"Gold and silver have taken the limelight," says Mary Anne and Pamela Aden, adding "Gold looks ready for take off and silver is poised to outperform gold."

In addition, Doug Fabian is a fan of silver. In Making Money, he suggests, "When inflation threatens, silver offers a safe haven; even when inflation worries subside, silver still retains appeal due to its many uses."

We begin with the Adens; in their The Aden Forecast, they explain, "Technically, gold's 'C rise' is off and running and the triangle it's formed has clearly broken to the upside, with gold recently closing at a three month high today.

"Some August weakness wouldn't be abnormal and should be viewed as a great buying opportunity," say resource experts Pamela and Mary Anne Aden.

As they discuss in their advisory service, The Aden Forecast, from a longer-term perspective they remain bullish on gold and oil as well as stocks, particularly those in the tech sector.

They explain, "One thing is pretty clear: most markets are overbought for the time being, but in the bigger picture they're clearly oversold (in an area that normally coincides with major market bottoms).

"The stock market's major trend is clearly up, signaling stocks are going to rise further in the months ahead, and probably beyond.

Mary Anne and Pamela Aden are among the advisory world's top authorities on metals and resources.

In a recent Q&A session, the editors of The Aden Forecast answer the most common questions that they are asked by readers as to the current state and future outlook for the precious metals markets.

In addition, the sisters answer what they say is the most frequent question they receive: "What is the best way to buy gold." Here, they offer a review of five strategies for investing in gold, including their top picks among stocks, closed-end funds and ETFs.

"Despite what you hear, things are looking better," say Mary Anne and Pamela Aden. In The Aden Forecast, they explain why they're "starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," and suggest a play on the Dow Industrial Diamonds Trust(NYSE: DIA) for broad market exposure.

The Adens state, "For now, the news remains bleak, the economy is getting worse and unemployment is becoming a huge problem. People are extremely pessimistic. However, we're actually feeling more optimistic than we have in months.

This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.

"Gold has outperformed nearly all other investments over the past few years," says Mary Anne Aden in The Aden Forecast. Here, the resource expert looks at her favorite play in the sector.

"It appears as though this trend for gold's outperformance will continue in the years ahead. Why?

"According to Bloomberg, the total amount of money provided by the U.S. government to rescue the financial system over the past year and a half has been $7.4 trillion.

"That amounts to $24,000 for every man, woman, and child, and it's totally unprecedented. All of this money will eventually fuel inflation and gold is the number one inflation hedge.

"Currently, President-elect Obama and his team are busy working on how to get the economy moving again. This is their top priority and one plan involves the largest infrastructure investment since the 1950s when all of the super highways were built. This will provide jobs and it'll hopefully help spur the economy.

"A once in a lifetime super bull market in commodities is underway," note resource experts Mary Anne and Pamela Aden. Here, the advisors look at some favorite commodity stocks in their The Aden Forecast.

"Commodities are in a mega super rise is because of the dramatic changes in the global economy. The rise that started in commodities in 2001 has continued to expand over the years and we believe the upmove is just warming up and it has years to run.

"There are several reasons for this. The weakening dollar and low interest rates have certainly helped push up the whole sector while investment demand grew as an inflation hedge. But the key reason why the commodities are in a mega super rise is because of the dramatic changes in the global economy.

When gold recently moved above $1,000 the Aden Forecast presciently noted that the metals were overbought and forecast a "well deserved breather" for the precious metals.

Now, with the setback in metals prices, Mary Anne and Pamela Aden explain, "We can't stress enough that you should stay invested in the major uptrend, which still has years to run. Don't get left behind or shaken out." Here is their outlook on metals and some favorite mining stocks.

"Are commodities the new bubble? Have they replaced the real estate bubble, which replaced the
tech stock bubble, as investors move from one bubble to another? It sure looks like it.

"But the big difference is that this metals and commodities bubble has a lot further to go. Why? Basically, the perfect storm has been gathering and it's going to fuel a mega rise that will likely last for years to come.

"Most important is China and other growing nations, which are keeping demand and prices super strong. China's growth has been astounding at over 9% each year for more than 25 years. During that time, China has lifted 300 million people out of poverty and it's quadrupled the average income.

"Keep your gold for the long-term; it's today's best investment," says Mary Anne and Pamela Aden in The Aden Forecast. "Despite normal ups and downs, we strongly believe you'll be glad that you held hold onto your gold."

"Gold, silver and most of the gold shares are about the only markets to show gains so far this year. Everything else is down, and in many cases down sharply. Gold has recently been hitting new, or multi-year highs against the euro, the Dow Industrials, bonds and oil.

"In other words, it's stronger than these other markets. Gold is outperforming them and the percentage gains are greater in gold compared to all of the other markets.

"Simply put, gold is where you want to be. Silver is good too. These are the best markets. That's why we've consistently stressed keeping a large part of your investments in gold, silver and their shares.

Three of the leading advisory services that focus on the natural resource sector have reaffirmed their bullish posture on silver and issued buy recommendations on their favorite silver stocks.

Mary Anne and Pamela Aden, editors of The Aden Forecast, outline their expected path for the metals: "Technically, silver looks good. It's next resistance is at $14.06 basis March. If it rises and stays above that level, silver could then quickly move up to $14.88, its May high."

They note that silver will remain very strong within its longer term uptrend as long as it remains above the $12.75 level. Meanwhile, they offer a pair of favorite silver stocks - Silver Standard Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: SSRI) and Pan American Silver Corp. (NASDAQ: PAAS).

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.

Resources expert Mary Anne Aden, turns to silver for both her favorites for 2007 -- selecting the exchange-traded fund iShares Silver Trust (ASE: SLV) as her conservative investment and Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ: SSRI) as her top speculation.

In The Aden Forecast she explains, "In recent years, commodities have been rising strongly and this boom is expected to continue in the years ahead. Why? China and other emerging nations have been buying on a grand scale, and it's not only commodities.

"As these countries build and grow, demand has increased sharply for oil, other raw materials, and metals. The strongest commodity has been silver. It's consistently outperformed nearly every other investment, and with reason. More silver is being used than is being produced and it's headed for a world shortage.

"That makes silver a top pick for 2007, and an easy way to profit is to buy the silver ETF, iShares Silver Trust. The best silver share is Silver Standard Resources. Although higher risk than an ETF, this stock is a good way to benefit from silver's potential, and is my top speculative pick for the coming year."

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.

Pamela Anne Aden, turns to gold for both her favorites for 2007 -- selecting the exchange-traded fund streetTracks Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD) as her conservative investment and Market Vectors Gold Miners Trust (ASE: GDX), also an ETF, as her top speculation.

In The Aden Forecast, the resource sector advisor notes, "There are several reasons why the metals and commodities markets are likely headed higher in the upcoming years. Aside from the ongoing demand out of China and other emerging nations, gross financial imbalances are taking their toll too.

"In recent years, the U.S. has gone heavily into debt. At the same time, China has built up the largest cash reserves in the world. The end result is the largest U.S. budget and trade deficits in history, and this has caused the U.S. dollar to fall over the past five years.

"Since gold and the dollar generally move in opposite directions, these imbalances have also been an important factor driving gold higher. This major financial shift is unlikely to be resolved soon. That means gold and gold shares are poised to rise further in 2007.

"One way to take advantage of these trends is buying the gold ETF, streetTracks Gold, which tracks the price of gold bullion and is a conservative way to invest in this market. The ETF for gold shares -- Market Vectors Gold Miners -- which tracks individual gold mining companies, is a more speculative way to play the sector."