"Broad-based chemical, agriculture, and 'science technology' company DuPont (NYSE: DD) is about as 'blue chip' as companies get," says Bill Martin.

In his BullMarket.com, the trading and investing expert explains, "One of the oldest firms in the country DuPont has shown it can continue to remake itself and grow." Here's his review.

"DuPont offers the potential of significant gains once the major weak links in the U.S. economy -- namely housing and the automotive sector -- rebound from their funks and eventually begin to grow.

"DuPont turned in a solid performance in the second quarter, posting a profit of $1.08 billion, or $1.18 per share, up from $972 million, or $1.04 per share, a year ago.

"The bottom line was enhanced by seven cents a share as the result of a lawsuit settlement and a lower tax rate that resulted from a one-time tax settlement. The company cited strength in is agricultural products business as well strong sales in emerging markets for the growth.

"We've looked at several ways to play anticipated growth in wind energy; we've also considered titanium makers for that industry's ties to the production of lightweight, modern aircraft," notes Bill Martin.

In his BullMarket.com, he explains, "While the two trends might not appear to have much in common at first glance, Hexcel Corp. (NYSE: HXL) offers a way to play both the aircraft and wind markets.

"The connection is the lightweight, composite materials Hexcel makes that are used by producers in both sectors. Hexcel develops and manufactures advanced structural materials.

"It is the largest U.S. producer of carbon fiber; the world's largest weaver of reinforcement fabrics; and the number-one producer of composite materials.

"Its product was initially developed for the aerospace industry, but is now used in a wide range of applications -- from golf clubs to satellite arrays, and from the rotor blades of wind turbines to life-saving monocoques for Formula 1 race cars.

"It's been a rollercoaster ride for Hexcel's stock in the past 12 months. The shares hit their one-year peak of $27.19 in December 2007; by January 22nd they had plummeted to $17.. The shares rebounded through May, only to fade again. Year to date, HXL is off about 15%.

"The Grand Old Opry's owner is sparkling after a billionaire buys a big stake," says Bill Martin in his top-notch advisory service, BullMarket.com.

He notes, "TRT Holdings, an investment vehicle for Robert Rowling. has quietly taken a 10%+ stake in Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), becoming its largest shareholder.

"The latest buys came as shares of the $1 billion market cap company hit a multi-year low. Rowling's firm bought more than 608,000 shares of Gaylord at $20.44, increasing its holdings to 4.693 million shares, or an 11.49% stake.

"Nashville-based Gaylord owns and operates hotel properties, including the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee and the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

"The company also owns and operates the Radisson Hotel at Opryland and the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Other business include a Nashville radio station, a paddle wheel showboat, performance venues, a golf course located near the Opryland complex, and a corporate events production company.

"With a projected net worth of $6.2 billion, Rowling was #158 on the latest Forbes list of the World's Billionaires. The press-shy Rowling rarely pops up as a major shareholder in a public company, and has only done so three times in recent years, including Gaylord.

"As steel prices continue to climb, one company that is set to profit handsomely is Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF)," says Bill Martin.

Adding to the stock's appeal, the editor of BullMarket.com explains, "Event-driven hedge fund Harbinger Capital has been an aggressive buyer of the stock." Here's his review of the situation.

"Shares of Cleveland-Cliffs have been on fire, up over 150% year over year and they have more than doubled year to date. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company is the largest producer of iron ore pellets in North America and a major supplier of metallurgical coal to the global steel-making industry.

"Cleveland-Cliffs benchmarks iron ore prices to the price of steel, so when steel prices rise, so do iron ore prices. The company said all of its North American iron ore mines are producing at or near capacity.

"Cleveland-Cliffs ended the first quarter of 2008 with $186.5 million of cash and cash equivalents and $600 million in borrowings outstanding under an $800 million credit facility. The company expects to generate approximately $700 million in cash from operations in FY08 as it sells through its inventory.

"Event-driven hedge fund Harbinger Capital was an aggressive buyer of the stock in May, paying between $76.96 to $104.75 a share to add to its position in the name. For the month, the firm spent approximately $338.5 million to acquire nearly 3.7 million shares.

"Executives from Waste Management (NYSE: WMI), a stock on our recommended list, presented the company's case to Wall Street at a conference sponsored by J.P. Morgan," says Bill Martin.

In his BullMarket.com newsletter, the advisor explains, "We reviewed the presentation from CEO David Steiner and CFO Robert Simpson and found the company's story to be quite compelling for long-term investors."

"Steiner began by outlining some of the basic drivers of the company's business. Waste Management is the nation's largest trash hauler, and he pointed out that it along with its two-largest competitors own two-thirds of the nation's landfill space.

"The percentage, he said, will only increase over time as municipalities, which for the most part own the remaining third, aren't investing in new capacity the way private industry is.

"Since the biggest cost component is the tipping fees charged by landfills -- it amounts to 40% of total costs -- the more landfill space the company operates, the more it is able to capture those fees from other haulers.

