climbing at a stellar 34% clip. Naturally, all of this has translated into hefty gains for shareholders, with the stock soaring almost 1,000% over the past ten years.

"In recent months, though, the company has been an indirect victim of the sluggish housing market, as a slowdown in new home construction in key markets like Arizona and California has forced management to trim back its full-year earnings guidance.

"However, don't let this short-term weakness cloud the sunny long-term outlook. The vast majority of the company's business is tied to maintenance for older pools. Only around one-third of its revenues stem from new pool construction -- and the bulk of that comes from existing homes, not new ones.

But wait ... there's more! In the giving spirit of the holidays, here's a bonus pick for bargain-hunters looking for stocks under the $10 threshold. Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ: SWKS), manufactures semiconductors that are used primarily in wireless telephone handsets and infrastructure products. Nearly 40% of the company's sales are thanks to Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Sony Ericsson Mobile.

The firm has been a solid performer in the earnings confessional of late, topping analysts' expectations consistently for the past five quarters, by an average surprise of nearly 15%. On November 1, the company reported fourth-quarter profit of $22 million, or 14 cents per share, a penny above Street expectations and a welcome change from a year-ago loss of $96.4 million (60 cents per share). Looking ahead to the current (first) quarter, SWKS officials targeted first-quarter profit -- excluding items -- of 15 to 17 cents per share.

It's time to wrap up our list of 10 stocks under $10. The list was culled from a large grouping of momentum names that have outperformed on a relative-strength basis during the short and intermediate term. The selection was filtered to eliminate any stocks trading above the $10 region, naturally, and then adjusted for other fundamental, technical, and sentiment factors. I hope you've had fun learning about some potential bargains for your portfolio and hearing the stories behind some equities that you've likely not come across in your daily investing research.

The last entry (and these have been in no particular order, by the way) is Allos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ALTH). The pharmaceutical company is hard at work on technology that improves existing cancer medications. According to Hoovers Online, ALTH's current lead drug candidate -- PDX -- is in trials to combat T-cell lymphoma. Some of the firm's other proposed treatments work to fight solid tumors and lymphoma.

General Moly (AMEX: GMO) is a mining company that specializes in mineral development and exploration in central Nevada. On November 19, the company announced a strategic alliance with ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), which includes MT's purchase of 8.2 million shares at $8.50 per share, for a net investment of about $70 million. After this transaction, MT will own roughly 12.6% of GMO's outstanding shares. GMO will in turn supply approximately 6.5 million pounds of molybdenum each year for five years once its Mt. Hope deposit begins production.

GMO shares have been moving higher since February, when they collided into their 10-month and 20-month moving averages after months of sideways consolidation. Since this impact, the stock has nearly quadrupled in value to hit a new all-time high.

Currently, from a shorter-term perspective, the stock is pulling back to test double-barreled support around the $8.50 level. Not only is this the site of the security's July 2007 valuation (former resistance can come back and serve as support), but it is currently home to GMO's rising 10-day moving average as well.

Ampal-American Israel (NASDAQ: AMPL) is a Massachusetts-based holding company with interest in more than a dozen Israeli and Israeli-related firms. The company's niche business is commercial real estate and the leisure industry, including retail outlets. Earnings at AMPL jumped to $11.9 million in the third quarter -- or 22 cents per diluted share -- compared to the net loss of $1.8 million swallowed in the previous year.

AMPL shares have moved 47% higher in the past 52 weeks, compared to a 4% increase in the S&P 500 Index. The equity's relative-strength showing has indeed been stellar, and has improved as well during the last several weeks. Since September 18, AMPL shares have ridden their 10-day and 20-day moving averages higher to post a gain of 33% in slightly more than 2 months. The recent market pullback has had little impact on the shares, which have continued higher even while the broader market has stumbled.

Art Technology Group (NASDAQ: ARTG) dabbles in the fine art of business, providing software that helps with customer-service needs, including online-sales management. Included on the firm's roster of past and present clients are Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Citibank (NYSE: C), and Target (NYSE: TGT).

When the company last visited the earnings confessional in late October, it reported a 64% jump in revenue to $35.9 million, thanks in large part to gains in services revenue. For fiscal 2007, ARTG expects to bank revenue of $130 million to $133 million, with a small net loss of $5 million to $7 million expected for the full year as well.

For much of the past decade, ARTG has struggled in penny-stock territory. From early 2002 through early 2006, the stock enjoyed precious little movement north of the $2.00 zone. Currently, thanks to some recent solid price action, ARTG shares are trading in territory not explored in nearly six years. In the wake of last month's earnings report, the stock spiked higher to overtake its April 2006 peak and pass the $4.00 level.

Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ: INCY) is our next pick from the single-digit sect, and it's not a play for the squeamish. The company is part of the frequently volatile biotechnology industry, and focuses its efforts on drugs that inhibit specific enzymes thought to cause cancer, diabetes, and other serious maladies. After abandoning its DFC medication, designed to help patients with HIV, the company has focused its efforts on a number of other treatments in the pipeline. A successful clinical trial could result in impressive gains in the stock, while another disappointment could send the shares unraveling.

But for now, the stock looks like a nice potential play for an aggressive trader. The stock has been in rally mode since early August, aside from a slight pullback that petered out a few weeks ago. From early August through mid-November, INCY shares had increased more than 80% and toppled several layers of technical resistance.

