With gold trading down sharply from its highs, Keith-Fitzerald offers a special report on gold stocks in Money Morning, highlighting three companies that he consider to be the "very best of the best."

"Gold remains a key profit opportunity -- especially if inflation, or even stagflation, is taking hold. It should also help that economic uncertainty is escalating. However, since the economic outlook has grown more uncertain, we've decided to our recommended list down to just three picks:

"The StreetTracks Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD) is an ETF that tracks the price of gold directly, making it the simplest way to invest in the yellow metal via an ETF. And with a market cap approaching $17 billion, this fund has ample liquidity.

"Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX) is a Toronto-based company with mostly North American production, as well as properties in South America and Africa, and some copper and zinc add-ons. It has a $38 billion market capitalization, so there's plenty of liquidity.

"Almost untouched by the subprime scandal and the subsequent credit fallout, Canada's banks are strong and their risk of writeoffs are consider by most analysts as minor," notes Genia Turanova and Gregory Dorsey in Leeb's Income Performance Letter.

Here, they look at two favorites in the Canadian banking sector: Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD) and Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY).

"Toronto-Dominion and its subsidiaries, collectively known as TD Bank Financial Group, serve more than 14 million customers. The group offers a full range of financial products and services including wholesale banking securities, personal and business banking, wealth management and U.S. personal and commercial banking.

"TD Bank is looking to expand its US presence by acquiring New Jersey-based Commerce Bancorp. After the acquisition is completed, TD's US banking operations will double. As for the hot topic of all financials these days – its subprime exposure – Commerce Bancorp's $16 billion loan portfolio has no subprime exposure.

"The best thing to do in this market volatility is to take a deep breath and say, 'This too shall pass'," says Neil Macneale, who buys only stock split candidates for his 2-for-1 newsletter. Here is his latest.

"In general, getting out of the stock market at this time would be exactly the wrong thing to do. If 'buy low, sell high' means anything, we should be buying stocks now with whatever cash we can find. Otherwise, the ship will sail without us. Of course, given the exact market bottom is not knowable until after the fact.

"Indeed, new purchases may not be perfectly timed, but we continue to believe that it will be better than not buying at all. And because our policy with our 2-for-1 portfolio is to buy something every month, at least one of our purchases over the next several months will be very close to perfectly timed.

"I love buying great companies near the bottom of the barrel," says resources expert Eric Roseman, who has added Canadian-based Cameco Corp. (NYSE: CCJ) to his buy list.

The edtior of The Commodity Trend Alert explains, "Cameco, the world's largest uranium concern, is a gem, right in the middle of a long-term earnings boom amid high energy prices and a massive backlog of orders for its raw material used to feed nuclear reactors." Here is his review.

"I'm drawn to quality at a distressed price, for whatever reason, such as earnings-related surprises, management changes, special one-time write-downs, etc. Most of our recommendations are founded on exactly these principles of value-contrarian investing.

"Cameco Corporation was a $60 stock 12 months ago, but because of production bottlenecks caused by a major flood at one of its biggest mines (Cigar Lake) in late 2006, the stock suffered a beating and has bounced all over the map lately. Yet, for years, Cameco was Canada's uranium darling and I always wanted to own this gem. But the problem was, Cameco always fetched a high price, and I hate paying top dollar - even for a great business.

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.

"My favorite aggressive speculation for 2008 is Enerplus Resources (NYSE: ERF)," says Roger Conrad, editor of Canadian Edge.

"Over the past 18 months, Canadian oil and gas producer trust has endured a trial by fire. First natural gas prices started tumbling.

"Then the Conservative party government announced it would begin taxing trusts as corporations starting in 2011, and restricted the number of shares trust can issue. Finally, this fall investors have bailed out of everything remotely economically sensitive.

"Through it all, however, the Enerplus has remained rock-solid as a business. For starters, the yield of nearly 13% -- paid monthly -- is backed by a modest 70% payout ratio. And that ratio was achieved by selling oil in the third quarter at less than $70 a barrel.

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.

"My favorite stock for 2008 for conservative investors is Yellow Pages Income Fund (Toronto: YLO.UN)," says Gordon Pape, editor of Internet Wealth Builder.

"In mid-2003, I recommended the purchase of Yellow Pages Income Fund to readers of my Internet Wealth Builder newsletter at C$10.

"Since then, we've received capital gain of $3.48 a share plus cash distributions of $4.33 per unit for a total return of 78%. This return occurred even given the Canadian government's decision to tax trusts starting in 2011.

"Looking ahead, we may not see as much movement in the share price, but the distributions should stay steady or rise marginally. For anyone seeking steady income, that makes this trust very attractive. At the current price the shares are yielding 8.4%, making them very good value.

"Management says that action will be taken to ensure Yellow Pages is not subject to the income trust tax but has not released specifics. Indications are, however, that it will be transformed into a high-dividend corporation.

"The combination of stability, yield, and a dominant position in the Canadian market make this a low-risk choice for conservative investors."

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.

