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.

Growth stock specialist Toby Smith turns to a speculative micro-cap stock for his top pick for 2010: ChinaTel Group Inc. (CHTL).

With the added disclosure that he personally own shares in CHTL, along with his clients at ChangeWave Research, the advisor looks to the firm's potential role in a new joint venture in the China telecom space."

Continue reading Top Picks for 2010: China Tel (CHTL)

Top Picks for 2010: China Tel (CHTL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"There is a new game changer in the works: the Windows 7 release," says Toby Smith, who believes we could be in the early stages of a tech recovery.

In his ChangeWave Investing, he adds, "Dell (DELL) will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Windows 7 upgrade cycle." "In a recent speech, Dell CEO Michael Dell joined the chorus of top tech leaders when he said, 'I think there is a very powerful refresh cycle that is coming.'

Continue reading Upgrade cycle boosts Dell (DELL)

Upgrade cycle boosts Dell (DELL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) remains one of best long-term investment plays on the smart phone tidal wave," says growth expert Toby Smith in his ChangeWave Investing advisory.

"The stock recently fell sharply after issuing a solid, but not blowout, earnings report last night. In my view, the selloff created a buying opportunity.

"The Street's dismay was due to the pre-announcement build-up by many analysts who anticipated a blow-out quarter. When the numbers and outlook failed to live up to their billing, the stock got whacked.

"In our view, this looks like a good buying opportunity for one of the dominant players in the smartphone sector -- and one of the hottest we've identified over the long-term.

Continue reading Research in Motion (RIMM): Selloff created opportunity

Research in Motion (RIMM): Selloff created opportunity originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The way to win in solar is to invest in the industry leaders and SunTech Power Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is a big as they come," says growth expert Toby Smith in his ChangeWave Investing.

"China will surpass the US as the world's largest market for wind turbines -- after doubling wind power capacity in each of the last four years.

"Chinese government mandates for cleaner energy are a big factor driving the blossoming wind and solar projects, but other forces are at work, too. Chinese power companies are loaded with cash and state-owned banks are eager to lend them more money.

Continue reading Suntech (STP): The way to win with solar

Suntech (STP): The way to win with solar originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"For two years chips stocks have unequivocally stunk; the industry has been mired in a host of problems, including massive overcapacity and shrinking demand," says Toby Smith, adding, "But that's changing."

In his ChangeWave Investing, he suggests, "One recommendation in this sector is SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK), the leader in flash memory -- one of the strongest segments in semis today."

"For the second quarter in a row the semiconductor sector is showing major signs of momentum that are so good that the industry ranked at the top of the nearly 20 industries we track each quarter.

"The bottom line is that these results clearly indicate that it is time to be invested in the semis, and the best way to do this is with two short-term plays.

Continue reading Toby Smith: In the chips with Sandisk

Toby Smith: In the chips with Sandisk originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is involved in the build-out of smart grids -- has been our radar screen for awhile," says growth stock expert Toby Smith.

In his ChangeWave Investing, he suggests, "As the top supplier of smart meters and meter infrastructure for the electricity industry, Itron is by far the best-positioned company for the smart grid build-out."

"The build-out of smart grids employs technologies that deployed across an energy grid which allow greater efficiency and flexibility during energy distribution and transmission.

"The cool thing about smart grids is that they are capable of isolating and better managing power outages and disruptions, integrating local power generating equipment, and avoiding electricity congestion or bottlenecks.

Continue reading Itron (ITRI): Smart grids, smart meters

Itron (ITRI): Smart grids, smart meters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), the bellwether company when it comes to performance in the tech industry, is hanging tough," says growth stock expert Toby Smith.

In his ChangeWave Investing he explains why "investors should own this stock before the economy shifts into a higher gear." Here's his review.

"As a true dominator, Cisco is beautifully positioned in several long-term secular trends including cloud computing and data center build-outs, unified communications, web-based video and telepresence.

Continue reading Cisco (CSCO): A 'true dominator'

Cisco (CSCO): A 'true dominator' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 May 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

"Customers are trading down to McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) from higher-end restaurants," says growth stock expert Toby Smith in his ChangeWave Investing.

The fast food operator is also a buy from Bill Martin, who adds, the company continues to serve up solid results. In his BullMarket.com advisory, he reviews the stock's recent quarter.

First, Toby Smith explains, "Given the endless parade of depressing economic news, it's no wonder that most people have lost their appetite for food -- if not altogether, then at least for the finer dining.

"Our proprietary ChangeWave Alliance survey -- ongoing pols of thousands of individuals and investors in various industries and professions -- just 5% of respondents said they would spend more at restaurants, which is unchanged from the all-time low.

Continue reading McDonald's (MCD): Two bets on Big Mac

McDonald's (MCD): Two bets on Big Mac originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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:

Continue reading Food for thought: Best buys in food & beverage

Food for thought: Best buys in food & beverage originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) has increasingly developed a series of technologies more closely tied to end-users -- with a focus on the home entertainment hub," notes Toby Smith.