Currently, the stock is consolidating some of its recent gains as it tests its 10-week moving average. This trendline coincides with chart support at the $8.00 mark, representing the equity's April 27 peak. This level served as resistance seven months ago but may reverse roles and act as support this time around, especially as its presence is bolstered by the 10-week trendline.

With a name like Medical Staffing Network Holdings (NYSE: MRN), it's easy to guess what the company's core business is. MRN coordinates with temporary nurses and other medical support staff and places them where needed, such as hospitals and nursing homes. In the past 12 months, the company has posted year-over-year revenue growth of about 60%.

In terms of relative strength, MRN is among the most potent names on this grouping of single-digit stocks, especially in the short term. Compared to the broad-market-tracking S&P 500 Index, the stock has outperformed by a margin of nearly 135% in the past 20 trading days. Relative strength for the 40-day and 60-day periods is impressive as well.

Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ: BEXP) explores for oil and gas across the Anadarko Basin, the Texas Gulf Coast, and West Texas. According to Hoover's, since its founding in 1990, the company has drilled more than 731 wells. Additionally, BEXP was one of the first small independent exploration/production concerns to utilize 3-D seismic imaging technology in its business.

On November 6, BEXP reported third-quarter earnings (before items) of 8 cents per share as revenue jumped 20% to $31.1 million. Analysts were expecting per-share results of 6 cents on $31 million in sales.

Since forming a bottom around the $4.20 level in early August, BEXP has shot solidly higher along the support of its 10-day and 20-day moving averages. This rally has additionally enabled the stock to muscle above its 20-month (200-day) moving average. In fact, the stock ended October above this trendline, the first such monthly close north of this threshold since December 2006.

Cleveland-based CBIZ Inc. (NYSE: CBZ) offers its services to companies that prefer to outsource some services such as tax preparation, insurance and benefits administration, and IT consulting. The stock has been a strong momentum name in recent months, steadily rising 37% higher since early August. During this monster uptrend, the stock has successfully held the support of its 10-day and 20-day moving averages.

Last Friday (11/16), CBZ overcame its May 2006 peak to topple double-top resistance and hit its highest level since December 1999. Indeed, the shares haven't traded out of single-digit territory since last millennium, but the time could be nigh. In fact, the 10 threshold is less than 10% away.

As its name would imply, TriQuint Semiconductor (NASDAQ: TQNT) is in the chips business. The company maintains a niche in the competitive field by using materials other than silicon to manufacture circuits for use in cell phones, fiber-optic equipment, and other technology. Specifically, TQNT manufacturers its devices with gallium arsenide (GaAs), which can operate faster and more efficiently than its silicon rivals.

After a rough fall from the top along with the rest of the technology sector during the early part of the decade, TQNT has started to show some renewed strength. The equity's relative strength compared to the S&P 500 Index has been impressive of late, with the shares outperforming the broader market since early April.

To keep below the $10 threshold on our first pick, investors may need to get in while the getting is good. Bruker BioSciences (NASDAQ: BRKR) is growing ever-closer to double-digit territory, and now may be the opportune time to open a position. The company develops and manufactures equipment and tools for use in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields.

During the past year, sales have grown by nearly 47%. At the company's last earnings report on October 29, the firm said net income jumped to $8.66 million, or 8 cents per share, from $2.98 million (3 cents per share) in the year-ago period. Excluding items, BRKR banked 6 cents per share, or a penny better than Wall Street's consensus estimate.

This week's Barron's examined Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) as a value play. Having written multiple posts enumerating many of the same points over the last couple of months, it seems that there is not much left to be said, except to simply lay out the Harley Bulls vs. Bears points.

The Bull story is that Harley-Davidson remains a world-class brand name, selling at a discount to its historic P/E and the average of the market. It has a high 40% return on equity, a clean balance sheet, excellent management, double-digit growth in foreign markets, and will maintain its profit margins through its carefully managed (now reduced) production cycles. It also has relatively predictable income from the sale of replacement parts, licensed products and its finance company.

The Bears think the Bulls are full of it, and that Harley's past its prime just like the Baby Boomers that continue to be the lifeblood of the company. The average buyer is a 46-year-old white male, and that market can not sustain Harley going forward. They also argue that, costing an average of $14,000, these bikes are the wrong product in a market where consumer discretionary spending is waning as talk of a possible recession lingers on.

"Since the first 'one-armed bandit' was introduced in the late 1800s, slot machines have become a thriving multi-billion dollar global industry," says says Nathan Slaughter. "And International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is the '800-pound gorilla' in the slot machine industry" he explains in his Half-Priced Stocks.

And while he notes that the earliest slot machines were crude mechanical devices, the latest are "technological marvels," equipped with rich high-resolution plasma monitors, stereo surround-sound speakers, live streaming video, and other features.

And looking ahead, Slaughter explains, there are other exciting developments on the horizon to look forward to -- such as server-based gaming, where entire banks of slot machines connected to a central server can be reconfigured instantly.

In Nevada, he notes, slot revenues surpassed those generated by blackjack and other table games in 1981 and never looked back. Last year, he observes, they accounted for 66% of total casino revenues statewide.