"The commodity bull is awakening," says Curtis Hesler, editor of the Professional Timing Service. The advisor, who focuses on long-term market cycles, explains, "We have been through a long stretch where everything, including gold mining stocks and oil issues, have gone up and down in tandem with the movements in the popular averages (Nasdaq, Dow, S&P 500, etc.).

"We are going to enter a phase now and through 2008 where this will no longer be the case. Next year looks like it will be a very profitable year for commodity-related (real asset) issues, but dismal for financial (paper) assets.

"I am looking for $100.00 crude oil (as well as a move to $850 in gold). This should be the basis for your strategy. The commodity bull will thrive in 2008 at the expense of the general market, and the weak dollar will be no small reason for this.

What are the best energy investments for long-term investors? To answer this question, I surveyed 20 of the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors to find their current favorite ideas in the energy sector.

Interestingly, the advisors see the best opportunities in areas well beyond traditional oil firms; indeed, no one included in this report chose a major integrated oil company. Rather, the advisors have shown a preference for various oil services sectors, non-oil energy sources, and developing alternative technologies.

Some focus on areas such as deep-sea operations with Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO), Transocean Inc. (NYSE: RIG) and Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII), while others look toward oil shippers such as Nordic American Tanker Shipping (NYSE: NAT) and refiners such as Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO).

Others chose companies that make specific products needed by the oil & gas industries such as NATCO Group Inc. (NYSE: NTG), which makes a wide range of oil & gas processing systems; Dresser-Rand Group Inc. (NYSE: DRC), a maker of control systems; Gardner Denver Inc. (NYSE: GDI), which makes compressor and fluid transfer systems; Tenaris (NYSE: TS), a maker of pipes and tublar products and Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), the largest and most diversified of the oil services companies.