What is lithium? It is a soft, silver-white metal that is a good conductor of both heat and electricity. Because of these properties, lithium is used in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium batteries generate 3 volts of electricity, compared to 1.5 volts for lead/acid or zinc cells.

Lithium is used primarily in the manufacture of car batteries for hybrid cars. These cars are becoming more popular, with the major domestic and foreign car makers using lithium batteries. Hence, lithium has become a highly sought-after commodity.

"Resource-rich, politically stable and increasingly prosperous, Chile is an attractive play on commodities and growing wealth in emerging markets," explains Mark Salzinger, editor of The Investor's ETF Report.

Chile is also a favorite investment position of Nicholas Vardy, editor of The Global Bull Market Alert, who notes, "Thanks to its fiscal prudence, its lack of a domestic housing bubble, and its sizeable wealth reserves, Chile has weathered the current global economic meltdown better than most countries."

Here, the two advisors assess the longer-term opportunity in iShares MSCI Chile (NYSE: ECH), an exchange-traded fund.

With its financial performance and stock price a rare bright spot in a world where most retailers are hitting 52-week lows, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is getting aggressive on the acquisition front - something that hasn't historically been part of the company's growth plan until it started its overseas expansion.

On Friday, Wal-Mart made a cash tender offer to acquire Distribución y Servicio D&S SA (NYSE: DYS), the largest grocery store chain in Chile. If all of the company's shares are tendered, which is unlikely, the deal would be valued at $2.8 billion. The company's largest shareholder, the Ibanez family, which owns a controlling stake, has already agreed to tender 23% of its shares as part of a plan to allow the company to continue to operate with its current management. Wal-Mart reserves the right to withdraw its tender offer if it is unable to lock up at least a 50% stake in the company.

Wal-Mart's strategy for its grand entrances into new markets has been to acquire a leading retail chain to begin the effort with strong market share and gain the confidence of locals.

In a press release announcing the offer, Michael Duke, Wal-Mart's vice chairman explained the move: "Moving into Chile is an important step in implementing Wal-Mart International's strategy. We continue to focus on portfolio optimization, global leverage and winning in every market. A successful tender offer will give Wal-Mart the opportunity to be a significant participant in Chile, which continues to have a strong and growing economy among South America countries."

Long hailed by free market economists as the model for how to create a pension system, news out of Chile that it plans on making payouts to low income seniors, has government interventionists jumping for joy.

The AP writes:

The new $2 billion-a-year program will expand public pensions to groups left out by private pensions - the poor and self-employed, housewives, street vendors and farmers who saved little for retirement - granting about a quarter of the nation's work force public pensions by 2012.

The fact is that this move is the way that governments should generally function. Stay out of things unless there is a real need to do something. No one is of the opinion that low income seniors should be thrown out into the street. Of course they should be helped. I would rather see the community take care of them and set up a network of charity, but if that doesn't work, then the government should step in.

What government interventionists miss is just how successful the 1981 pension reform has been.

What are the best speculations and investments among metals, miners, and other resource plays? To find out, I turned to 20 of the nation's leading newsletter editors, as well as speakers from the recent New Orleans Conference, a leading forum for resource advisors.

Their current top ideas cover a wide diversity of ideas, from gold and silver, from alumina and copper, to platinum and palladium. These picks cover markets from Chile to China and from Canada to Russia. These ideas also range from large cap, well-established, and diversified companies to small cap, development-stage junior speculations.

Readers should only consider these ideas as a starting place for their own research and should keep in mind the caveat that any stock you buy should only be considered within the framework of your own time horizon and risk parameters. Meanwhile, here are 20 different advisors assessing various aspects of the metals, mining, and resources sectors: