"Claymore/Sabrient Defensive Equity (DEF) holds defensive, low-beta stocks can be a strong ally in uncertain market conditions," says Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of The ETF Authority suggests, "The fund has outperformed nine out of 10 large-cap value funds over the long-haul and kept investors' risks lower than its competitors.

"Beta figures help investors gauge the volatility of individual stocks. Any beta reading above 1.0 denotes abnormally large price swings.

"SPDR Morgan Stanley Technology (MTK) has been one of our top ETF recommendations in recent months," says Nathan Slaughter, who reviews the exchange-traded fund along with some of its primary holdings.

The editor of The ETF Authority suggests, "The latest financials from some of the heaviest hitters in the field have reaffirmed our confidence in this sector of the market.

"For example, a few months ago, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) was cheering spectacular +133% first quarter sales growth.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"Whenever inflation heats up, there's no better place to park your cash than in tangible commodities," says Nathan Slaughter.

In his The ETF Authority, he noes "Our favorite play on this sector is Market Vectors Hard Asset Producers (HAP), an ETF whose 300-stock portfolio provides one-stop shopping for six distinct commodity sub-sectors."

"With an increasingly affluent middle class fueling heavy domestic consumption, India is teeming with investment opportunities," suggests Nathan Slaughter.

In The ETF Authority, he looks to Morgan Stanley India Investment (NYSE: IIF), noting, "This exchange-traded fund has been one of the best-performing Asian funds, quintupling shareholders' money during the past decade."

"India is home to 1.2 billion citizens, second only to China as the world's most populous nation. Many of its people still eke out a marginal, agrarian lifestyle. But, more than 300 million Indians are skilled workers that have graduated to the ranks of the middle and upper classes.

"When most people think of Africa, images of business and commerce don't usually spring to mind -- more like wildlife, safaris and famine," suggests Nathan Slaughter.

In The ETF Authority, he explains, "But those perceptions are beginning to change as these countries continue to industrialize. And at the vanguard of this transformation is South Africa." Here, he looks at the iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (NYSE: EZA).

Slaughter explains, "Once a backwater country shunned by most of the international community, South Africa has made great strides over the past decade and continues to evolve. Fifteen years ago the government began an aggressive overhaul of South Africa's economy.

"Golf has Tiger Woods, novelists have Tom Clancy, and the investment community has stars such as Bruce Berkowitz, Bill Nygren, Charlie Dreifus, and Mario Gabelli," states Paul Tracy.

In his The Street Authority Market Advisor, he suggests, "These money managers are at the pinnacle of their craft." Here, he takes a look at these "celebrities" and some of their current top stock holdings.

"These money managers have all amassed prodigious gains over the years for their shareholders. Over the past few months, these gurus have come out with ringing endorsements for certain stocks. This isn't empty talk -- they are putting their money where their mouth is.

"Founded in 1958, ASA Ltd. (NYSE: ASA) is a boutique investment management firm that specializes in precious metals stocks," notes Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of The ETF Authority explains, "Among actively-managed funds in this niche, ASA has earned a best-in-class reputation." Here's his review.

"The portfolio only holds about 20 stocks, but shareholders will have a stake in most of the industry's heaviest hitters. The list represents major players from South Africa to Latin America.

"Mountains of money are about to be spent on the water industry," says exchange-traded fund expert Paul Tracy.

In his The ETF Authority, the advisor adds, "All things considered, my favorite way to invest in the water sector is through the PowerShares Global Water Portfolio (AMEX: PIO)."

"PIO tracks a benchmark that has delivered the strongest gains in the group by a comfortable margin.

"For the last five years, through the end of last quarter, the Palisades Global Water Index has posted annualized returns of 24.9%, for a cumulative gain of 204% -- versus just 44% for the S&P 500. In other words, a $10,000 investment made in 2003 would be worth more than $30,000 today.

"Yet, the portfolio is still the most attractively valued -- the average holding is trading at just 2.5 times book value and 13 times earnings.

"Shareholders in the ETF will have a stake in companies like Veolia Environment, the world's leading provider of water and wastewater treatment.

"Other top holdings include Kurita, which supplies ultra-pure water for semiconductor manufacturing and makes reverse osmosis seawater desalination systems for remote islands; and Hyflux, a leading maker of water recycling technology used in Singapore and China.

"Market Vectors Global Nuclear (ASE: NLR) offers investors a well-diversified play on the booming nuclear power industry," notes Paul Tracy.

The editor of The ETF Investor -- a top notch service that offers in-depth analysis of exchange-traded funds -- turns its analysis towards the outlook for the nuclear power sector.

"The ETF is designed to track the performance of companies that derive at least half their total revenues from the nuclear power business. That list includes firms that build nuclear power plants, mine uranium, and generate electricity in nuclear plants.

"Demand for electricity is surging globally, with most of that growth coming from fast-growing emerging markets like China and India. In fact, according to the Department of Energy, Chinese and Indian power demand is expected to nearly triple between now and 2030.

"These nations (and many others) are choosing to expand their nuclear power plant capacity to meet some of that demand. China has been aggressively opening new plants in recent years and has plans to open dozens more in an effort to triple nuclear's share of Chinese electricity supply by 2030.