"Landfills also form the basis for the company's initiatives in transforming the methane gas that builds up naturally in landfills into fuel for its trucks. The company plans to invest $70 million this year in efforts to convert landfill gas to fuel.

"The boom in natural gas prices has been good for North American producers and their investors, both of which continue to be upbeat on the sector as share prices also keep rising," says Bill Martin.

In his exceptional BullMarket.com, he looks at SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD), where its billionaire CEO as well as a director have continued to buy shares, despite the stock trading near "peak levels."

"Oklahoma City-based SandRidge focuses on the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in the West Texas Overthrust, East Texas, and Mid-Continent (Oklahoma) regions.

"President, and CEO Tom Ward purchased 460,000 shares at $48.95 on May 19th/20th, which increased his already substantial holdings to nearly 36.95 million shares, or a 25.27% stake.

"It was the first purchase for Ward since he announced in March his attention to buy up to $100 million in stock on the open market this year. His only other open-market purchase came in November 2007, when he took down 4.17 million shares at $26.00 in the company's initial public offering.

"In bear markets, a traditional safe haven for investors has been to seek out stocks with high dividend yields and ideally the potential for share-price appreciation," notes Bill Martin.

In his exceptional trading and investing service, BullMarket.com, he notes, "One of our favorites for income is Hospitality Properties Trust (NYSE: HPT), a real estate investment trust, which offers an 8.5% yield.

"Hospitality Properties Trust invests in hotels and travel centers, the latter being otherwise known as truck stops. If it doesn't sound very glamorous, this REIT nonetheless currently pays a $3.08 a share annual dividend, good for a pre-tax 8.5% yield with the stock trading in the mid-$30s range.

"It buys hotels principally for income and secondarily for appreciation potential. All of its properties are run under long-term combination agreements that usually require the operators to pay the company minimum returns or rent plus a share of the increased cash flows realized over time.

"It doesn't favor any one hotel brand, operating under such names as Hyatt Place, Spring Hill Suites, Marriott Residence Inn, Radisson, Staybridge Suites, Crowne Plaza, and Courtyard hotels.

Even a billion dollar fine does not deter Bill Martin from his long-tererm bullish stance on Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). In his BullMarket.com, the expert trader looks at "Mr. Softie."

"Microsoft was slapped with a record $1.35 billion fine by the European Commission (EC) for failing to comply with its 2004 antitrust ruling. The EC is the executive arm of the European Union (EU). The fine is the largest ever levied against a company by the commission.

"At issue is a 2004 decision rendered by the EC -- which was ultimately upheld by the Court of First Instance in September 2007 -- that Microsoft was using its dominant position to bully competition and charge unreasonably high royalty fees.

"As such, the commission told 'Mr. Softie' it must promote interoperability by opening its interface documentation to certain developers and do so at a fair price. Microsoft did not fully comply, according to the EC. For its part, Mr. Softie said in a statement that it was "reviewing" the penalty. However, when all is said and done, in addition to earlier penalties, Microsoft will end up having forked over $2.5 billion to the EU's antitrust regulator.

"There are only a handful of companies in the world that could catch a $1.35 billion fine and not see their stocks sell-off dramatically on the day, and Microsoft is one of them. Although hefty, the fine is just a drop in the bucket for the firm.

"In our opinion, the EU seems to be grandstanding given the timing of the announcement, and it looks as if this song and dance between the two will play on for a good while longer. This is a just a small distraction in an otherwise great story, though, as Microsoft's core software business just continues to roll along. We rate the stock a 'Buy'."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

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.

"Our favorite conservative pick for 2008 is natural gas transmission, storage, and distribution company Southern Union (NYSE: SUG)," says Bill Martin, editor of BullMarket.com.

"Over the last few years, Southern Union has transformed itself from a staid utility company to a faster-growing pipeline and LNG-centric company. The company recently announced plans to create its own master limited partnership (MLP) into which it will transfer a portion of its gathering and processing assets.

"Southern Union's stock has been under some pressure recently, as investors were disappointed that the company didn't sell its pipeline assets to another MLP after being offered a substantial premium to its purchasing price a few years ago. However, management believes these assets can create greater shareholder value over time as a standalone MLP, and we agree.

"We expect several catalysts to kick-in for Southern Union in 2008. Under the favorable tax structure of an MLP, the market should value Southern Union's pipeline assets at a much higher multiple than they are currently priced at.

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.

"Our favorite speculative play for 2008 is auto supplier Tenneco (NYSE: TEN)," says Bill Martin, editor of BullMarket.com. "The stock has been hammered along with the rest of the auto parts sector of late due to weak US auto sales and a slew of analyst downgrades.

"However, the company is taking market share, and is a solid play on tightening global emissions standards. On a macro level, there is considerable momentum in favor of emissions regulations right now, and this is allowing Tenneco to expand into additional markets, rapidly expand its technology road map, and win customers with the most innovative products available. In fact, we view Tenneco more as a technology company in a high-growth market than simply an auto parts supplier.

"The company faces a number of headwinds, including production cuts by the Big Three US automakers and rising steel prices. So far, though, the company has been able to 'outgrow' its weaker markets and mitigate input costs through aftermarket price increases to OE customers.

"Tenneco should also benefit from reducing the leverage on its balance sheet. We anticipate that growing cash flows and the increased size and diversity of its business will lead to a lower cost of capital and allow shareholders to benefit from reduced interest expense. Taken all together, we think Tenneco will be a solid performer in 2008 amidst low expectations."

This article is part of a 20 article special report on "Metals, miners and money".

"We have added palladium and platinum miner, Stillwater Mining (NYSE: SWC), to the high-risk, high-return Aggressive Growth portfolio," notes Bill Martin. The editor of FindProfit notes that this portfolio is meant to provide "swing for the fences ideas with home-run return potential."

"Stillwater reported disappointing third quarter earnings, as production fell and costs rose due to labor and production challenges. While results should improve materially in Q4, the company is still behind its original plan for the year.

"Despite these near-term bumps, we believe that SWC is on the cusp of a breakout as prices for palladium and platinum continue to strengthen. Platinum, in particular, has been on fire this year, rising more than 25% to nearly $1,500 per ounce.

"This price rise should add $25 million to SWC's bottom line in 2008. Palladium has also been stronger, rising above $350 per ounce, however, that market still has plenty of runway to move higher.

What are the best speculations and investments among metals, miners, and other resource plays? To find out, I turned to 20 of the nation's leading newsletter editors, as well as speakers from the recent New Orleans Conference, a leading forum for resource advisors.

Their current top ideas cover a wide diversity of ideas, from gold and silver, from alumina and copper, to platinum and palladium. These picks cover markets from Chile to China and from Canada to Russia. These ideas also range from large cap, well-established, and diversified companies to small cap, development-stage junior speculations.

Readers should only consider these ideas as a starting place for their own research and should keep in mind the caveat that any stock you buy should only be considered within the framework of your own time horizon and risk parameters. Meanwhile, here are 20 different advisors assessing various aspects of the metals, mining, and resources sectors:

Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) announced that CEO Dick Parsons will step down at the end of the year. Current president and chief operating officer (and former head of HBO) Jeff Bewkes will replace him.

Bill Martin, editor of FindProfit observes, "The move comes as little surprise as Parsons' contract was running out in May 2008, and Bewkes had been groomed to be his successor." Parsons, he notes, will remain chairman.

The advisor explains, "The bottom line is that by all accounts, Bewkes is a solid executive, and one who may be apt to break up the media conglomerate. TWX has taken some limited actions under Parsons to unlock value by listing Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) shares and selling several magazines.

"Bewkes, however, is likely to take the restructuring a step further, including possibly spinning off AOL and TWC completely and selling the entire publishing division. As witnessed by today's reaction to the announced split-up of IAC/InteractiveCorp. (NASDAQ:IACI), such actions would most likely be cheered by investors.

He concludes, "While we had previously viewed TWX shares as a source of funds, we now don't believe it is time to sell. The stock, trading near a 52-week low, looks cheap, and a new CEO with a penchant for restructuring and unlocking value could be just the catalyst that TWX needs."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment commentary and favorite stocks of the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

"More than two years after selling Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP) for a 60% gain, we are once again buying the shares," says Bill Martin in his FindProfit advisory newsletter.

He explains, "A heavily diversified operator of pipeline and other energy-related assets and the largest master limited partnership (MLP) in the U.S., KMP currently has a 6.85% yield that we think will grow to 7.5% or greater in 2008 based on the current stock price.

"This growth will be powered by a deep portfolio of new growth projects, most notably the company's Rockies Express pipeline, Mid-Continent Express Pipeline, and Trans Mountain pipeline.

"KMP is extremely well positioned to benefit from the prime sources of North American energy supply growth over the next several years, including the Barnett Shale in Texas, the Rocky Mountains, the oil sands of Canada, and the new LNG import facilities in Texas and Louisiana.

"KMP also should benefit from higher oil prices over the next two years in its CO2 segment. Together, these projects should enable KMP to grow its distribution payout rate by 7-9% per year over the next several years.

Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) reported second-quarter earnings this morning. The numbers, according to Bill Martin, surpassed Wall Street earnings forecasts, with its cable television revenue easily outweighing a drop in sales at its AOL Internet unit.

However, notes the editor of FindProfit newsletter, "A pullback in management's guidance for AOL advertising revenue growth is hitting the shares today, sending the stock down -3.2% to close at $18.64.

For Q2, he observes, TWX reported net income of $1.07 billion, or 28 cents a share, up from $1 billion, or 24 cents a share, last year. Earnings before discontinued operations and accounting charges came in at 25 cents a share, he states.

The advisor explains, "After one-time gains, it appears that TWX beat Wall Street estimates of 21 cents a share by around two cents per share. On the top line, revenue grew 6% to $11.0 billion, slightly below analyst estimates of $11.1 billion."

Updating its stock buyback program, he adds, TWX said it just completed $20 billion in stock buybacks, which retired about 23% of its shares outstanding from the market. The board has also authorized a new $5 billion stock repurchase program, according to Martin.