"A looming supply shortage stands to push palladium prices sharply higher over the next couple years, and North American Palladium (PAL) is sitting on one of the world's biggest deposits," notes Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "The company has several promising gold mines under development that could soon produce over 80,000 ounces annually.

"Believe it or not, there are only two mines on the planet that yield palladium first and foremost -- it's a by-product everywhere else. And one of those mines belongs to North American Palladium.

This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Tokyo-based Mizuho Financial Group (MFG) is Japan's second-largest bank in terms of total assets," notes Paul Tracy.

The editor of High Yield International suggests, "Banks are typically considered cheap when they trade at a discount to their underlying book value and Mizuho currently trades at just 0.7 times book.

"The past two decades have not been kind to the Japanese banking industry, though the leading financials have been restructuring successfully.

"Our latest 'Stock of the Month' has one of the finest and most dependable dividend streaks you'll ever find," notes Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "Realty Income (O) just recently announced its 488th consecutive monthly dividend, meaning it hasn't missed a payment since 1970.

"That tells me two things. One, the shareholder-friendly management team is committed to returning excess cash to shareholders. Two, it has consistently generated the profits to back up those payments through thick and thin.

"ConocoPhillips (COP) is not only my favorite integrated oil company, it is also on the short-list of my favorite stocks, period," says Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "The company is raking in cash; the integrated oil giant pocketed $2.0 billion in net profits last quarter on $53.2 billion in revenues.

"For all of 2010, earnings soared nearly 160% to $11.4 billion. That percentage gets cut in half when you exclude one-time gains and charges. Still, it's a good time to be a shareholder.

"Before the iPhone, Motorola's RAZR was the world's must-have handset. But the company failed to come up with a successor and has been bleeding market share ever since," notes Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "Now, Motorola Mobility (MMI) is back. After being lost in the woods for a few years, this former leader has found its way.

"By last summer, Motorola clung to just a 3% sliver of the global mobile phone market and had slipped into 8th place. But the tide began to turn shortly thereafter -- and I am expecting a big comeback in 2011.

"Health Care REIT (HCN) is one of the nation's leading developers and managers of medical office buildings, outpatient centers, senior living communities and other such facilities," says Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "The firm's portfolio spans 640 properties in 39 states. Like other real estate investment trusts, HCN dishes out most of its profits in the form of dividend distributions.

"Backed by recurring rental income from these facilities, which tend to be recession resistant, HCN has one of the most secure dividend distributions you'll find.

This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"I'm expecting big things out of Augme Technologies (AUGT) this year," says Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "Specifically, the company has developed breakthrough technology that facilitates the delivery of customized web content to mobile phones.

"The real magic behind lithium is that, pound for pound, this featherweight metal can store more electric energy than just about any other material," notes Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of The ETF Authority explains, "That has made lithium the battery maker's best friend. And portable electronics, power grid infrastructure and hybrid vehicles are a powerful 1-2-3 punch that could send demand soaring.

"Unlike gold, silver and other metals, it's virtually impossible to invest directly in lithium. There are no lithium trading pits, no futures contracts, and no way to take physical possession. Global X Lithium Fund (LIT), a recently launched exchange-traded fund, is the next best thing.

"Not surprisingly, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has been placing particular emphasis on China, where there is plenty of untapped potential," says Paul Tracy in his StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

"Like most companies that have been around for well over a century, Coca-Cola operates in a relatively mature industry.

"Domestically, per-capita soft-drink consumption has plateaued and domestic volume growth is generally tough to come by.

"The story is quite different for many overseas markets, which now account for about 75% of the firm's sales. Coke isn't the world's most recognized brand for nothing -- consumers in 200 countries around the globe gulp down about 1.6 billion servings of its beverages every single day.

"Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) has taken flight over the past two months, soaring more than 165% off their early-March low," says Paul Tracy.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "Despite a sharp slowdown in leisure and business travel, overall travel volume booked through Expedia's sites (which include Hotels.com and Hotwire.com) remains impressive.

"Over the past three months, Expedia's travel sites have booked $5.2 billion (retail value) worth of travel expenditures. That gross booking figure is down about 11% over last year, but represents a considerable 30% improvement over the prior quarter.

This post is part of a featured report on stocks in the Chinese online gaming sector.

"China's online gaming market is slated to surge," says Andy Obermueller, an analyst with Street Authority's newly-launched advisory service, Government-Driven Investing.

"In China, internet users understand and embrace the 'come, stay, pay' model; that's where a site allows users to access a few things for free, but they have to pony up for the good stuff.

"This works particularly well with games. One of the leaders in this space is Shanda Interactive Entertainment (NASDAQ: SNDA). Gamers at its site use prepaid cards -- available at more than 320,000 vendors -- to add money to player accounts that can be used to access all of the features of its games.

"Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) remains the dominant search engine on the web," notes Paul Tracy. In his StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he views the stock as a solid buy for growth investors.

"In economic downturns, one of the first costs most companies cut is advertising. Not surprisingly, over the past year, most companies have slashed their advertising budgets in response to the severe economic downturn.

"But online ad spending has remained remarkably resilient. GOOG's system targets specific ads based on what users type into their search box, geographic location and other factors.

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.

Western Union (NYSE:WU ) is the favorite speculative idea for 2007 from Paul Tracy. The editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor notes, "The company, which dates back to the early 1850s, has one of the most recognized names around the world. Today, Western Union is a financial powerhouse, generating some $4 billion in annual revenues.

"As the world's leading money transfer specialist, the firm operates a vast global network of 270,000 agent locations spread throughout nearly 200 countries. With more than a quarter of a million locations, Western Union's network dwarfs its closest rivals by a wide margin.

"In the digital age where the Internet is an increasingly popular transaction medium and ATMs are conveniently located at seemingly every major intersection, Western Union's core money transfer services may seem to be a bit dated. However, it is easy to forget that not everyone has a bank account or online access -- particularly in developing countries.

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.

Britain's Diageo (NYSE: DEO), the largest alcoholic drinks manufacturer in the world, is the top conservative pick for 2007, from Paul Tracy. The editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor observes, "The company owns either the best-selling or second-best-selling brand of drink in every major category.

"While DEO garners most of its income from spirits, it's also a major wine and beer producer. Top-selling brands include Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, and Guinness. Diageo owns one fifth of the world's 100 top-selling liquor brands.

"DEO has benefited from two major growth sources in recent years. In the U.S., consumers continue to shift their spending in favor of premium spirits brands. Meanwhile, consumers are also moving away from beer in favor of spirits. Both trends benefit Diageo, as it owns most of the top-selling U.S. liquor brands and most of its liquors are positioned at the premium end of the market.