"As the old saying goes, banks are happy to make loans to anyone who can prove they don't need them," observes Alexander Green.

The editor of The Oxford Club explains, "But what do you do if you're a blue-collar worker with a checkered credit history, an uncertain unemployment picture and no high-quality collateral? These folks are turning to pawnbrokers such as EZCorp (EZPW).

"Based in Austin, EZCorp operates more than 1,000 pawnshops and payday loan storefronts in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It also has equity stakes in pawnshops in Britain and Australia.

"Edwards Lifesciences (EW) is a potential winner; based in Irvine, California, Edwards makes and sells replacement valves for advanced heart disease," says growth stock specialist Alexander Green.

The editor of The Oxford Club explains, "Edwards has a breakthrough product called SAPIEN, a transcatheter valve that allows doctors to replace a heart valve without open chest surgery.

"The traditional method of replacing heart valves requires a surgeon to cut through the chest, stop the heart, remove the valve and replace it.

"Everyone knows about China's outlandish growth in exports. That's no secret. But, almost totally under the radar, China is transforming itself from a world-class exporter into one of the world's biggest importers," says Alexander Green.

The editor of The Oxford Communique explains, "Indeed, we think China is presenting the biggest opportunity on the planet -- and we recommend the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund (FXI), which gives you a stake in 25 of China's very best blue-chip stocks Below, we review the fund and 14 reasons to remain bullish on the Chinese stock market.

"Quality is a big reason why Panera Bread (PNRA) has not only survived but prospered during this economic slowdown," says Alexander Green.

The editor of The Oxford Club explains, "I prefer to buy from -- and invest in -- companies that compete primarily on the basis of quality.

"Why? Because quality is remembered long after price is forgotten. In short, Panera is a case study in how to attract customers -- and shareholders -- the right way. Customers tend to patronize those firms with a reputation for meeting or exceeding expectations. Plus, satisfied customers are an excellent source of referrals.

"It's not secret that small caps perform best coming out of recessions; further, if we want to ride the small-cap rally for maximum gains, we should similarly rotate into small-cap value stocks," says Louis Basense.

The contributing editor to The Oxford Club explains, "Thankfully, it's an easy transition to make. I say that because the most attractive small-cap value investment is sitting right under our noses. No one on Earth is better at discovering small-cap value investments than David Dreman.

Two growth stock specialists have turned bullish on the prospects for medical equipment maker Varian Medical Systems (VAR), despite uncertainty surrounding health care legislation.

Here's a look at the company from Louis Basenese, senior analyst with The Oxford Club, along with commentary from Mark Skousen, from his specialty service, The Turnaround Alert.

Mark Skousen suggests, "One stock that should benefit from 'ObamaCare' is Varian Medical Systems, the world's leader in radiation technology and X-ray imaging.

Two of the newsletter industry's leading growth stock advisors remain bullish on the prospects of online retailer Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), based on growth in not only online retailing but new market areas ranging from the Kindle e-reader to cloud computing.

Mike Cintolo, editor of The Cabot Top Ten Report, explains, "Amazon.com recently blew away earnings expectations." Meanwhile, Alexander Green, investment director at The Oxford Club, says, "In our view, the best lies ahead for the company." Here are their reviews.

Mike Cintolo continues, "Amazon announced that its Kindle e-book reader is now its most popular selling item, both in units and in dollars. That led to a big acceleration in revenue growth (28%, the fastest in five quarters), while earnings leaped 67%.

"Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD), one of the world's largest biotechs, is a stock for all seasons," say growth expert Alexander Green.

The investment director for The Oxford Club explains, "It's a fine company with a solid balance sheet, a recession-proof business and excellent growth prospects."

"Gilead focuses on three main areas, including cardiovascular conditions and respiratory diseases. (Many may have taken its anti-influenza drug Tamiflu, Letairis to treat hypertension, or Macugen to treat macular degeneration.)

"Vice stocks have consistently outperformed most other market sectors, especially during recessionary times," says Alexander Green, whose 'Seven Deadly Sins Portfolio' is up 59% in six months.

One strong performer in that portfolio is Smith & Wesson Holding (NASDAQ: SWHC). Here, the investment director of The Oxford Club explains why investors should load up on the gun maker.

"Smith & Wesson has been a partner in law enforcement since the 1800s, developing crime-fighting tools that set the standard for the field.

"Diageo (NYSE: DEO), the world's largest spirits maker, offers solid and safe dividend, as well as the potential for strong capital appreciation," says Louis Basenese.

The senior analyst for the prestigious The Oxford Club suggests, "Moreover, investors can also prepare for a US dollar decline by buying these shares." Here's his bullish outlook.

"Headquartered in London, roughly 70% of the company's sales come from outside the United States. So any dollar dip will increase the value of our ADRs.

"Moreover, management concedes that positive currency tailwinds in the other countries where Diageo sells spirits will help the company easily grow earnings by double digits this year.

"Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) is a speculative stock, with plenty of potential but also downside risk," suggests Alex Green. In The Oxford Club, he looks at the firm's turnaround potential.

"Yes, Playboy's publishing empire is a big money loser. But it still has one of the most recognized brands in the world. The rabbit head logo generates more than $1 billion in licensing fees annually.

"When you consider that Playboy Enterprises has a market capitalization of a little over $100 million, you begin to see how undervalued this stock is.

"Over the past year, ITC Holdings (NYSE: ITC) has been focused on identifying ways to integrate wind and other renewable resources into the power grid," notes growth stock expert Alexander Green.

In The Oxford Club Communique, he explains, "This young company -- that despite being in the midst of the biggest economic slowdown in more than 70 years -- is taking in more than $600 million in annual revenue, enjoying 46% operating margins and experiencing 72% quarterly profit growth.

In a difficult economic environment, it is often wise for investors to consider stocks in more defensive and relatively recession-resistant sectors. And one such area is food and beverage stocks.

As the long-standing market maxim goes, consumers can pull back on spending for vacations, remodeling, and new cars, but they still need to eat and drink.

In that light, I turned to nine leading newsletter advisors who serve up their current favorite ideas in the food and beverage sector:

This post is part of a seven article report -- Food for thought: Best bets in food & beverage stocks..

"If you're buying stocks to meet long-term investment goals, now is an excellent time to do some bargain hunting," says Alexander Green. In The Oxford Communique he looks to Diageo (NYSE: DEO).

"One good place to start is with Diageo. We like the outlook for company, which is the world's largest spirit maker. In good times or bad, people drink. According to some studies, even more during the bad times.

"With eight of the top 20 brands, and unparalleled marketing and distribution operations, Diageo is the best way to tap into the globe's steady demand for high-quality spirits.

Two leading growth stock expert, Brandon Clay, editor of Invest with an Edge, and Alexander Green, editor of The Oxford Club, turn to automated blood testing equipment maker Immucor (NASDAQ: BLUD) as a recession-resistant buy.

Clay suggest, "A good bet is to go with the strongest stock in that particular sector at the time of your pickThat way, the company you select at least has the momentum of the sector backing it. Typically the medical industry performs better than the overall market in a downturn. This recession has been no different.

"As we dug deeper into health care, one company surfaced that was worth our attention. Immucor is a blood testing equipment manufacturer specializing in pre-transfusion diagnostics.

"Established in 1982, they brought their first patent to market four years later. Since then they've become a leader in blood diagnostics and blood bank technology.