It goes without saying, that the oil/oil services sectors are preferred here. Look for oil to remain a major fuel for propulsion for at least three more decades, even with alternative energy source development. And with the aforementioned in mind, Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) is worth a review.

Occidental Petroleum engages in oil/gas exploration and also makes basic chemicals, plastics, and petrochemicals. The company has proved reserves of 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent in three regions: U.S./North America, Middle East, and Latin America.

"The global oil and gas majors have been brutally wounded since energy prices peaked last July," observes resources expert Eric Roseman.

In his Commodity Trend Alert, he explains, "We believe it's safe to start accumulating these companies again. We're buying one of the largest and best-managed natural gas companies in the world – Encana (NYSE: ECA)."

The advisor notes, "Based in Calgary, Alberta, Encana is Canada's largest natural gas distribution company based on stock market capitalization and natural gas production.

"ECA produces approximately 4.4 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent per day. More than 80% is natural gas - the cleanest burning of all fossil fuels.

"We see smooth seas ahead for deepsea driller Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII)," says Richard Moroney.

The editor of the blue chip advisory, Dow Theory Forecasts, explains, "Most of the world's untapped oil reserves lie under the ocean floor, and oil producers are spending an increasing portion of their capital budgets on deepwater drilling."

"While oil prices don't directly affect Oceaneering International's profits and cash flows, they do move the stock. Oil prices fell by two-thirds in the second half of 2008, pushing Oceaneering shares under $20 for the first time since July 2005.

"Many experts believe that oil prices are at unsustainably low prices now, and they expect a sharp rise in the commodity price as supply and demand come back into line again," says turnaround expert George Putnam.

In The Turnaround Letter, he suggests, "If oil does begin to rise again, the oilfield service stocks could rebound sharply." Here, he takes a look at large cap plays on a rebound within the oilfield services sector.

"We all know that oil prices have fallen dramatically from their highs in the summer of 2008. But different types of oil-related stocks have reacted quite differently to the price change in the underlying commodity.

"For example, while oil itself has dropped nearly 70% from its 12-month high, the stock of the largest integrated oil company, Exxon-Mobil (NYSE: XOM), is down only 26%, less than the stock market as a whole.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says that Dominion Resources saw a lot of the green movement coming and moved aggressively.

What do you do with a company that raises its dividend twice in two years by 11%, that has superior growth characteristics in its sector, enlightened management and a plan for executives to buy stock regularly?

Well, in this market, that's an easy question to answer: You sell it. That's what's been going on with Dominion Resources (NYSE: D) (Cramer's Take), the Richmond, Va.-based utility that yields more than 6%, but is bumping along its 52-week low like every other stock I follow.

"One of the 'super five' integrated oil and gas companies, Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) has a diversified portfolio of oil and gas assets around the globe," says international investing expert Nick Lanyi.

In High Yield International, he says, "As one of the more conservative plays on a falling dollar and a rebound in oil & gas prices, I am adding Royal Dutch Shell -- yielding of 5.8% -- to our 'Reliable Income' portfolio."

"The Amsterdam-based company's revenue is more gas-oriented than its other super-major peers; about 40% of production is natural gas.

"In addition, Shell is more focused on unconventional sources of oil and gas than most -- the company plans to derive more than 10% of its revenue from sources such as oil sands and liquefied natural gas by 2014. This coincides with Shell's long-standing reputation as an industry leader in technology and engineering.

"American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC) should benefit from an update of the nation's power grid," says Jim Powell.

Here, the editor of Global Changes & Opportunities Report reviews this leading manufacturer of more efficient high temperature superconductor-based wires and cables.

"I've been writing about infrastructure stocks ever since it became apparent that big federal spending programs were on the way. I believe American Superconductor will perform very well. In fact, its price has already started to rise.

"American Superconductor is not yet profitable. However, the company is well past the development stage. AMSC makes high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires and cables that carry as much as 150 times the current as conventional products of the same weight and diameter.

"The Obama administration is poised to spend a lot of money on infrastructure; one important sector is the the nation's electric power grid and the communications system," notes growth stock advisor Dave Dyer.

In his Dave Dayer's Newsletter, he explains, "Some products will win big, others will get nothing, but one company will get more business regardless of which products win: Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR), the leading electrical contractor in the country.

"Quanta's service business stands ready to expand with the infrastructure buildout no matter which products are selected.

"They do design, installation, maintenance, and repair on just about any type of network infrastructure (electric power, telecom, broadband cable, and gas pipelines.) Their moat against competitors is size. They are the largest in their field and that is in no danger of changing.

Weakness in the euro hurt Yingli Green Energy's (NYSE: YGE) earnings, but the company still managed to top analyst expectations. Quarterly income came in at 12 cents per share, down from 15 cents per share a year ago. Nevertheless, YGE's earnings were a nickel better than the consensus estimate. Adjusted earnings hit 15 cents per share. Quarterly revenue increased 21%, checking in at $258.1 million.

The solar firm continues to estimate 2009 shipments between 550 and 600 megawatts, with gross margins coming in between 22% and 24%. The estimated gross margin would be better than last year's margins of 21.6%.

