"If you are looking for maximum rebound potential, you have to go lower down on the quality spectrum; it is typically the lower quality and lower priced stocks that will have the largest gains when the market rebounds," says turnaround expert George Putnam.

In his industry-leading service focused on distressed companies, The Turnround Letter, he looks at a package of 10 stocks recently trading below $5 per share while also offering "bundles of cash."

Here's his review:

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.

"Fluor (NYSE: FLR), my top pick for 2009, is a global heavyweight in the engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance field," says noted value investor Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Half-Priced Stocks explains, "2008 won't go down as one of the most memorable for Fluor shareholders -- but 2009 is likely to tell a different story.

"Texas-based Fluor began by building oil refineries over a century ago and has since expanded its repertoire to encompass other specialties including power, telecommunications, and transportation. Annual revenues are now $20 billion.

"In early December, President-elect Obama unveiled ambitious plans for a hefty economic stimulus package, spearheaded by a pledge to rebuild highways and complete other public works projects that will revitalize our aging infrastructure.

"These bold initiatives are aimed at putting workers back on the payrolls and reinvigorating the nation's economy -- but they will also funnel billions into the coffers of construction firms like Fluor.

Since the stock market is down so much I have been buying something in the fourth quarter almost every week. I have been patient and have been expanding my watch list. The difficulty for me is that I feel like almost everything is on sale -- but is everything a bargain?

Maybe not; maybe I'm delusional. Perhaps that is because I am tuned into another time and place when I would have been dancing in the streets if I were able to acquire Anglo American ADR (NASDAQ: AAUK) or General Electric (NYSE: GE) for pennies on the dollar. Maybe that is all these stocks are worth? That is what Wall Street currently thinks. That is what Main Street currently thinks. There is a lot more bad news than good.

Then why is Warren Buffett buying, and Carl Icahn and Ken Heebner? After all, I'm just following in their shadows.

The reason is that most investors are simply focused on all the bad news. That is what has most folks' attention and that is making the market -- bankruptcies, billions of dollars in losses, government out of control, Wall Street out of control and more. There is also serious fear things will get worse. If you lost money in the stock market (all of us), or lost your job or your house or any combination of the above, then things look bleak and for now they are. However, we should not be investing for now; we should be investing for the future.

Consider the following elements that support a recovery in the next year. I do not mean a boom, just a recovery -- just a more positive investing environment.

1) By spring it is estimated the government will have poured $2 trillion dollars into an economy of $13 trillion over a 12-month period. Not only is this a market stimulus, but it may prove to be highly inflationary, and if so equities are a better place to be then cash.

For 2009 I will be tracking a real portfolio created this quarter in scary times, when everyone is second guessing themselves, the market, and the economy. Last week I wrote Chasing Value: Annaly Capital Mgmt -- from watch list to buy noting that Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY) was acquired, for among other things its 15% yield and basic stability. It trounced the market in 2008, but the yield by itself was very rewarding and I expect that to continue.

Yesterday General Electric (NYSE: GE) dropped over 8% from $17.39 to $15.96. This triggered a buy order I had in at $16.00, after a negative outlook by rating agency Standard & Poors suggested that there was the potential that GE could lose its prized AAA rating sometime in the next two years based on stress it was feeling on its balance sheet related to its financial services division, and GE's uncertainty in other businesses.

There truly are very few places to hide during the current financial crisis and economic recession. Trust in the markets is at an all-time low, and volatility is at an all-time high. The most senior of professionals in this business are shaking their heads in amazement.

We have not seen anything like this during our lifetimes. When it will end is anyone's guess. The silver lining, I suppose, is that it will indeed end at some point. When it does, investors can look forward to a landscape of well-run companies trading at discounted prices.

One of my favorite blue-chip names that have been taken down along with everyone else is Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

I wrote about the company in early September when times were tough, but before the financial crisis brought its wrath. At the time, I thought shares were undervalued at a price just north of $30 per share.