The editor of ChangeWave Investing explains, "The company understands that the market for consumer electronics products is too big and too important to ignore."

"It is well known that Cisco is the dominant supplier of the switches and routers that enable networks and computers to be linked together.

"Recently, Cisco made its most consumer-oriented acquisition by picking up privately held Pure Digital Technologies, the maker of the popular and simple-to-use Flip video camcorder.

Continue reading Cisco (CSCO) targets consumer entertainment

Cisco (CSCO) targets consumer entertainment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In early 2008, Toby Smith forecast a shift among consumers towards discount retailers; in ChangeWave Investing, he still looks to Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Fred's (NASDAQ: FRED) as the best way to participate in this ongoing trend.

"Consumers are worried about their jobs and about trying to build savings, so the last thing they are apt to do is spend frivolously.

"Early in 2008, our ChangeWave Alliance accurately picked up a major transformational shift in retailing as consumers began to increase spending at discounters. That shift became even more dramatic, as the economic downturn worsened in Q4 2008.

Continue reading Retail winners? Look to discounters

Retail winners? Look to discounters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

"If there ever was an opportunity to move energy efficiency strategies into the top-tier of national and industrial policy, it's now," says Toby Smith, referring to President-elect Obama's stated focus on renewable energy.

In his industry-leading ChangeWave Investing, which focuses on isolating emerging, long-term investment trends, he states, "The question isn't really if solar companies will benefit, but when." As a favorite idea for 2009, he looks to SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWRA).

"President-elect Obama seems to be the right person to push energy-efficiency initiatives through -- especially since he is preparing a massive stimulus program that will be unleashed soon after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

"The core of Obama's economic policy appears to be a strategy to transform the United States into an economy mostly powered by renewable and low-carbon energy generation by mid-century. This includes everything from solar to natural gas to nuclear.

Continue reading Top Stock Picks '09: SunPower (SPWRA)

Top Stock Picks '09: SunPower (SPWRA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) are taking the smartphone market by storm," says Toby Smith in his ChangeWave Investing.

"AAPL and RIMM are both pushing all of the other manufactures to the sidelines. It's clear that RIMM's BlackBerry is the dominating force in the corporate smartphone market, but the Apple iPhone has shaken things up quite a bit on the consumer side.

"The combination of the new Apple model flying off the shelves, and rumors of a postponement for one of RIMM's new releases, has raised questions among some analysts as to RIMM's ability to fight back.

"Research in Motion may be planning to release several new smartphones this year, including the KickStart, the Thunder and the already announced Bold.

Continue reading AAPL and RIMM: Smart buys for smart phones?

AAPL and RIMM: Smart buys for smart phones? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As investors debate over the iPhone from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) vs. the BlackBerry from Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), growth stock guru Toby Smith sees room for both in his ChangeWave Investing portfolio. Here's his latest.

"Apple recently took a big step out of its consumer-oriented world and into the corporate realm, one dominated by Research In Motion.

"Apple is teaming up with Microsoft to make the iPhone more 'businessy' for corporate users. Obviously, when the iPhone was launched, it was a huge success with consumers. Now, Apple is opening up the platform and making it more appealing to businesses.

"With its much-awaited iPhone software developers kit, Apple is banking on third-party software to differentiate the iPhone from the BlackBerry. The biggest challenge for Apple will be overcoming concerns about security, e-mail synching and the iPhone's high price.

"Undoubtedly, this shift into the corporate realm will take time, and it will likely be the small- and medium-sized companies that are the first to adopt the iPhone for business.

Continue reading Toby Smith: iPhone vs. BlackBerry

Toby Smith: iPhone vs. BlackBerry originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"We've been tracking the water industry for a while and it's been crystal clear that water is an area we want to dive into," says Toby Smith in his ChangeWave Investing. Here, he looks at a water-focused ETF.

"Water is often taken for granted, but that is changing. A combination of global economic growth and years of neglect are leading to a tidal wave of demand for water infrastructure and various technologies.

"It's forecasted that by 2025, almost two-thirds of the global population will live in countries where water will be a scarce commodity. Climate change could exacerbate the problem. Clearly, water issues cross all boundaries.

The water industry combines the best attributes of a good defensive strategy coupled with numerous 'offensive' plays. From a growth perspective, spending on water projects at all levels is on the upswing due to years of infrastructure neglect and under-investment.

"One great way for all investors to participate is by investing in an ETF with a water focus, such as PowerShares Water Resources (NYSE: PHO).

"The beauty of this water ETF is that it gives us exposure to each of the companies that were highest rated in our survey (comprising approximately one-third of the PHO holdings). PHO also has a well-balanced portfolio, with no single stock representing more that 4% of the total. IN our view, it's clear that the water industry will see above-average growth well into the future."

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

Toby Smith dives into water ETF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"This is still a psychologically damaged market; take for example, what happened with VMware (NYSE: VMW) after its latest earnings announcement," notes Toby Smith in ChangeWave Investing.