"My favorite speculative stock for 2008 is Toronto-based Biovail (NYSE: BVF)," says Nilus Mattive, editor of Dividend Superstars.

"The company makes branded and generic drugs that are delivered orally. It used to concentrate on research & development for other companies, but lately it's become more of a fully integrated pharmaceutical concern.

"Some of its products are marketed and sold by other companies -- a good example is its pain medication Ultram ER, which is marketed by Johnson & Johnson.

"Investors have punished Biovail because of development setbacks in BVF-033, one of the company's most promising compounds. The FDA issued a non-approval letter, and more recently said it would not be examining newly submitted data until April. Biovail is also dealing with intensifying generic competition in other product lines.

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.

"My favorite conservative stock for 2008 is Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM)," says Peter Slatin, editor of the Forbes/Slatin Real Estate Report.

"Here's a company that has it all: energy, timber and, mostly through its 50% ownership of Brookfield Properties (NYSE: BPO), top-quality commercial real estate in highly desirable markets such as London and New York.

"It also holds assets in emerging markets like Brazil, where it just acquired a major retail portfolio; and stable, well-performing Canada, including Calgary.

"Along with its office buildings in that energy and mineral boom town, BAM, which is traded on the New York and Toronto exchanges, also has a hefty stake in the region's vast oil sands.

"The company, with a market cap of more than $22 billion, is currently trading toward the higher end of its 52-week range, and its extremely professional management and well-balanced exposure to some key markets and industries will continue to make it a rock-steady performer in a very shaky world."

"One of the best way to capture lower-risk commodity exposure is through funds that invest in Canada," says Mark Salzinger, noting "Much of Canada's economy is tied to natural resources."

In his The No-Load Fund Investor, the long-standing fund expert looks to two ways to invest north of the border: iShares MSCI Canada ETF (ASE: EWC) and Fidelity Canada (FICDX). Here is his review of both.

"Though its population is clustered primarily along its border with the US, Canada is vast: it is the second largest country in the world behind Russia. Unlike most developed countries, Canada is one of the few net exporters of energy.

"As such, the performance of the Canadian stock market has benefited enormously from rising commodity prices over the past several years. Over the past five years, the iShares MSCI Canada ETF has produced a total return of 316%, more than tripling the return of the S&P 500.

"Canada has room to grow its commodities production. Much of its far northern provinces remain untouched by mining or energy interests, and many of its highest potential resources are only now beginning to be exploited.

"Such attractive assets and the growing cash hoards of global natural resources companies have sparked numerous mergers and acquisitions between Canadian companies, further boosting stock prices.

Two of the savviest advisors around are Mark Skousen and Richard Lehmann. Both are noted experts in income investing and both have recently issued buy recommendations for the same stock.

Skousen, in his High-Income Alert, and Lehmann, in his Forbes/Lehmann Income Securities Investor, both look at Penn West Energy Energy Trust (NYSE: PWE).

Skousen explains, "The dollar continues to slide. Oil is approaching $100 a barrel, and gold, a sign of global instability, now is above $800. And the mortgage credit market continues to soften.

"All of these conditions make it difficult to profit, even in our high dividend-paying stocks. Fortunately, history is on our side. Studies show that a well-diversified portfolio of dividend-paying stocks tend to be more stable during difficult times.

"Our safest position is in oil stocks, so we are going to add another oil & gas stock to our portfolio: Penn West Energy. The trust bought out Canetic recently to create the largest oil and gas trust in North America.

"The combined trust is worth more than $15 billion and has the equivalent production of more than 200,000 barrels of oil a day. Penn West holds interests in western Canadian oil and natural gas pools, along with opportunities in oil sands, coal-bed methane, shale gas, and enhanced oil recovery.

"Penn West is paying an incredible dividend that now is about 35 cents a month, compared to 30 cents a year ago. The company's current dividend yield exceeds 13%."

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

"It wasn't that long ago -- in late 2003, to be exact -- when we were bumping up against the $400 ceiling in gold; and now we've barreled through $800," says Brien Lundin, editor of The Gold Newsletter, and host and opening speaker at the recent New Orleans Investment Conference.

Although he remains cautious on the near-term outlook -- and indeed, forecasts a correction from current levels -- he suggests, "Perhaps the reasons behind gold's rally don't matter -- and we need only consider the fact that it is rallying."

From a long-term perspective, he suggests, "The very fact that gold is rallying so strongly is telling us something about the geopolitical, economic, and/or investing scene. Does gold know something we don't?"

The gold and resource investing expert suggests, "Perhaps it's telling us that global liquidity is far deeper than we can yet understand. Maybe it's telling us that the worldwide move away from the dollar as a reserve currency is accelerating behind the scenes.

"Perhaps it's indicating that economic growth in Asia will continue, and is capable of thriving without the support of Western consumer demand.... Maybe gold is foreshadowing a geopolitical blow-up.

"Perhaps the metal is whispering that the housing crunch, with peaks in adjustable rate mortgage resets coming at the end of the year, will become worse than anyone yet fears. Or perhaps that there is some still unseen derivative or other economic crisis about to erupt.