If you do not own Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) already, you were not listening last year when I was ranting and raving every month why this was a must-own stock. It was one of my favorites last year, remains one of my favorites now and looks to have an open road ahead of it in 2008.

Valero's profit margins were squeezed in the second half of 2007 by high crude prices rising while pump prices were stable, but that is likely to change, and I think the stock can continue to appreciate significantly. It may not change fast , as the economy is going through some rough spots. Also, VLO, which is reporting earnings on January 29, may still have some lingering margin issues.

Last year this was one of my top picks and jumped 36%. I rarely make specific predictions as analysts tend to do, but I feel comfortable stating VLO can beat all the major indices. Everything I liked about Valero last year is still in play now, so I'm letting this winner ride.

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.

"Pool Corp. (NASDAQ: POOL) is my favorite speculative idea for 2008," says Nathan Slaughter, editor of Half-Priced Stocks. "Pool Corp. is the world's largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies -- selling more than 100,000 different products from a nationwide network of 285 customer service centers.

'Sales have advanced 21% annually over the past decade, and earnings have more than kept pace -- climbing at a stellar 34% clip. Naturally, all of this has translated into hefty gains for shareholders, with the stock soaring almost 1,000% over the past ten years.

"In recent months, though, the company has been an indirect victim of the sluggish housing market, as a slowdown in new home construction in key markets like Arizona and California has forced management to trim back its full-year earnings guidance.

"However, don't let this short-term weakness cloud the sunny long-term outlook. The vast majority of the company's business is tied to maintenance for older pools. Only around one-third of its revenues stem from new pool construction -- and the bulk of that comes from existing homes, not new ones.

But wait ... there's more! In the giving spirit of the holidays, here's a bonus pick for bargain-hunters looking for stocks under the $10 threshold. Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ: SWKS), manufactures semiconductors that are used primarily in wireless telephone handsets and infrastructure products. Nearly 40% of the company's sales are thanks to Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Sony Ericsson Mobile.

The firm has been a solid performer in the earnings confessional of late, topping analysts' expectations consistently for the past five quarters, by an average surprise of nearly 15%. On November 1, the company reported fourth-quarter profit of $22 million, or 14 cents per share, a penny above Street expectations and a welcome change from a year-ago loss of $96.4 million (60 cents per share). Looking ahead to the current (first) quarter, SWKS officials targeted first-quarter profit -- excluding items -- of 15 to 17 cents per share.

It's time to wrap up our list of 10 stocks under $10. The list was culled from a large grouping of momentum names that have outperformed on a relative-strength basis during the short and intermediate term. The selection was filtered to eliminate any stocks trading above the $10 region, naturally, and then adjusted for other fundamental, technical, and sentiment factors. I hope you've had fun learning about some potential bargains for your portfolio and hearing the stories behind some equities that you've likely not come across in your daily investing research.

The last entry (and these have been in no particular order, by the way) is Allos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ALTH). The pharmaceutical company is hard at work on technology that improves existing cancer medications. According to Hoovers Online, ALTH's current lead drug candidate -- PDX -- is in trials to combat T-cell lymphoma. Some of the firm's other proposed treatments work to fight solid tumors and lymphoma.

General Moly (AMEX: GMO) is a mining company that specializes in mineral development and exploration in central Nevada. On November 19, the company announced a strategic alliance with ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), which includes MT's purchase of 8.2 million shares at $8.50 per share, for a net investment of about $70 million. After this transaction, MT will own roughly 12.6% of GMO's outstanding shares. GMO will in turn supply approximately 6.5 million pounds of molybdenum each year for five years once its Mt. Hope deposit begins production.

GMO shares have been moving higher since February, when they collided into their 10-month and 20-month moving averages after months of sideways consolidation. Since this impact, the stock has nearly quadrupled in value to hit a new all-time high.

Currently, from a shorter-term perspective, the stock is pulling back to test double-barreled support around the $8.50 level. Not only is this the site of the security's July 2007 valuation (former resistance can come back and serve as support), but it is currently home to GMO's rising 10-day moving average as well.