The stock is higher on the open, allowing it to continue enjoying support from its 10-, 20-, and 50-day moving averages. In addition to this potential support, the shares are situated atop their 10-week moving average, which has bullishly crossed its 20-week counterpart. This technical formation often hints at a continued run higher. The stock may need this support, as it faces overhead resistance at the $7 level in the past -- and this level rests right in YGE's path higher.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

"What's going on with Transocean (NYSE RIG), the owner of the world's biggest fleet of offshore drilling rigs?" asks Richard Moroney, a specialist in blue chip stocks.

In his Dow Theory Forecasts, he explains, "The shares plunged 67% - nearly $100 a share - in 2008, and we can't blame the usual suspects." Here, he explains why he continues to rate thes stock a "Focus List Buy" in his blue chip-focused advisory service.

"Poor operating performance? Wall Street expects 2008 per-share profits of $14.34, up 68%. Shaky future? Transocean is expected to grow per-share earnings 4% in 2009 and 10% annually over the next five years.

"Fundamentals eroding? Not at all. The balance sheet is sturdy and the backlog stout at $41 billion, or three times expected 2009 revenue. Rather, we see two chief contributors to Transocean's steep slide, and neither should jeopardize long-term prospects.

Remember when Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) was the symbol of all that was evil in corporate America? Remember when people were pawning their jewelry to buy gas? Remember when politicians spoke of a windfall profits tax? Well, move over Wall Street, the largest publicly traded oil company is back again to grab some of the negative publicity.

The company reported $45.22 billion in profits last year, the largest ever for an American corporation. The results beat Exxon's previous record. Exxon spent $40 billion on dividends and share buybacks.

"President Obama has stated that he's been studying Roosevelt's first 100 days and the way out of the current economic mess will look a lot like the New Deal," says David Fessler.

The advisory panelist for The Oxford Club explains, "Seventy-five years after Roosevelt's inauguration, I think we will soon see President Obama get the ball rolling on his version of the New Deal, focused on two very specific areas: energy and infrastructure." Here, he looks at stocks poised to benefit.

"Saving energy will be one of his first initiatives. It's what will give us the quickest bang for our buck. Better insulation in homes, programmable thermostats, fluorescent bulbs, more fuel-efficient cars, energy management systems for use in larger-scale commercial buildings and beefed-up public transportation are just a few of the ways to save energy.

"The government will likely offer attractive tax incentives to rally support. So who stands to prosper from such initiatives?

"Big blue-chip companies, like Owens Corning (NYSE: OC), maker of insulated glass and building insulation; General Electric (NYSE: GE), manufacturer of wind turbines, energy control and infrastructure products; and Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI), maker of energy management systems (for buildings and vehicles) and hybrid vehicle batteries.

Investors thinking about positioning themselves in oil stocks, or in other stocks that would benefit from higher oil prices may want to wait awhile.

Global oil demand -- a major factor in determining oil's price -- is expected to decline in 2009 by 1 million barrels per day (bpd), the International Energy Agency announced Friday in its latest monthly report.

Even more significant, the IEA also decreased its 2008 global oil demand estimate by 70,000 bpd to 85.8 million bpd, a reduction which means oil demand dropped 0.3% in 2008 and is forecast to decline 0.6% in 2009 -- the first 2-year decline in global oil demand in 26 years, or since 1982-1983.

Oil fell 13 cents on Friday at mid-day to $35.24 per barrel. Oil has fallen an astounding $112.03 since hitting a record high of $147.27 per barrel in the summer of 2008.

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.

Italy's Eni SPA ADR (NYSE: E) has one of the most successful and fastest-growing E&P operations of any major integrated energy firm," says energy expert Elliott Gue.

In his The Energy Strategist, he notes, "And despite its defensive characteristics, Eni offers an impressive 8.5%, the highest of the large integrated oils."

"ENI derives close to three-quarters of its operating income from exploration and production (E&P) and just 3.8% from refining and marketing.

"Thus, Eni has more leverage to E&P than most large integrated energy firms and less exposure to refining margins. The company's other main business is gas and power, accounting for close to 22% of operating income.

"Eni has one of the most successful and fastest-growing E&P operations of any major integrated energy firm. In the third quarter, Eni's production grew to 1.764 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), up 6.3% over the same quarter a year ago, the fastest growth of any integrated firm in my coverage universe.

"And Eni has a large number of new projects scheduled to come onstream over the next three years that are poised to power further production growth.

Back in July, as oil approached its zenith, I cautioned that the bubble in energy stocks was beginning to resemble previous bubbles, such as the ones that sent semiconductor stocks to the moon in 1999 and 2000, and homebuilding stocks in 2005.

At a time when others were buying anything associated with oil, I suggested that investors take profits instead.

In August I wrote about oil and gas exploration firm Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN). The company had just announced quarterly results, which were ahead of estimates, and its shares soared that day to $91 per share.

I made the incredibly astute prediction that there were only two directions for the stock to go: up or down. Basically I stated that if your opinion was that oil demand will continue to outstrip supply, buying Devon made sense.

My own personal belief was that oil was trading at speculative levels, demand destruction would occur in short order with $4-per-gallon gasoline, we'd begin conserving and our massive investments in alternative energy would eventually result in supply outstripping demand.

Even without demand destruction fundamentals suggesting that the price per barrel of oil should have been well below $100, Devon was a stock to sell in my opinion. In fact, the article was titled "Avoid Devon Energy Like the Plague."

Fast forward to today. Oil collapsed beyond what I had even expected and Devon shares fell in parallel. At its lows, DVN hit $54 and change.