"Many analysts feel that we are in a bear market or soon will be; we disagree," says Dan Sullivan. In his The Chartist, the advisor looks at several seasonal and sentiment indicators that remain bullish.

"The overall sentiment amongst individual investors is extremely negative, which in the upside down world of Wall Street is a very healthy sign.

"In their most recent poll, the bearish contingent of the American Association of Individual Investors had 55% in the bearish camp. This means that 55% of the investors polled by AAII expect the market to be lower over the next six months.

"The current bearish reading has only been surpassed on two occasions over the past four years. There were 58% AAII bears back on July 14, 2006. Over the next six months, the Dow posted a gain of 14.79%. And the AAII bearish contingent hit 56% on November 23, 2007, one day before the bottom of the October/November sell-off.

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.

"My more conservative idea for 2008 is MasterCard (NYSE: MA)," says relative strength expert Dan Sullivan in The Chartist. "The card for 'everything else' is the credit card of choice for millions of Americans. MasterCard offers credit payment solutions, processes payment transactions, and also provides consulting services to customers and merchants.

"Despite a sluggish housing market, people are still spending, and for MasterCard, that's great news. The credit giant announced that its third quarter earnings leapt 63%, helped by rising spending volume and the sale of part of its stake in a Brazilian credit and debit card network.

"Third quarter earnings were $314 million, or $2.31 per share, compared with $193 million, or $1.42 a share in the year-ago period. Third quarter results included a $70 million gain from the sale of a stake in Redecard S.A. Revenue rose 20.1% to $1.08 billion.

"MasterCard is owned in the Chartist Aggressive Account and recently broke out into record-high territory. This stock has a highly bullish chart pattern and continues to exhibit tremendous relative strength. We think this stock could be a big winner in 2008."

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.

"First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) is my favorite speculative idea for 2008," says relative strength technician Dan Sullivan, editor of The Chartist.

"First Solar is the fastest growing manufacturer of solar modules in the world. And that's just the beginning. The company manufactures solar modules with an advanced thin film semiconductor process that significantly lowers solar electricity costs.

"Offering clean renewable electricity at affordable prices enables First Solar to provide an economic alternative to peak conventional electricity and fossil fuels.

"The solar module maker recorded a significant increase in revenue, easily beating Wall Street estimates. The company earned $46 million, or 58 cents per share, compared with $4.3 million, or 7 cents per share in the year-ago period.

A long term investor, and not one to be deterred by short, sharp swings in the market, Dan Sullivan has developed one of the advisory industry's most successful track records over some three and a half decades, based on relative strength.

In his newsletters, The Chartist, he says, "Technically it is extremely difficult not to be bullish." He explains, "The advance decline line is at bull market highs along with advance decline volume. Over the past 50 years the advanced decline line has always topped out ahead of the major indexes."

Meanwhile, his latest relative strength Spotlight Stock is Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM). The advisor says, "The Internet created a monster and Akamai helps to tame that monster. It was started as a challenge in early 1995 by MIT Professors, Tim Berners-Lee and Tom Leighton, to invent a fundamentally new and better way to deliver Internet content.

Each year Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, surveys the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is part of his 24th annual Top Picks Report.

International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a favorite speculative pick for 2007 from Dan Sullivan, editor of The Chartist. The advisor, who specializes in relative strength, notes, "IGT is a leading designer and maker of microprocessor-based gaming devices, including video poker machines and video and reel-spinning slot machines.

"Due to its market share, financial strength, and innovative game designs, IGT is well-positioned to benefit from industry growth both in the U.S. and abroad. Many states have -- or are considering -- legalizing or expanding gaming as a way to generate tax revenue. Currently, casino gambling is legal in 20 states. And increasingly slot machines are being introduced to race tracks across the country.

"Also, many of the old-style machines, which are not chip-based, are candidates for replacement as casinos strive to provide the newest and hottest games for their gamblers. Both areas should be a strong revenue source for IGT over the next several years.