Ampal-American Israel (NASDAQ: AMPL) is a Massachusetts-based holding company with interest in more than a dozen Israeli and Israeli-related firms. The company's niche business is commercial real estate and the leisure industry, including retail outlets. Earnings at AMPL jumped to $11.9 million in the third quarter -- or 22 cents per diluted share -- compared to the net loss of $1.8 million swallowed in the previous year.

AMPL shares have moved 47% higher in the past 52 weeks, compared to a 4% increase in the S&P 500 Index. The equity's relative-strength showing has indeed been stellar, and has improved as well during the last several weeks. Since September 18, AMPL shares have ridden their 10-day and 20-day moving averages higher to post a gain of 33% in slightly more than 2 months. The recent market pullback has had little impact on the shares, which have continued higher even while the broader market has stumbled.

Art Technology Group (NASDAQ: ARTG) dabbles in the fine art of business, providing software that helps with customer-service needs, including online-sales management. Included on the firm's roster of past and present clients are Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Citibank (NYSE: C), and Target (NYSE: TGT).

When the company last visited the earnings confessional in late October, it reported a 64% jump in revenue to $35.9 million, thanks in large part to gains in services revenue. For fiscal 2007, ARTG expects to bank revenue of $130 million to $133 million, with a small net loss of $5 million to $7 million expected for the full year as well.

For much of the past decade, ARTG has struggled in penny-stock territory. From early 2002 through early 2006, the stock enjoyed precious little movement north of the $2.00 zone. Currently, thanks to some recent solid price action, ARTG shares are trading in territory not explored in nearly six years. In the wake of last month's earnings report, the stock spiked higher to overtake its April 2006 peak and pass the $4.00 level.

Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ: INCY) is our next pick from the single-digit sect, and it's not a play for the squeamish. The company is part of the frequently volatile biotechnology industry, and focuses its efforts on drugs that inhibit specific enzymes thought to cause cancer, diabetes, and other serious maladies. After abandoning its DFC medication, designed to help patients with HIV, the company has focused its efforts on a number of other treatments in the pipeline. A successful clinical trial could result in impressive gains in the stock, while another disappointment could send the shares unraveling.

But for now, the stock looks like a nice potential play for an aggressive trader. The stock has been in rally mode since early August, aside from a slight pullback that petered out a few weeks ago. From early August through mid-November, INCY shares had increased more than 80% and toppled several layers of technical resistance.

Currently, the stock is consolidating some of its recent gains as it tests its 10-week moving average. This trendline coincides with chart support at the $8.00 mark, representing the equity's April 27 peak. This level served as resistance seven months ago but may reverse roles and act as support this time around, especially as its presence is bolstered by the 10-week trendline.

With a name like Medical Staffing Network Holdings (NYSE: MRN), it's easy to guess what the company's core business is. MRN coordinates with temporary nurses and other medical support staff and places them where needed, such as hospitals and nursing homes. In the past 12 months, the company has posted year-over-year revenue growth of about 60%.

In terms of relative strength, MRN is among the most potent names on this grouping of single-digit stocks, especially in the short term. Compared to the broad-market-tracking S&P 500 Index, the stock has outperformed by a margin of nearly 135% in the past 20 trading days. Relative strength for the 40-day and 60-day periods is impressive as well.

Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ: BEXP) explores for oil and gas across the Anadarko Basin, the Texas Gulf Coast, and West Texas. According to Hoover's, since its founding in 1990, the company has drilled more than 731 wells. Additionally, BEXP was one of the first small independent exploration/production concerns to utilize 3-D seismic imaging technology in its business.

On November 6, BEXP reported third-quarter earnings (before items) of 8 cents per share as revenue jumped 20% to $31.1 million. Analysts were expecting per-share results of 6 cents on $31 million in sales.

Since forming a bottom around the $4.20 level in early August, BEXP has shot solidly higher along the support of its 10-day and 20-day moving averages. This rally has additionally enabled the stock to muscle above its 20-month (200-day) moving average. In fact, the stock ended October above this trendline, the first such monthly close north of this threshold since December 2006.