"VMware recently reported that its fourth-quarter net income more than doubled on an 80% increase in revenue. Despite these excellent results, after-hours selling has plunged the shares lower by 25% to around $61.

"The culprit appears to be analysts' forecasts for an 82% increase in revenues. The buzz on the Street is that this miss signals stiffer competition in the virtualization space from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL).

"However, during the conference call VMW management said customers have tried some competitors' products and told them that they see no reason to switch.

"This sell-off is similar to what recently happened to Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) -- blowout performance followed by a hatchet job on the shares. As with Apple, we see this price drop in VMW as a great opportunity to establish a low cost-basis in the stock.

Continue reading A vote for virtualization: Toby Smith buys VMware (VMW)

A vote for virtualization: Toby Smith buys VMware (VMW) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) it's a true 'Dominator' company," says Toby Smith. "The company's major strategic advantage is its size and its marketing power to influence customers' decision-making."

"This is a good time to get on board, he says in his ChangeWave Investing, a newsletter that seeks to identify the leading company involved in enduring, long-term market trends.

He continues, "The company's primary value proposition is not quality or price, but being the single source for its customers' networking technology needs. Purchasers of Cisco's equipment won't lose any sleep over their decision to buy from them. The thinking is if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

"Our ChangeWave Alliance findings tell us that Cisco is gaining market share in all of its main product areas, and the company confirmed that in its Q3 report.

"Investor expectations were high prior to Cisco's quarterly report. So despite overall solid quarterly results and long-term outlook, CEO Chambers' remarks about problems among its U.S. enterprise business -- especially financials and autos -- quickly sparked a sell-off in its shares.

"You might be surprised to learn that U.S. enterprise business represents only 13% of Cisco's revenues and that most of its biggest growth is occurring in the developing countries and Europe, where orders and contracts with phone carriers bolstered sales.

Continue reading Cisco (CSCO): Toby Smith says 'Get on board'

Cisco (CSCO): Toby Smith says 'Get on board' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toby Smith has been a long-standing bull on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and despite its strength, he remains bullish. In his ChangeWave Investing, he explains, "Apple recently beat Wall Street targets with a 67% rise in its quarterly profit, led by strong sales of its Macintosh computers and a big first full quarter from the iPhone."

Smith continues, "Apple's net profit was $904 million, or $1.01 per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter, compared with $542 million, or 62 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue was $6.22 billion, up 29% from $4.84 billion a year earlier.

"The results handily beat the Street's average targets of 85 cents per share earnings and $6.06 billion in revenue. Apple also forecast fiscal first-quarter revenue of $9.2 billion, ahead of the $8.7 billion average Wall Street target.

"iPhone sales of 1.12 million were toward the high end of a range of forecasts given by three analysts in research notes, according to Reuters estimates. Apple shipped 2.2 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, a figure that also topped analysts' estimates. iPod sales of 10.2 million fell just short of analysts' estimates of 10.5 million to 11 million for the period.

"Our ChangeWave Alliance research is on target again. We've seen strong sales for Mac computers for a while now and strong satisfaction ratings for the iPhone. Our target of $225 looks better and better every day."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment commentary and favorite stocks of the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

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Apple (AAPL): Toby Smith stays bullish originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"A new study on stem cell research is mind-boggling," notes emerging growth expert Toby Smith in support of his recommendation for Geron Corp. (NASDAQ: GERN).

The growth stock expert and editor of ChangeWave Investing explains, "Geron reported its scientists and collaborators have demonstrated that human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cardiomyocytes improve heart function when transplanted after myocardial infarction.

"Published online on Aug. 26, in Nature Biotechnology, the landmark study is the first to document the potential clinical utility of regenerating damaged heart muscle by injecting hESC-derived cardiomyocytes directly into the site of the infarct.

"In addition, the research confirms the effectiveness of a scalable production system that enables Geron to manufacture the cardiomyocytes for use in ongoing large animal studies and, ultimately, testing in humans."

Continue reading Geron (GERN): 'Mind-boggling' study boost stem cell research firm

Geron (GERN): 'Mind-boggling' study boost stem cell research firm originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From his ChangeWave Investing newsletter and regular appearances on Fox TV's Bulls & Bears, Toby Smith is one of the most widely followed newsletter advisors. AS growth investors, he seeks stocks poised to benefit from enduring trends, which he calls "Changewaves".

To help isolate these trends, he turns to his ChangeWave Alliance, a group of thousands of business leaders in a wide range of fields who respond to ongoing surveys regarding developing industry trends.

Three such trends, which he considers among his favorite macroeconomic ChangeWaves are Clean Energy, Carbon Credits, and Chindia (China-India) Infrastructure. And one of his latest stock recommendations -- Fuel Tech (NASDAQ: FTEK) -- plays into all three of these waves.

Continue reading Fuel Tech (FTEK): Clean coal, carbon credit, and 'Chindia'

Fuel Tech (FTEK): Clean coal, carbon credit, and 'Chindia' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.