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.

International investing expert Nicholas Vardy looks to the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (AMEX: EEM) as his favorite investment idea for 2009.

In his Global Stock Investor, he explains, "The exchange-traded fund is a bet that the initiatives of policy makers across the globe will be sufficient to trigger a sustained bounce in emerging markets stocks between now and the end of 2009.

"The policy responses to the global economic crisis have been both massive and coordinated. The European Central Bank has entered into foreign currency swaps with Iceland and Switzerland, even though they are outside the eurozone.

"The European Union joined forces with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to provide loan facilities totaling $25 billion to Hungary.

"Recently, the U.S. Federal Reserve opened swap lines of $30 billion each to Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Singapore. All of these efforts combined will ease the shortage of dollars that has ravaged emerging markets.

Paul Tracy believes Templeton Emerging Markets (NYSE: EMF) is a buy due to the emerging market expertise of its manager, Mark Mobius. Here's the latest from his from The ETF Authority.

"Emerging markets can dangerous waters for U.S. investors. These markets often have little to no analyst coverage and can be highly inefficient.

"As such, this is an area where expert active management can be well worth the higher price tag. And despite charging 1.55% in annual expenses, the Templeton Emerging Markets Fund certainly falls into that category.

"Given the potential pitfalls, it's reassuring to know that this fund is overseen by Dr. Mark Mobius -- a battle-tested veteran with decades of experience dealing with these uncertain stocks.

"While most funds have no discretion when it comes to making tactical decisions, Mobius and his team have the flexibility to steer clear of troubled regions or sectors -- and overweight those that look particularly promising.

"U.S. Global Investors (NASDAQ: GROW) -- a mutual fund management company which focus on resources and emerging economies -- will benefit as declining interest rates in the U.S. also boost emerging economies and demand for resources," says Ken Kam.

The editor of Marketscope explains, "When the Federal Reserve wants to lower interest rates, it can print more money, but it cannot control where the new money will go. Fed policy makers intend for the new money to stimulate America's economy.

"But there is no reason the money has to stay in America. The U.S. dollar is accepted around the world and this means that when the Fed cuts interest rates, the new money stimulates the economies of others countries as well as ours.

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 idea for 2008 is Templeton Emerging Markets Fund (NYSE: EMF), a closed-end fund that holds the vast majority of its stocks in emerging market economies," says Carla Pasternak, editor of High Yield Investing.

"About a third of its stock holdings are in Brazil and China, two of the countries popularly known as the 'BRIC' economies (the other two are Russia and India). Led by one of the legends of emerging market investing,
Mark Mobius, EMF also goes off the beaten track to find stocks in Turkey, South Korea and Thailand.

"About a third of the portfolio stocks are in the energy sector, with another 20% in the industrials materials group such as iron ore. With energy prices and industrial commodities soaring this past year, EMF has been in the right
place at the right time.

"The same can be said of the entire emerging market sector. And since the world stock market bottom in mid-August, emerging market funds have been hot, hot, hot. These funds attracted $23 billion in capital in all of 2006, but since the last week of August have drawn more than $24 billion.

"Short term, the sage advice of Peter Lynch may ring in your ears -- Beware the hottest stock in the hottest sector.
Still, EMF shares haven't kept up with the asset growth of the fund's portfolio holdings, and the fund is trading today at an attractive discount of 10% to its net worth.

"In other words, you can scoop up a dollar's worth of stock for just 90 cents. Long-term investors willing to withstand a possible short-term pullback in the fund may want to invest at this time."