"In this recession, consumers are spending less per purchase on their credit cards -- but that hasn't slowed down the credit card company MasterCard (NYSE: MA)," says Paul Tracy.

In his The StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he points out, "In the second quarter, MasterCard's net income grew by +26%, beating Wall Street's expectations by a significant margin." Here's his review.

"MasterCard makes its money from the fees it charges merchants and the banks that issue its cards. The issuing banks make money by charging consumers interest.

"And as we've seen, the banks can lose money when consumers default on their credit card debt. But MasterCard's fee-based business model has been relatively resilient during the downturn.

"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.

"Though the past year has been tough for Warren Buffett, we still like Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), which we believe is well-positioned for the year ahead," says Paul Tracy.

In his StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he looks at the holding company which is a position in his "undervalued gems" model portfolio. Here's his review.

"For only the second time in the investment-based company's 44 years, Buffett saw the book value of Berkshire drop. Of course his book value decline of 9.6% should be put in context with the 37% loss incurred by the S&P 500.

"The agriculture, mining and oil and gas businesses are booming globally, and mining firms have been plagued by a lack of available earth-moving and subsurface mining equipment," notes Paul Tracy.

To benefit from this trend, the editor of The StreetAuthority Market Advisor recommends Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers (NYSE: RBA), the "largest auctioneer of used industrial and agricultural equipment in the world."

"The prices of wheat, soybeans, corn and other basic food commodities are surging to new multi-year highs. There are two main drivers of this trend: rising consumption of agricultural commodities in emerging markets and increased consumption of crops for biofuels production.

"The developing world is also driving demand for petroleum products and other raw materials. A building boom in China, for example, is driving demand for steel, copper and aluminum used in building construction.

"One problem holding back these industries in recent years is a shortage of equipment. Mining firms have been plagued by a lack of available earth-moving and subsurface mining equipment. And agricultural products producers need tractors, combines and other equipment that are in short supply globally to efficiently run their farms.

"Under Armour (NYSE: UA) and VMware (NYSE: VMW) both have the potential for a short squeeze in coming months," says Paul Tracy in StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

"VMware is a market leader in software virtualization. Companies typically do not use the full computing power of their servers, and when not in use, that server sits idle.

"Virtualization technology allows IT managers to use that underutilized capacity -- running software across the organization's entire base of servers. Thus, virtualization is a key cost-cutting technology.

"VMware has a short interest ratio of 11.7 and a freely traded float of just 50 million shares. If all those shorts try to cover, the stock looks likely to be in short supply. Meanwhile, trading at 36 times 2009 earnings estimates with a long-term growth rate of 45%, VMW doesn't look overpriced.

"Under Armour (NYSE: UA) makes clothing (along with sports equipment) targeting the athletic and outdoor-oriented market. Specifically, the company makes clothes designed to wick moisture away from the skin and keep the wearer at a comfortable temperature, regardless of weather conditions.

"Meanwhile, the stock has seen strong earnings growth despite the slowdown in consumer spending -- earnings surged 42% in the fourth quarter. And management recently announced its looking for revenues to reach $765-775 million in 2008, representing around a 27% increase over 2007 levels.

"With a forward P/E of 23 and a long-term growth rate of 25%, UA looks inexpensive. With a float of less than 32 million shares and a short interest ratio approaching 12, Under Armour looks like a prime short-squeeze candidate."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

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 top conservative stock idea for 2008 is CarMax (NYSE: KMX)," says Paul Tracy, editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has recently disclosed that is has taken a 6.4% stake in the used-car retailer. It's impossible to know for sure if Berkshire's stake is the result of Buffett's own buying or that of one of Berkshire's subsidiary companies, but either way it's a vote of confidence for CarMax.

"KMX has been sliding in recent months due to fears that a consumer slump would impact sales of used cars. But we continue to believe those concerns are overblown.

"The company offers a unique shopping experience that is unrivaled by traditional used-car dealerships -- the firm's superstores are well-stocked, offer haggle-free pricing, and provide painless trade-ins and vehicle financing.

"Alternative energies are not just a pie-in-the-sky dream," says Paul Tracy and Nathan Slaughter from the StreetAuthority Market Advisor. "Denmark generates as much as 30% of its power from wind, Iceland uses geothermal energy, and producers are bringing down the cost of solar power."

"Overall, companies involved in alternative power technologies, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, are getting plenty of attention from investors these days." Here, the advisors profile what they consider to the most attractive companies in the alternative energy space.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. (NYSE: STP), "which manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, has two primary advantages: a low manufacturing cost base and highly efficient cells.

"For starters, Suntech is based in China, where labor costs (even for skilled research staff) are far lower than in the Western world. The Chinese government also subsidizes such research, further helping companies like Suntech.

"In addition, the firm's cells boast some of the highest conversion rates on the market, allowing the company to offer smaller panels that can produce as much electricity as far larger ones from competitors.

"Suntech has been ramping up its manufacturing capacity rapidly in recent years to keep pace with strong demand. Analysts are forecasting robust earnings growth of 45% annually over the next five years.

Do any companies benefit from growing default rates? Yes, says Paul Tracy. "As the supply of bad consumer debt swells, those in the business of buying and collecting on those loans have a more plentiful (and cheaper) pool of debt at their disposal."

The editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor states, "Portfolio Recovery Associates (NASDAQ: PRAA) is one of the most attractive players in this particular niche. I believe that the current credit environment is actually a major benefit for the firm."

He explains, "Recovery Associates' business model is simple. The company buys defaulted credit card, auto loan and other debts from lenders. Because this debt is in default, PRAA pays just a few pennies for each dollar of debt it purchases."

Tracy continues, "As long as PRAA can collect a few pennies more than it pays for the debt, the company makes a solid profit. And PRAA has been doing just that for years."

Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX ) has been selected as the "undervalued stock of the month" by Paul Tracy, in his StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

The advisor explains, "We think the company's days as an industry laggard are over and we think the company is well-positioned to leverage its valuable assets and unlock shareholder value in the years ahead."

For those unfamiliar with the company's operations, he explains that Time Warner is the largest media conglomerate on the planet. First, he notes, there is AOL, which has built a powerful network of highly-trafficked web sites. He explains, "Its ubiquitous instant messenger service is used to send 1.8 billion messages every day."

Then, he adds, there is Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC), which has grown to become the nation's number two cable provider with a massive base of 15 million customers -- roughly half of whom have signed up for premium services such as digital video or high-speed internet.

The film business, he points out, includes Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema, and has "raked in billions" in global box office revenues from blockbuster hits like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

In fact, he says, Warner Brothers is planning to bring the Harry Potter world to life, unveiling plans to collaborate on a new theme park based on the "wildly popular" series.